The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1889. COMING EVENTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1866, 16 March 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1889. COMING EVENTS.

The "Wellington correspondent of the Christehurch Press has authority to state that under no circumstances will the Government submit to a repeal of the Act which reduced the number of members to seventy-four. At present there are nmety-one European and four Maori members, but by an Act passed during the first session the number of European members was cut down to seventy, and they, with the Maori members, will make seventyfour members. This Act will not come into force until after the expiration of the present Parliament, and now, when the retrenchment excite-1 ment has cooled down, and the madness which then seized members of Parliament and their constituents has left them, a pretty general feeling exists of never allowing it to take j effect. All the wealthy men of course are in favor of it, because they know that then the districts would be so large that none but wealthy men would stand the slightest chance of being elected; but the men who are more in sympathy with the people look with great disfavor on the reduction of members. It is evident now that this growing disposition to keep the number at ninety-five has put the Government on the alert, and they -have thrown out this feeler, in the hope that it may intimidate any wavering supporters. They allege that if the House does not agree to the number of members being reduced they will dissolve Parliament, and appeal to the i

country. That is a good substantial threat, but if the House has any stamina in it such a tyrannical attempt to crush out public opinion should have no effect. If it did appeal to the country it would be the best thing that could happen, because the present Government would not have the slightest chance of being returned to power. Indesd, we feel confident many of them would not be returned to Parliament, so the members need not be afraid in the slightest degree of threats of dissolution, for to dissolve Parliament would be one of the last things Sir Harry Atkinson would think of. What would he do ? In the best informed circles it is held as a moral certainty that Sir Harry would not have the slighest chance of being returned for Mount Egmount again, and with a prospect like - this staring him in the face he is not likely to _be in a hurry to surrender the Premiership.