THE BALLANCE MINISTRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2311, 28 January 1892, Page 4

THE BALLANCE MINISTRY.

An Outside Opinion.

(Melbourne Age.)

The scheme of taxation carried through the New Zealand Parliament by the Ballance Government has been vehemently attacked, mainly on the ground that it is likely to disastrously affect the credit of the colony in Great Britain. In view of this fact it is reassuring to read, on the excellent authority of ' Our Travelling Correspondent," that a very different opinion is expressed by commercial magnates in the metropolis of the Empire. Our correspondent had been impelled to interview a city editor and a couple of bank managers touching the financial position of Victoria, and New Zealand was introduced quite incidentally, and by the way of an illustration. The speaker, described as manager in London of one of the largest Ausiralian banks, in the course of his remarks observed :—' As a general rule everything connected with Australia is extremely sound, and the way in which New Zealand has pulled round, and the sacrifices its people have made to preserve their credit, have done a great deal of good to Australia generally.! Thus so far from the Maori colony being regarded as the enfant terrible of the Antipodean Group, it appears to stand in this gentleman's estimation as the beneficent fairy, shedding an influence of good over all Australasia. The inference, in all probability, deals primarly with its commercial relations, but we may be sure that if it was held to be going to the dogs politically, as the opponents of the present Ministry have been representing, it would not be spoken of in such terms by a shrewd man of business in London, The fact is that the legislation submitted by Mr Ballance and his colleagues, although advanced and tentative in many of its details, is directed, in its entirety, to making New Zealand as far as possible independent of external support. This is what the English observer has readily discerned. Ho has not troubled himself much about items which loom largely ni the arena of party conflict, but has noticed with satisfaction that the New Zealanders are disposed to be self reliant to believe confidently in their own Capacity to overcome local difficulties, and to be willing to increase their burden of taxation rattier than risk .puttting a prolonged drag on internal progress. The present aspect of politics in New Zealand deserves the attention of Liberals throughout the colonies, because a deterr mined effort is being made by the old privileged classes to regain the State control, g* which they have been deprived. From this poin;t of view the bye election mentioned by our Wellington correspondent in his letter published on Saturday becomes of importance, as both partie? are seizing the opportunity to display their strength. The polling comes off on Friday week, Personally, the candidates cannot be regarded as fairly matched. On the Conservative side they have put forward Mr H, L\ Bell, a son of Sir F. Dillon Bell and a man of undeniable popularity. At » general ejection he narrowly escaped being returned, and h§ has just won a victory for the mayonil chair. In New Zealand the mayors aife elected annually by a poll of the ratepayers, and My BeJl beat his opponent by 400 votes. The representative of tl>© Radical party is Mr W. McLean, who stood as a Labor candidate at the general .ejection and was badly defeated. On this * however, he has the Government at his back, an advantage which formerly he .could not boast. ,Should Mr McLean be successful this time, it .will very conclusively that the Ballance Adminjsr tration possesses th# gpnfidence of the eonstltutents to such an extenjb a# to outweigh all personal, considerations,