The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1884. THE LAST SURPRISE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1631, 11 March 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1884. THE LAST SURPRISE.

We learn Atkinson has i raised the railway tariff all round in order to bring hundred, thousand pounds into tiie-Cplonial revenue, which i will' make up.for,the falling off in I Customs and:,.i other departmental ' receipts. We say Major Atkinson- j because no one. dreams. that Mr j Mwcdelson,- theiMiuis.ter for Rail-. £ ways, is responsible for such a moment- t ousstep. Mr Mitchelson, at present, 8 ig merely the orderly of the Major, and 11 whatever credit, or blame may. be awarded to this last sensational change' [ must be assigned to the Premier. The f news, wo believe, will be received with r mingled feelings of satisfaction and n regret, If the thing done be a right f act; we cannot escape -the conviction j that it is done in a wrong way. On a the eve of a session of Parliament the B imposition of aii additional 'hundred n thousand pounds of taxation by the fiat of a Minister cannot be admitted j, to bo in accordance with constitutional procedure. What is the use of Par- „ lianient accepting estimates aud voting a supplies if a Ministry has the power ( ] alter one item in the j; receipts to balance others,which have a proved,a,■disappointment? It is ad- jj mitted that there is a serious deficiency a in the ordinary revenue of the' colony n during the year now closing, but should not such a • deficiency be' provided for by a. deliberate vote of the House, tc instead of being arranged, by a procla- ai nation issued at the instigation of the tl Colonial Treasurer? We must assume of 'hat in raising, passenger and traffic 121 ates something like .ten per cenji all b(

round throughout the Colony Major Atkinson is satisfied that there will be no material loss ■ of traffic which is the natural result of an excessive tariff, We must assume that the now tariff -is • a fair one, and that the old one was too low, for if we do not take.this view the policy of the change is indefensible. Taking this for granted, however, it follows that the administration ef our railways has been bad in the past and the change now being made ought to have: beon effected long ago, We credit Major Atkinson with making a bold and mi honest effort to equalise the colonial revenue and expenditure, but we regret that a similar result was not brought about by more constitutional means. Surprises cannot be regarded as good government, and we would sooner see tho Ministry remain in power, if it is to continue in office, without so frequently resorting to extraordinary uses of their administrative power. Apart from this the new railway tariff will cause the public to take a livlier interest ill railway, management, and possibly lead up 'to its becoming a commercial success. How the House will take change remains to be seen. Such a financial coup de main savors very much of, a weak disunited Parliament,, ! , and: a recklessly bold Ministry. possibly. Major Atkinson k is unduly, sensitive lest his reputation as a financier should suffer by the falling off in his revenue estimates, and is moving heaven and earth to avoid the reproaches which might be cast upon him in the coming session, lb would, however, have been just as well for him to have stood his ground.