Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874] MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1894,

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4809, 27 August 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874] MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1894,

When the present Ministers too young in office, Mr W. Hutchison, a Nestor among Liberal members, remarked that they must do'tho bidding of the party, as the party were their masters, We have not observed that he has of late ventured to repeat this sentiment, for the position is now changed, Ministers control the party, for a sufficient number of it have sold themselves to Mr Seddon —and no longer remain freo agents. Mr Seddon's power is waning in tho country, but in the House it is at its zenith. During the recess we expect to seo many members rankled of the fact that they are ceasing to represent the interests and opinions of their constituencies.

Mb Sedbox says that if the House rose at midnight' it would take from now to Christmas to get through tho legislation of tho session. What is the use of this plethora of new lawsj each one of which interferes with existing interests, and accentuates the prevailing depression. What is wanted is good administration, and this, of course, is a secondaiy consideration. The deterioration of the public service is very marked. Tho public works department is now "a maze without a plan," the land department is hopelessly lagging behind its work, the justice department is demoralised, the police department a public scandal, and the telegraph department weak and inefficient. All this caunot be cured by legislation, but possibly Mr Seddon knows that if he does not keep his merry men busy they will get into mischief, and so he is piling on to them a mass of ill-conceived, mischievous legislation.

A Mr Bem, of Auckland, is responsible for the statement that in Victoria the sum of £700,000 is in arrcar by State tenants, and is practically irrecoverable. Possibly a knowledge of the Victorian experiences has induced our own Government to take up the project of lend ing money to farmers. If Victoria has lost £700,000 on such a project surely New Zealand is able to go one better and drop a million. It is absurd to suppose that the Seddon Ministry will, in an enterprise of this kind, allow itself to bebeaten by Victoria or any other colony. The only regret of our presentrulerswill be that Victoria hiisshown them tho way to do the thing instead of their giving a lead to Victoria.

AraOMiNENTsupporter of the Member for Masterton, who has reasonable expectations of promotion as a Justice of the Peace, will, underthe 1 Hawker's and Pedlars Bill, if it passes into law, be compelled to travel about i with a "badge" attached to him. We do'not quite understand what the badge will be like, but we presume it will resemblo the other badges in. use which ■our /panine. population are obliged by law to wear. It will be a novelty to see a Justice of the Peaco and a municipal

authority of some' Btanding, moving about tho town duly labelled, numbered and registered. Will bis liberal principles stand the strain P But why should not political hawkers and pedlars be included in the Act, and why should not Mr Seddon, as chief hawker and pedlar of political wares of a valuelss character, be compelled to wear a badge. If ordinary peddling and hawking be injurious to the legitimate trade of the community, it is far less destructive to commerce than the political bills which have been hawked and peddled round the country, If pernicious and questionable occupations require to be marked by badges, some of our leading politicians ought to be the first to receive a decoration, However, as New Zealand is no longertobeconsideredafree country, we must accept such badges only as our Ministerial despots elect.