The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1879.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 451, 9 August 1879, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1879.

With the hope of securing the dissolution this week, the Parliament met on Monday at 2.30. Those members, on both sides of the House, who draw no salary and occupy no post of honour and authority, were wishful to get home. The two hundred guineas honorarium they knew was as safe as it they had been in session six mouths. They had no desire to stay and spend it all in Wellington. In fact, from a filthy lucre point of view, some members of the baser sort would regard the dissolution as a Godsend if only they con id be sure of returning again and getting another t\Vo hundred guineas this year. As there was no such assurance forthcoming, they accepted the inevitable, and wished to get borne with as much in pocket as possible. Having spent a profitable Sabbath in goingto church and in devout meditation, they were prepared for the hardship of meeting a day earlier in the week than was usual.

The Government kindly promised that the railway between Foxton and Wellington should not be pushed on during the interval between the old and now Parliaments. We should think them quite capable of keeping this promise. Mr Rolleston enquired if it wore really true that Sir George had been honoured with a telegram from Rewi, and bad replied to it, or if it were only a bit of colonial blow on the part ot the papers to say so. Sir George modestly ac mi! led that the distinguished potentate in question had honoured him with a telegram, and he, as in duty bound, bad replied. Ho had not tried to make these telegrams public, bo had simply given copies to some friends to use as they thought fit. He had no thought of trading on the honourable notice that Rewi had been pleased to take of him. How could he? In the evening, the Loan Bill was introduced. The amount of the loan is £5,000,000. That is more than £l2 per head of the whole white population of the colony. The yearly interest will amount to about 10s per bead, which will have to be paid for some years to come, until it becomes reproductive. Sir Julius Yogol was in favour of a ten million loan being raised. There is so much money frightened out of the usual channels of investment, and lying idle, that a large amount could now be borrowed on favourable terms. It appears to us, however, that £l2 is a respectable sum for every man, woman, and child in this colony to borrow at one time. Sir Julius has made many gallant attempts to show that the indebtedness per head of the people of New Zealand is less than that of the people ef England. If this prince of borrowers had his way there would soon be no disputing onr claim to the bad eminence of owing more than any other people in the world. Of the five millions, £BOO,OOO will go to redeem guaranteed debentures; £360,000 to the defence of the colony, to be spread over two years, ending Juno SO, 1881; £ ICO,OOO will pass into the hands of the Lyttelton Harbour Board; £250,000, in the shape of purchase money for Native Lands, will go towards killing off the Maoris ; and the rest, £3,490,000, will make railways and bring out immigrants. The only item in the apportioning of the loan that we regret is £360,000 for defence. This money would make the railway from Kai Iwi to Stratford, and provide rolling stock as well. As it is, it will be sunk in guns and forts which, before they arc needed, will bo quite out of date. There is room to hope, however, that the country is not thoroughly committed to this outlay ; for the revised schedule prepared in committee on Tuesday does not mention it. The respectable amount available for public works is more pleasant to contemplate. Three million would make six hundred miles of railway at the high rate of £5,000 per mile. It will certainly, for one thing, connect Wellington with New Plymouth. The remaining £490,000 will bring out, say, 25,000 immigrants. With works of defence, railway and harbour works in full swing, there will be every reason to expect a turn in the tide of commercial affairs with the beginning of the now year. It is true that owing to the political situation the exact amount to ho spent oil public I-.s is not stated in the revised schedule. The House being determined not to lie the hands of the now Parliament, has, for the present, only indicated a few unavoidable items of outlay, the remainder to bo disposed of “ for

purposes hereafter to be declared by any Act of the General Assembly.” Still, no doubt, the loan will be expended approximately, as we have indicated.

The debate on the Loan Pill wag not as lonic as it would have boon under ordinary circumstances. Dr Wallis was against all borrowing, and thought the !i!;',v Parliament should manage the matter, hut if any borrow! lift was to be done, let the spending be done in the North Island, in completing 1 the trunk lines. This was very innocent advice, and no doubt provoked a smile from the Canterbury and Otago men. Mr Saunders objected to allowing natives to profit enormously by European enterprise, by making railways through Maori country before it was bought. He objected to loans in toto. The House, however, was intent on business, and not on talking, so the Bill was passed. Indeed, wo are by no means sure that more time will not be saved by the expedition used now, than will be lost by the dissolution. The Oppos'd ion arc determined that the time lost shall be very little. Sir George positively refused to be guided by the House as to when the now Parliament should moot, but it was resolved to embody in au address to the Governor a requisition that it should meet before Septcmb-r 28th. The Government resisted this, but it was carried against 43 to 28. It is most inexplicable that this make-shift Government, which is only allowed to exist for a day or two for convenience, should insist on dividing the House when they are sure of crushing and humiliating defeat. It is evident that Sir George would reign for some time if ho could only get rid of the Parliament quietly. He would be a second Charles I. He does not realize the situation ; lie talks of it being the right of Government to fix the meeting of Parliament, as if the dissolution were only an ordinary prorogation, and not the greatest political crisis that has occurred in the colony. The truth probably is that Sir George wants to gain time for a stumping tour.