THE LATE CRISIS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 36, 19 March 1873, Page 3

THE LATE CRISIS.

From a telegram in the, Southern Cross we i extract these portions ofitwhfrh will bei interesting, as shewing, in Mr. Waterhouse’s own words, his real reason for resigning. On' the 4th February he wrote to Mr. Vogel:— ” I may at once state, that,. from the time of joining, the present Ministry, I hare felt mysetf placedin a false position, and it is my determination to extricate myself from a position abhorrent to my feelings, which has driven me'to my present decision. I have frit throughout that you have regarded' yourself as actual, and myself as nominal, Premier; while i the strength of your will, and the advantage arising from your having formed the Ministry, are fatal to my exerting the influence attached to my office as Premier. This I could afford to over-look, but that I recognise there are. between us points of political differences which. render it difficult for. me to work with you with satisfaction, so long as you? influence in the Ministry is paramount. You are anxious for.the introduction of fresh measures of policy. I am of opinion that in the* present circumstances of the country the Ministry should confine its attention, as much as possible,; th the work of administration. The more I look into this matter the more thoroughly am I satisfied of the absolute necessity of a thorough administrative reform ; but this can only be brought about by the Ministry making this object the end and motive of all its actions. The difficulty experienced in bringing about the observance of the mere requirements of the law as regards the Civil Service makes me despair of giving' effect to my views on these and /other matters, more especially now that Mr. Hall has withdrawn, between whom and myself there was on these points much similarity of opinion).” “ While expressing myself thus explicitly,! I should be sorry for you to think that there ip, on my part, any want of respect for your tftlqpt, or any failure to appreciate your sincere desire to servo the country; I fully and readily acknowledge both, but we have been cast in different moulds. We cannot at any rate, with any degree of mutual satisfaction, run in harness together.” On the 21st February, three of his colleagues, Messrs. Richardson, O’Rorke, and Bathgate, wrote to Mr. Waterhouse requesting him not to resign, “As regards the formation of the Ministry, we understand that the whole of the members of the Cabinet were individually agreeable to, and had been approved of, by you, and, that, although Mr. Vogel had been the medium of communication, he had your entire; concurrence in tills. As it is to be held that you are dissatisfied with the personnel of the present Ministry, and are of opinion that a change would be beneficial to the public interests, we are each ready to place our resignations’in your hands. We may remind you that no question of new policy has yet come before the Cabinet, and that all your laudable efforts in the way of administrative reform have been unanimously approved and rigorously supported by your colleagues. Should any important and irrecoricilable difference arise it will be for those who differ to retire, and it is not a constitutional interpretation of your duty as Premier for you to resign.” __