The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1892. THE GOVERNMENT TRIUMPHANT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2404, 27 September 1892, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1892. THE GOVERNMENT TRIUMPHANT.

The dispute between the Governor and the Government over the appointments to the Legislative Council lias ;it last been settled. A cableI gram was received early yesterday i to the effect that the British Government uphold unreservedly Mr I Ballance's contention with regard to the appointments to the Upper House. It will be remembered that when the' late Government went out of office they appointed seven new members to the Upper House, and when the present Government came into power they had no following in that chamber. Almost all their policy bills were either mutilated or thrown out, and thus their power for doing good was greatly curtailed. They applied to Lord Onslow to appoint twelve new members, but he would only appoint eight. When Lord Glasgow came he also was asked to appoint twelve members, but refused to give more than nine, although four vacancies had occurred in the meantime. A long and animated correspondence took place between the Governor and the Government, with the result that the matter was referred to the Home authorities, who have now given their ; ~"dict in favour of the Government'. t ' i /"."''"'cow must therefore make Lord bi.. , , the appointment.' illld . eat v f'T humble pie into the or > »_! ia is more likely, resign his position. But the great thing is that the Government-, have triumphed,—won in fact, the greatest victory yet. They h»VG triumphed all along the line. They won the Judge Edwards case, and now the Legislative Council appointments, and thus laid down precedents for future generations, as well as vindicated great constitutional principles. If the people of this colony understood what has been done properly, they would be for ever grateful to the present Government for the way they have fought for their constitutional liberties. With regard to the Edwards case the great point was : Had the Government a right to appoint a judge, for whom no salary had been provided ? In that case the judge would be left dependent on the whims and fancies of Parliament, as to whether he should get a salary or not, and that would lead to judicial corruption. The Government have now made the position clear. A judge must have his salary fixed by Act of Parliament before he can be appointed. This is it great question, and we owe it to the present Government that it hag been settled. With regard to the Legislative appointments, the point put. in a popular sense, is the will of the people as expressed by their representatives in Parliament to be rendered nugatory by th« action of the Governor in refusing to accept the advice of his Ministers ? The Home Government has answered this now. As the Privy Council is the fountain head of all legal authority within the British Empire, so is the Home Government the authority on constitutional usages, and it cam%Gt be otherwise than flattering to our own Government that in both cases they have been successful. We congratulate them sincerely and heartily on their great victory. They have shown that while understanding our domestic needs thoroughly, and legislating accordingly, they are men capable of "■rasping the higher constitutional questions, and of dealing with them in a manner that secures the endorsement of the highest earthly tribdnals. We ought to feel proud .of possessing a Government capable of taking such lofty statesman —like views at the most complex questions, for they are certainly a credit to the colony. But where is Sir George Grey now! Where is all his constitutional " flap-doodle ? " It would have been well for his reputation that he had, spleen, envy, and all remained in Auckland during the present session. Where is Her Majesty's opposition Mr Rollestou, and

wliere is all the abuse heaped on the devoted heads of Ministers during the last, i'ew months ? Compared with Mr Ballance they are pigmies in intellect, in capacity, and political sagacity. They can snarl at him, but that is all they can do. Mr Ballance's correspondence with the Governor was tiie ablest, most logical, and cleverest we have ever read. There was that earnestness, firmness, and that great mastery of argument about it which could not fail to convince, and we are not surprised that the Home Government felt its force irresistible. The Government have now to put aside fear, favor, or affection, and put into the Council men on whom reliance can be placed. We want no more Liberals-for-the-time-being. We want men who will do their work seven years hence as well as now, and if this is done Mr Ballance may rely on it that the country will endorse his action. The country must perforce admire the firmness, the sagacity, and the great ability displayed in these cases, and all that is required now is that men who will inspire the confidence of all Liberals shall be placed in the Council.

OFFICIAL HAND-BOOK.

Wk notice that the present Government can do nothing right in the eyes of some members of the present Opposition. iSTo matter what it may be, whether right or wrong, necessary or unnecessary, it is bound to meet with unqualified condemnation. The Government have recently published an official hand-book for the purpose of disseminating knowledge of the resources of the colony, and tor doing this they were subjected to the usual amount of abuse, yet we think that they did nothing but supply a long-felt want. Almost all if not all the other colonies have their official publications, from which knowledge of t\\B\V Y£sbm ; ees, productions, and progress, can be gathered, and we certainty think that our colony ought not to l>e V>ehind hand in advertising Iter natural fertility, and great wealthproducing capacities. The hand-book now before us will go a long way towards doing this. It is a volume of over 360 pages, and is in fact an epitome of the history and the progress of New Zealand up to the present time. The first few pages deals with the discovery, colonisation, and natural features of the country, as well as a brief reference to the Maori race. Then is given a bird's-eye view of the developement of our political institutions, the growth of our industries, the social and religious condition of the people, and a variety of other things. There are articles on agriculture, showing the quality of the soil; on frozen meat, on pastooal pursuits, on the scenery, climate, railways, hot springs, in fact nothing seems to be omitted, and everything is given in a concise and easily-under-stood form. It is not a book on which, from a literary point of view, unqualified praise can be lavished, but it is cram-tull of the most interesting information showing the progress of New Zealand as compared with other colonies. It is, as might be expected, full of statistical information, but the dry bones of figures are well clothed with explanatory notes, and thus made more readable. The book is published at Is (jd paper cover, or 2s cloth cover, and we recommend it to the attention of our readers. It ought, we think, have a large circulaiton in England, where it ought to do a great de?l of good to remove some of the misapprehension regarding the colony. It has been compiled by Mr E. J. Von Dadelszsn, Registrar-General, and he deserves credit for the manner in which he has produced it. There are ses'QpaJ specially-written articles in it, such AS one by Mr Murphy, of Christchurch, on agriculture, and so on, and on the whole it is a welcome addition to the literature of the colony.