The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 214, 17 July 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1879.

The Governor's speech which we published yesterday, realised our worst anticipations. Sir George Grey having been kept in hand by his colleagues during the two previous sessions, has at last slipped the collar and rushed to the front with all his pet theories. A worse time for airing them could not possibly be chosen. We do not want to see the Assembly wasting time with abstract questions suitable for Debating Societies, but taking action to relieve the colony from actual not theoretical embarrassments. The prospect of manhood suffrage will not console us for the imposition of additional taxation, and the suggested change of incidence in taxation means, we fancy, putting sixpence into the plate and taking a shilling out of it, Triennial Parliaments are not bad things, but at the present time we have more pressing wants to attend to. The proposal to auction Native lands is ludicrous at a time when we are afraid to touch a single acre which has a Maori title to it. The portion of the speech which claims that last year's estimate of revenue has been exceeded £190,000 is singular, as no indication is given of whether the expenditure has been kept within the authorised limits. It rather looks as if the Colonial Treasurer had added up one side of the aeconnt and finding it satisfactory had blown a loud trumpet, but after adding up the other side lie had found it unsatisfactory and quietly ignored it. It is not usual in finance to give the credit side of a ledger and emit the debtor column, The loan is, of course, a matter of necessity ; the colony is in such a position that it must resort to the money market. Whether three, four, or five millions is the right sum to borrow requires, and will doubtless receive, careful consideration, If three millions will enable the colony to fulfil its engagements, we would advocate the limit being fixed at that sum, We do not believe that the feeling of the colony will be favorable to indiscriminate borrowing. The burden of paying for what has already been obtained is beginning to be felt severely, and the time for economy even in borrowing has arrived, If the present Ministry had

in the speech delivered on Tuesday last indicated an earnest and ■ strong intention of a general retrenchment of expenditure rather than of a design to impose additional taxes, we should have been much better satisfied. Three weeks ago we hailed with satisfaction tion the prospect of the. Opposition being led by Sir William Fox, We are pleased to notice that our anticipations have been fulfilled, and that virtually he is already Premier—heading, as he does, a compact majority in the Assembly. He is a safe, honest, straightforward politician, and in his hands we feel that for a season the interests of the colony can be safely placed.