The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 10010, 16 July 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1879.

tits Excellency the Governor lias addressed the Lords and Commons of New Zealand in Parliament assembled ; but the task might just as well have been left unperformed, for the speech put into the mouth of Sir Hercules Robinson by his responsible advisers has served no better purpose than to introduce hi 3 Excellency to the assembled wisdom of the land. The speech cart scarcely be said to foreshadow anything new in the shape of a broad colonial policy. This, perhaps, should not be ft matter for astonishment. Viceregal speeches in this Colony, at any rate, have ever been characterised by a want of frankness and a lack of anything calculated to convey to the minds of members or to the country any clear idea as to the intentions of Ministers. Gubernatorial speeches have invariably been noted for their baldness, but the speech before us is the most bald that we have perused for many years. It haa neither elegance of diction nor brilliancy of ideas to recommend it, while it affords little or no clue as to what the Government really intend to do. It is " tlafc, stale, and unprofitable" to a surprising degree, and cannot fail to prove disappointing to Ministerial supporters, and amusing to the Opposition. It is a mass of empty congratulations, assurances, and anticipations, strung out by the interspersion of commonplace ideas and opinions long entertained by very ordinary mortals. It goes but little further than to state that certain measures will be introduced during the session, with the usual expression of confidence that the careful attention of members wilt be bestowed upon all measures that may be brought before them "in the interests of the Colony, while the promulgators of this expression of confidence must know full well that the greater amount of the attention of members will be directed to a solution of the problems, how best to turn the Ministry off the Treasury Benches, and how to get seats there when they have succeeded in dislodging the present occupants. The only piece of new policy promised is that contained in the announcement that a measure will be presented imposing an income tax. But even this is no new sucgestion. For years the imposition ot an"income tax has been advocated both in and out of Parliament. The gradual expansion of colonial indebtedness has pointed very clearly to the fact that fresh taxation would have to be levied sooner or later, and members of Parliament and | the Press have pointed to an income tax as the direction from which an increase of j revenue must be obtained. Jfo Ministry has hitherto dared to face boldly the ! necessity for imposing fresh burden# upon i an already very heavily taxed country. The evil day has been staved off by one 1 device or another, but the great falling ofi in the land revenue during the past year I has apparently compelled the Government (" t<> accept the inevitable. Whether they ' will succeed in their endeavor to impose ati income tax is a matter of very great question. With the prospect of a general election staring them boldly in the face, members will scarcely care to the imposition of fresh taxation- But not alone on this ground is the proposal certain to meet with a very determined opposition, for an income tax is generally viewed with disfavor, owing to its inquisitorial nature. We shall therefore probably have the old cry of economy again raised, with the usual result of much cry and little wool. The Ministry have apparently foreseen the probabilit3* of this cry being wised, for we are assured that the estimates have been "prepared with a careful regard to economy." This announcement will be cheered by members on all sides. They will, too, insist upon the promise beingi carried out, but with their characteristic j enntnidictoriness they will swell the • estimates to abnormal proportions by the ! insertion of votes for this, that, and the other thing, until at length the Appropriation Act, when finally passed, will be bound to provide for an expenditure considerably in excess of that for the past year; and, next session, the necessity for further taxation Trill be made still more alarmingly apparent. This has hitherto been the unerring result of cries for economy, and it will be the case so long as representative government continues to exist. That a further loan would be required has long been admitted, and the announcement that power is to be asked to borrow an additional suui of L 5,000,000 for the construction of railways is not calculated to cause any surprise! Alrcady Parliament has sanctioned the construction of a. large number of railways—many of which have been commenced—that the Colony has not, it is unnecessary- to say, the money to compleand to bring even these unfinished lines to a state of completion, without entering upon any new works, further borrowing is necessary. In a.'ain going into the English money market the Colony will be greatly lengthened by the success which has attended the lines already opened, while the imposition of fresh taxation, if agreed to. would probably tend to beget confidence in the minds of money lenders by showing that the Colony is prepared to tax itself to any amount in order to complete its public works undertakings. On the subject of additional borrowing there is likely to be very little difference of opinion in the House, and we anticipate seeing the Government freely given power , i:ic;\i..:-.e the Colony's indebtedness. _N,,t - . however, with reference to the several other measures proposed. The I b— ll^a manhood suffrage, with a residential qualification, proposes to give Maoris who are .enrolled on ratepayers' rolls, or who are 1 possessed of individual or undivided

Crown grants, the privilege of voting at electionsfor European unquestionably cause a struggle. The Bills to adjust the representation, and to limit the duration of future Parliaments to three years, if carried at all, will only be carried after severe struggles. These Bills form a portion of the programme promised to be followed by the Ministry on taking office, and we shall await with interest the receipt o£ details of the measures, in order that we may compare them with the electoral and representative reforms so long and freely promised. Tlic never-ending native land question is to be brought once more before the House, and we arc told that on this occasion the subject, one of the very greatest importance to the country, is to be dealt with in an entirely new form. The question has been brought before Parliament at every session and in almost every form, but still it is as far off a satisfactory solution as ever. If the Ministry succeed in settling the everrecurring subject in anything approaching a satisfactory manner, they will not have had two years' lease of office for no purpose. This very native question seems likely to be the one upon which the Ministry will be shipwrecked, if shipwrecked at all; and it would seem that the Opposition look upon the administration of native affairs as the mo3t vulnerable point of attack. We are confidently informed that the Ministry will be assailed upon_ this question when the Address in Reply comes up for debate. The opportunity will then he taken to test the strength of parties, and we shall get a clearer glimpse at the probabilities of the session. At present we are strongly of opinion that the 3linistry, at any rate as now constituted, will not last through the session. The want of candour displayed by them and the host of broken promises written down against them, have alienated many of their supporters, while many who, while notagreeing entirely with the Ministerial proposals, but who gave the Government a cardial support in order that they might have a fair trial, will this session range themselves on the Opposition side of the House. The Ministry is now a very weak one, and, outside of Mr. Sheehan, does not possess a single good debater. Sir George Grey's well-rounded periods and grandiloquent flourishes of words may serve to catch the ear of the untutored listener, but the House is scarcely likely to be influenced by such hightlown expressions as the Premier invariably indulges in. Mr. Macandrew, while a good man a! handling a refractory deputation or propounding a public works scheme, does not possess the merit of being over readv to do battle in a wordy warfare. Mr. tfisher is a nonentity ; Mr. Gisborne lacks the ability to say all he thinks or knows ; and Mr. Thompson, the latest piece of timber added to the Cabinet, possesses no merit in particular save that he will patiently and submissively follow his chief. That Sir George Grey seems to recognise the facts tbatthe Ministry occupy very precarious positions and that he is a source of weakness to the party, we are led to infer from the statements made by some of our contemporaries to the efleet that he has expressed his willingness to resign at the end of the session, provided the party will hold together and enable him to carry out the programme he enunciated on taking office. While we admit that Sir George Grey's retirement is desirable after the autocratic displays he has made of late, we should regret to see the places of the present Ministry supplied by those who formed the ne'er-do-well Ministry of Major Atkinson. Were it possible to form a Ministry out of what may be termed the middle party, having any hope of obtaining a working majority, we should hail the change with satisfaction. It seems to us that there should be no difficulty in so reconstructing the present Government as to ensure to it a longer lease of life, and it is in this direction that we must look for a solution of the problem. There must either be a coalition of parties, with a more moderate programme, including all the necessary reforms, or there must be a dissolution. Ho far as we can see neither party is sufficiently strong to carry on the Government of the country satisfactorily, and the country is the loser in consequence.