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Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 463, 1 October 1879, Page 2

The honour of moving the Address in Reply tell to Mr Andrews, the working man’s member for Christchurch, Mr Hall said on Friday that his party was prepared to go to a division that very night on the No Confidence amendment which he intended to propose. It is to be hoped that the whole House will show a like disposition to push business, and dispense with needless talk. Since Parliament assembled, the opinion has gained ground, that the Opposition will secure a majority of three or four under the leadership of Mr Hall. This is all the more probable, when it is remembered that a large number of the Liberal party desire to be rid of Sir George, and to re-construct the Ministry. It is said, as a matter of course, that the whole Liberal party will support the Government in the division; this is, however, quite out of the question. Those members who wish to see a re-constructed Ministry, determined to carry out the Liberal programme, will adopt the only course open to them of getting rid of Sir George Grey. They* will vote with the Opposition to overthrow him, and then join the Liberal Opposition in electing a fresh leader, and in ousting Mr Hall’s Government, One of three things will bo the outcome of the division, or divisions, that must shortly take place—the Greyites will escape defeat by the skin of their teeth, Mr Hall will form a Government, or the Grey party without Grey will rule the country. The former of these three courses is improbable, and between the other two the chances are pretty evenly divided. Mr Hall cannot form a strong Government; for he must draw noon the doubtful men to give him a majority. These will bo ready to forsake him whenever anything important is to be done, and leave him in the lurch when he most needs help. It is supposed that the Hall Ministry will include Major Atkinson as Treasurer, Mr Wakefield, Mr Stevens or Mr Rolleston, Mr Curtis, and Mr Waterhouse or Sir Dillon Bell in the Upper House. In point of ability and probity, this is doubtless a good Cabinet, but we fear it would be unable to carry out any good and vigorous measures with a powerful Opposition dogging their steps and longing for office. At first sight, the re-constructed Ministry appears to promise better. This, it is supposed, would consist of Montgomery as Premier, Ballance ns Treasurer, Macandrew, Whitmore, and Fisher as at present, with Mr Sheehan and somebody else as waiting men. It is thought that such a Ministry would command an overwhelming majority. Bnt there is one fact that must not bo overlooked, and that is that there are quite a large number of Greyites who may be said to have no minds of their own. They are Greyites, pure and simple, and will follow Sir George Grey in anything. It is evident then, that the re-constructed Ministry would be at the mercy of the ejected Premier, who cannot be said to ‘ lack gall.’ It appears to us, therefore, that the position of such a Ministry would be the reverse of enviable. Unless we greatly misread the signs of the times, there can be no strong Government this session, and a series of No Confidence debates will prove that the appeal to the country has resulted in chaos worse confounded.