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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 927, 5 April 1879, Page 2

Mb hit the nail on the head «fu*n h® remarked, at Wednesday night s at Kakatitit, that hp could not say—*'• 1 came to tell you what I have done for you/" and that tho Opposition) »tnwl>tts3S thought the station " barren " fusu'vtsw they did not strc«;erd in ottafidir efw It* » Parliament evvr demonstrated he-w not t«>tavern a country, the N*e« JC«at;»nd Parliament did that last session, This was the work of the < 'pposition, which acted srp«>n the peculiarly political theory that, not being able to sarry on the Geverjvtnent themselves, it was their duty to prevent, by misrepresentation or «tj»k»y, the other side from •loins it. Mr. S>ueim.*«Kl was quite correct in ®»ying that 113 Hilts had passed into taw ; bat we art? not s» sure that he was t'lwittf justified in quoting this fact a-* an ilt»*tr»*i'>n »>f lh» Miwunt <>f real w»rk done during fast session. The number looks well. and. s» Ions: as Mr. Shkiu-ki does iwt t«tl us that the majority of the 113 Bitb are »f but L:-.- importance to th« people of Kakantii the Colony, we ean comfort ourselves with the idea that thing's are nut a»> bad as they might have been. It was unneeeswry for Mr. HfffctM.sEt t"> make an apology on accotmt o£ the barretitiea-j of the sea-sion. If the junior member tor Wiitaki has any jthnrteiominga, s«3mitolence is not one of them, lie never attempts when on duty in Wellington to deprive others of the pleasures of speechifying : and whilst thev are rhetorically indulging themselves ;u»i theirauditors, he is doinsr something more practical. Mr. Shri.m.ski, following after Mr. Htjttop, did not go over the same as ht3 He referred to the somewhat original but common-sense policy enunciated by Mr. Macanokew of making the lands immediately bear almost the total expense of a complete system «f railways. To the Opposition, the proposal was too good. It would, if adopted in its integrity, have secured substantial and permanent k»do.< for a Ministry upon which they had been heaping ridicule, and, through their instrumentality, it was rendered compulsory that the amount necessary for each line should be voted by Parliament. Mr. then touched upon the removal of the grain duties, and, like ourseh-es and the bulk of the fanners of thi3 district, he and his colleague believe that it was a mistake. Where there is free trade, there should also be reciprocity. This is a pretty safe principle to apply to all countries, and Great Britain is now awaking tr> the value of if. Public opinion has undergone a change since the remwval of the duties on grain, and some of those who were the strongest admirers of the move would now like to see the old duties reinstated. The Bribery Bill is a favorite with Mr. Shrimski, and so it is with the majority of people. The evils of allowing the Government of the country tt> drift entirely into the hands of the wealthy classes has been practically demonstrated. Neither Ultra-democracy or ricra-conaervatism is good. It is midway between the two that wise government is to be found ; and whilst we reprobate any attempt by the wealthy to " rule the roost," we would be equally warm in our denunciations of n similar attempt on the part of the democrats to go to extremes, to the injury of the nice adjustment that should exist between capital and labor. Bribery in some shape has existed in all countries so t >ri : ; <;< hive been known, :u;.j .; ill, settle extent, continue to the tmi, but that is no reason why an attempt should not be made here, as in other countries, to etTacc such a blot escutcheon. Mr. Shkukki repeated his belief that the time had arrived when there should be a member for Waitaki North, one for Waitaki South, and another for Oamaru. Although the country districts have good cause to be as satisfied as they ore with what the representatives for this district have done in their behalf, we thint that Mr.

Shrimski is right, and would be glad to see his idea carried out.