Sin,— As timo goes on, the position of affairs at Wellington appears to grow wor-e instead of better, as the necessities of the country imperatively demand. Public p.itienoe is, or ought to be, well nigh exhausted, and the que.stio_ is everywhere u«* ed, " hat tangible good ia this continual squabble between Greyites, Macandrewir.es, and Hallites to do this ■* long-.-ufferiuy* country." (In these v^xale'descopio times, the words Ministry and Opposition appear out of place^ as ono never knows what a day may. bring forth.) I venture to say, a more unseemly and scandalous state of affairs than that which now exists at ellin^ton has nover or rarely been witnessed <m any British colony, and reflects a lasting disgrace ou Colonial Representative Government. 1 1 appears to mo that from the first, the Greyites havo sought to blind th c people to the real issue on which they appealed to them, namely, mal-administra-tion. by raising a counter-cry of the " liberty of the people m danger." Yet, despite th<ur success m deluding a portion of the country with this cry, they have again been found guilty of the old oharge by a new House. Their duty, under the circumstances, appears to me plain, viz., to have afforded their opponents an opportunity of verifying thoir statements, and fr they could not make good their accusations, the Greyites would have then been able to wrest the powor from them with a good grace. Sound policy ought to have prompted them to act thus. As it is now, it would appear that the late Government were making frantic efforts to avert an expose of their administration m finance and native affairs, and were not above going above all lengths m that direction, even to the entire sacrifice of their political honesty. Should they regain power with this oharge still hanging over thera, they can hardly hope to satisfy the country by any statement they may think fit to make. The chief charge made against tho Hall 'Ministry is, that thoy havo composed thoir Ministry from tho ran sof their party entirely. A more disingenuous charge was never made againat a party. For had not the late v.ovornment said moat distinctly, that a coalition would not be entertained, and that tho disintegration of their party by tho excision of Sir eorge Grey from their Ministry would bo scouted '{ Almost the last words uttered during the late debate wero Mr Sheehan's, and to this effect:— "He would assuio the House that they would not be a party to a coalition. If defeated, they would go out and bide their time. They would ..imply ta' o their defeat." Bravo words! and had they been acted up to, tho political prestige of his party would not have suffered aa it has by their later action. Sir George ' rey's actior, after all that has been said m and out of the ouse, must be a bitter pill for his many political
must havo been gr cat, indeed, to hay prompted them to place their honored chief and friend m so false a position. His actiou m foisting on the country a political hodgo-podgo, m the shape of a Macandrow-Montgo mery-Sheehan Ministry, would appear to be actuated by spi teas such a Ministry cannot but be iuimical to Auckland's best interests. Mr Macandrew, as Minister for Public Works, always niauaged to procure the lions' share of the expenditure for the South. XN'aturally, iv his position ns Premior, he will not bo backward m collaring most of the coming five millions ; and this is to be the outcome for Auckland of all the expense and inconvenience of the late appeal to tho country, vt ell might she exclaim, " Save mc from my friends ! " — I am, &c, Teue Liberal.
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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1140, 16 October 1879, Page 3
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625Untitled Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1140, 16 October 1879, Page 3
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