The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1890. POLITICAL NOTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2092, 30 August 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1890. POLITICAL NOTES.

Sir Gerge Grey has made what we consider a very practical suggestion. It is that instead of giving private individuals, or companies, a monopoly of coal mines, they should be worked by the Government for the benefit of the people of the colony. This would certainly be a good thing. It would make ceals much cheaper, and any profit would go to lessen taxation. At present private individuals lease the ground from the Government, and the moment they succeed lh getting at any coal they insist on a railway being built for them to take the coals to the nearest shipping port; next they want a'harbor constructed, and so on until at last they become actual the tax-payers. They insist on being most disinterested in the matter, and urge that they are publie benefactors, but by the time the interest on the railways and; harbors 1 is paid, coal is made very dear to the people. There is more than this.; We are told the TJnion Shipping Company have a monopoly of the West Coast coal, and that-they are using that monopely to the disadvantage of the people. Eventually coal rings will be formed, if they are not formed already, and coal will be' " cornered." The way to prevent .this is to do as Sir George Grey suggests, that is to work all coal pits as Government concerns. . The land and the coal belong to the Government, and consequently in working them; they would only work their own property, . If such a sensible idea cpuld ; only be' taken up it would be a step in the right direction.

For the last week the prophets have been busy in endeavouring to foretell the future. First, Sir Harry Atkinson was so sick that there was no hope of his immediate return either to the House or to office, and the prophets set about forming a new Ministry. They first had the Hon. John Ballance and Captain Eussell braoketted together, but in our opinion oil and water would mix as soon as these. Mr Ballance is in the front rank of Liberalism, he believes in cutting up large estates, in protecting industries, and in every conceivable idea in the Liberal programme, Captain Eussell, however, is a very respectable Tory, who owns broad acres, and thinks that things are ;; just right as they are at present. The cards have been.shuffled a second time, and 10, Mr Bryce, Captain Eussell, and Mr Eolleston are turned up. This is more likely, but; we sineeraly trust that we shall never see Mr Eolleston in the Atkinsonian camp. Before he went into that campj he was aMdeal statesman, solid, sound, sensible, and progressive, with broad and generous sympathies, and a clear understanding of the rights of all classes/* We opposed him last election not because of any objection to himself personally, but because of the company he was keeping. (;No man voted against him because he was Mr ■Eolleston; the ; reason why he: wasj defeated was because he was, an Atkinsonian. Sir Harry himself was the best man in the ranks of that party, his sympathisers were Liberal, and he frequently toned down the intense conservatism of : many of his followers. Now with Sir Harry Atkinson out of it the party is likely togofrombad to worse, and we should therefore very much regret to see.Mr Eolleston sitting in the same cabinet with such out and out Tories as Mr Bryce and Captain Eussell, we have had enough of them. He has been punished for keeping company with themj and we sincerely hope that he will profit by the lesson> and will never sgain be seen voting with the \ party whose greed and avarice has ruined the cojony.

We think, however, that an excellent Ministry- is possible, if Sir Robert Stout and Mr Rolleston become members of the next Parliament. B oth these • gentlemen dp ? not, differ very widely on any subject. There is no difference of opinion between them as regards the land question, and the only point pf disagreement is the question of Protection, which, however, is not a-burning sue«ftion just now, nor is it likely to come up in the elections to any serious extent. Sir Robert Stoiit, Messrs Ballance, Moss, Rolleston, «Ti W. P. JKeeves, and Major Steward, would make an excellent working team, and we think this combination is far more probable than any of those suggested by the prophets. However, we are glad to say that bir Harry Atkinson is improving in health and has no intention of relinquishing his ; posifcion at present.