The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1887. ELECTIVE GOVERNOR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1657, 8 November 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1887. ELECTIVE GOVERNOR.

Sib George Gbey contemplates introducing a measure to render it possible for New Zealand to elect her own Governor. He says that it was the original intention of the Constitution Act that New Zealand should legislate in this respect, and that it is due to the negligence of past legislators that the matter has not hitherto been dealt with. Such, at any rate, is the report given by one of the Wellington correspondents of his views on the subject. It is a pity that Sir George G'ey does not turn his attention to something that would be of use to the public, and leave the Governor alone. It is undesirable, even if it were possible, that we should elect our Governor so long as we remain a portion of the British Empire. The Governor represents Her Majesty the Queen in this colony ; he is the only link that binds us to Great ftod appear to us that it is desiiM,„. a a we should do anything to weaken it. It is to our advantage that we should remain a part of the Empire ; we can gain nothing by separating; we lose nothing by being a colony ; we have all the power we could hare if we were a republic; we can make our own laws; we pay no tribute to Eng. land, and what more can we desire ? The Governor is a mere figure-head, and does not, and has not a right to, meddle in politics except with in very

circumscribed limits. Why, therefore, should we desire to elect him ? What possible good would it do ? If economy is pleaded as an excuse we doubt whether such an argument could have any weight. If we reduce the Governar’a salary to £SOOO a year, as is proposed, it does not appear"to us that we can bring it below that figure very much. The head of a nation must maintain a certain position, and incur expenses far beyond anything that ordinary mortals can imagine, and it would not do to see the Governor unable to do these things. It would not do to see him reduced to bankruptcy. On the score of economy, therefore, very little could he saved, and so far as we can see there is no other argument in favor of an elective Governor. Ou the very face of it the proposal appears absurd and impracticable, for England would never agree to it, So long as this country remains a British colony the British Crown will insist on appointing its own representative, and any attempt on the part of New Zealand to elect her own Governor would be regarded in England as a step towards separation and republicanism. England would not tolerate such a thing ; she finds her colonies good customers for buying her goods, and she will not allow any of them to separate if possible. She is, besides, giving them no cause for separating. She has so far given them protection, and has not asked them to contribute anything towards the support of the navy, a part of which is always engaged in Australian waters. England has behaved generously towards her colo* nies; they have nothing to complain of, and consequently there is no grounds for taking such a step as that suggested by Sir George Grey.

THE CREDIT OF NEW ZEALAND. A Loiteon cablegram informs us that New Zealand stocks have declined in consequence of Major Atkinson’s Financial Statement. This is something wonderful. We were told that in order to restore confidence in the colony we needed only to get rid of Sir Julius Vogel and retrench. If we did this the sun would shine brighter; our sheep would grow more wool on their backs, and the birds of the air and the fishes of the sea would vie with each other in ministering to our wants. To keep Sir Julius Vogel in office meant to drive capital away; to remove him and to retrench would •ause capital to flow into this colony at an unprecedentedly rapid rate. In fact, capital would bolt away from all quarters of the globe and never stop until it was pluckily brought up in Wellington by Major Atkinson. Even the gallant Major in his Financial Statement said this would be the effect of his efforts. By giving facilities to settle pensioners on the land capital would flow into the country, but he forgot to show how Mr Balance's special settlement scheme could be improved upon. If pensioners do not settle in the country under Mr Ballance’s special settlement scheme no system can be devised which will induce them to do so. For our own part we would rather see agricultural laborers settled upon the land any day than pensioners. They have accustomed themselves to keep their backs too straight to make a success of farming. But that is not the point to which we desire to direct attention just now. The hopes of the Atkinsonians have not been realised, and the fall in the credit of New Zealand in consequence of the reappearance of Major Atkinson as Treasurer must have given them a rude shock. For our own part we do not regret to find that the credit of New Zealand is going down at Home ; in fact, we do not think it would be any great evil if it went down irrevocably, so that we could not get any one to lend us another penny. The great cry of the , Atkinsonians has been during the late elections that we owed more per head of population than any other country in the world, and the first time their mouthpiece the gallant Major opens his mouth it is only to borrow another million, that is, add £2 per head to our present crushing debt, which means increased taxation to the tune of 2s per head of population. The best thing we can do is to let the selfish crew go on until the colony becomes bankrupt, but in the meantime we must sympathise with the Atkinsonians in their sad disappointment in that the reappearance of Major Atkinson has not inspired confidence in the colony. Sic transit gloria mundi.