The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 22.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 216, 22 August 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 22.

The information respecting the defeat of the Stout-Vogel Government by a majority of nineteen votes will no doubt surprise our readers not a little. Although it was never expected they could possibly remain in office for any length of time, still it was generally believed that they would be allowed to retain possession of the Treasury benches sufficiently long to enable them to put through a certain amount of business which it was apparent to every one ought to have been done without delay. Nor was the cause of the StoutVogel combination in any way assisted by the Governor’s speech. This document, Sir Julius Vogel informed the House, was a reflex of the policy the Government intended to peruse. To say the best one could of it the speech was simply a collection of vapid promises scattered about promiscuously in a way which might perhaps have done years ago, during Sir Julius’s last reign, to have served for a time to mislead the people and stave off impending doom. But in these days of free education, mimic parliaments, and working men’s political associations, something more than promises which bear on the face of them evidence that they could not possibly be fulfilled are required to satisfy a people which is becoming every day more enlightened, and who want to know all the ins and outs of a policy before being committed to it. Take this specimen from the speech: “ Great importance is to be attached to improving the industrial resources of the colony, prominent among which may be mentioned the mining interest, the promotion of settlement, and the advancement of local productions and manufactures. It is of the first consequence that the country should possess satisfactory and sufficient industries.” Have we not times out of mind had this dish served up to us, and have we not as often agreed to it ? But that is as far as it ever gets. The Government might save themselves much trouble, and the country (especially the newspaper section) a vast expense by getting His Excellency to say “ for Government intentions and promises see former speeches I” This would save a large expenditure of capital and be equally satisfactory. Mr. Stout, by way of justification, asks what speech has ever contained more than promises ? Perhaps not, but the promises might have a little reason (by way of kenuke) added to their composition. No Government could surely expect people to believe that the finishing of a few incompleted sections of railway in the South Island and the connection of the East and

West coasts of the same part of the colony would have banished colonial depression. As a sop for proposing to spend vast sums of money on railways in the South, while only one or two pigmy lines were to be provided in the North, we were told that the West Coast of the South Island possessed stores of mineral wealth. Very good of Mr. Stout, but such a theory was not good enough to keep Mr. Stout in office. We were told that it was of great moment that the lands in the North Island that are now held by Natives should be put to productive use as readily as possible, either by the Natives themselves or by Europeans, and that it was very desirable that the best means of enabling the Natives to dispose of their lands when they desire to do so should be adopted. This was all very fine, but the same song has been sung over and over again. The settlement of the difficulty lies in a nutshell, and does not require years of legislation as it was proposed to take. As to the present state of politics, they appear to be in as complete a state of chaos as it is possible to conceive. Mr. J. W. Thomson, member for Clutha, has undertaken to form a Government. Mr. Thomson is a Greyite, and will in all probability propose Sir George Grey as Premier in the administration he has undertaken to construct. We think, however, it would be hoping against hope to suppose for a moment that Sir George would be allowed to reign for any longer period than the Ministry which has just been deposed. Even if Sir George were not Premier he would still be the nominal head of any Government with which he was connected and therefore we are of opinion that the attempt of Mr. J. W. Thomson is but so much of our precious time wasted which we can ill afford. We have every respect for Sir George Grey, but the state of the House makes it impossible to believe that he can be allowed to hold a predominating position. The only solution of the difficulty we can see is that Mr. Thomson’s Government having been formed, and also having been disposed of within a few hours after its appearance in the House, there will be nothing left but for the Governor to send for Mr. Ormond. Circumstances clearly point to the fact that that gentleman would be the most fitting member of the present House to take the reins in hand and conduct the State coach on its journey. Playing at setting up Governments and knocking them down again may be fine amusement for Mr. J. W. Thomson and a few others who have nothing better to do; but something else will have to be done if we are to be restored to the prosperity which, like the proverbial good time, is said to be coming. Let us have a Government which will substitute solid work for empty promises, and equal distribution of colonial funds and public works, then may we look for prosperity, but not till then.