The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1885. THE LATE SESSION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1397, 26 September 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1885. THE LATE SESSION.

The session of 1885 lias ended, and the colony, and, no doubt, the Ministry breathe easier. It was a terrible session. Up to to the last moment the political life of Ministers hung by a thread, and the threat of dissolution which was circulated made the people generally feel anxious. However, the danger is past, and the Ministry still retain their seats. They cannot do much harm, because their power to do eo has been considerably restricted, and so they are just as good ns any wo could get, Looking back on the political history of the past two years, we cannot help saying that the actions of our public men has been characterised ■ by most unseemly conduct. The first chapter opened with the arrival of Sir Julius Vogel. He enunciated a policy of wild extravagance, he made promises that could not be fulfilled, and raised hopes that could not be realised, j i this way ho did the colony and bin gelfa great deal of lurni. He pretty well uia d his own reputation, and caused me colony to lose confidence in its leading public men. The alliance between Messrs Stout and Ballance and Sir Julius Vogel was the next incident that created surmise. The two first-named gentlemen were looked upon as advanced Radicals, vhile Sir Julius Vogel has always beei regarded as a Conservative, but this was put into the shade by the Canterbury memjers enlisting under the Vogelian banner. The majority of the Canterbury members were pledged to a property tix—the Stout-Vogel Ministry announced their preference for a land tax. A most anomalous state of parties was the result. A land-tax Ministry had for (heir following members pledged to a property tax, while several of the members who favored a land tax illied themselves with the previous Ministry, whose adherence to the property tax had never been shaken. The Government found that their land tax proposals were unpalatable, and they pul thin* by calmly and quietly aud continual the properly tux. In the combimtions which were then formed proof was given j of the utter fallacy and absurdity of ! talking about Liberals and Consemtives in this colony. But the proceedings of the session just closed completely eclipsed those cf the preceding one. The past session opened (under favorable circumstances. The Governor's speech was passed undebnted, and in a few days the whole polcy of tiie Government was laid be foie the House, Looking upon that policy calmly and dispassionately now, although we found fault with many points in it, we think that on tie whole it deserved better treatment ihan it received. It consisted chiefly of increased customs duties ; subsidies to local governing bodies ; and provisions for the establishment of charitable institutions. We found fauli with the way the customs duties proposals vere brought up. We thoroughly jgreed with increasing duties that vould protect domestic industry, cut though the Government proposals tended in that direction they were not exactly what the colony required. What we want is to place a duty on articles we car produce here, ■and allow such as we cannot produce to come in as cheaply as possible. The Government increased indiscriminately the customs duties all round for revenue purposes, and it was here we found fault vith them. However, if that policy bad iieen adhered to it would undoubtedly have resulted in promoting the development of industries. In 1879 Major Atkinson increased the customs duties ; no one felt it, and it is to that increase we owe many of the industries in existence at present. The next proposal of the Government was the subsidies to local bodies. They proposed Ihpt £300,000 should be distributed annually amongst local bodies, 8) aa to enable them to carry on local works. The meaning of this was that the money collected as property tax would be given to local bodies to spend. Cluritablo aid had been the bug-bear foryears;i session after session the previous Government promised to do something in it, but never did. The present Government handled the question in many respects comprehensively, but all this did not please. Their own supporters held caucus meetings, and deliberately tore their policy lo shreds. Alter this the Government proposed to resijn, but the very men who had humiliated them by making a wreck of their polcy insisted they should keep office. In obeying this absurd request tie Government lost tbe respect and coilidence of such as Mr Hislop, »f Oaraaru, and became weaker daily Next came the East and West Coasi Railway proposals, and the very men who had dashed the financial proposals of the Government in their teeth a few weeks before, insisted that they should make this a Ministerial question. If ever a clique Whaved disgracefully, it, was that tailway elique from beginning to end.

They were disloyal to a Government that brought unpnpulffity on its own head for their sakej and afterwards wanted that Governmmt to commit political suicide. The esult was that they again tore their >oiicy to pieces, but the Government, yerr wisely, did not give them the sntisfacfiei of resigning ; they stuck firmly to thdr seats, and we commend them for r, From the beginning they have beet badly treated. Last year they made jobs for the majority and were slroigly supported ; this year they found t impossible to extend jobbery beyond certain limits, and they were foiled in ill their plans, i he Government wouldhave done right enough if the House aced honestly and straightforwardly, hut it did not, and honest Government wa practically impossible. However, th session is over now, and the Governmnt are in posses sion of the loaves ari fishes for the recess. There can be Ittle doubt, however, but that they wil not be able to carry on next year, anl, if we mistake not, we shall see a dssolution and a general election immedately after Parliament assembles in 1»86.