The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1889.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2667, 15 August 1889, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1889.

Maxy serious evils continue to beset the colony, unci, in spite of every oil'ort and desire on the people's part to improve the position, it seems n.u impossibility to regain public confidence and calm the uneasiness and discontent of our population. The progress of New Zealand is haunted at every step by an evil renins or demon of its own conjuring. Thero is nothing' in the ■whole of our national oconomy, thero is no other factor, so obstructive and injurious to the commonwealth as Parliament of tho colony which sits annually, and cm occasions, bi-anuually in Wellington. No institution based on popular rights and created by the suffrages of a free people, has proved such a conspicuous failure us the Legislature of New Zealand. In place of being tho safeguard of the public weal, it is the great stumbling-block in the way of the country s return to wise, pure and sound government. The sacred character of Parliament formed of elected representatives of the people, which is hoary by time and honorable by zealous devotion to the wellbeing of the State, cannot be bestowed upon the political association which bears that name in New Zealand. Year by year the proceedings in Wellington have continued to fill the country with despair and anger. The people iind themselves .played with like shuttlecocks by a band of professional politicians who use the privileges of their position, bestowed upon them by the people, to secure paltry personal aims, whilst the insuperably greater exigencies of the country are set aside to drift nearer and nearer to destruction. Like the malignant spirit of the alchemist, which he keeps confined in a bottle to the liberated for a while when it is required to execute some evil purpose on mankind, so is tho New Zealand Assembly, which, after a period of inactivity, starts into life once a year to liU the entire community with distraction and add to its burdens and sorrows. Since the session of last year, which was utterly out of sympathy with the people, unexpected and rareoppoitunities have been afforded this colony, sufficient to raise the hopes and i f.!ie drooping energies of the j population. Prosperity seemed to have sprung up on all sides almost

at the bidding of an enohantei Never was a country so favourably situated to recuperate and put. itsel on the right, straight path. All thai was wanted to grasp the solid rocl and lift the colony into safety, win that these bountiful offers of an all wise providence should be supple mented by the self-sacrifices of th< people. These extraordinary opportunities and advantages have, how ever, been lost upon the Govern ment, who cannot be moved from tin rut in which the colony has beer driven for years ; and, worst of all Parliament, as first of our govern ing machine, should have been tin quickest to secure the benefits o: new beneficiary changes that th< times produced, darns back th( favouring tide, and the colony i: left on the verge of disorder, and discontent. Parliament deliberate!] and wickedly wastes valuable time ir useless wrangling, and mischievious endeavours to defeat the legislation desired and previously wrung out o: it by the people ; the serious posi tion of the country, as we said be fore, is left unheeded. And wha is the position ? Between the foil] of Parliament and the weakness o the Government, we are threatenec with disaster. Our population i leaving us by hundreds \ the youtl and manhood of the country ari pouring out of it to seek employ ment elsewhere and to escape from i land tortured by political aberra tions and made intolerable for fre< men. It is a land of beauty, bu men cannot live on the ;esthetic alone. We have cried alouc for reform, for retrenchment for economy, for everything thai common-sense and prudence tell us should be the first thought in tin minds of those entrusted with thi care of the country's affairs, This Parliament was elected to see al these things done. Yet, what is il that members are striving to obtain They are log-rolling and blocking the ordinary business to secure ii continuation of borrowing, they are scheming for extravagant expenditure, and are trying tooth and nail to preserve the number of th( House at the excessive number ol ninety-five. Whilst they are amus ing themselves with these little of their own, and are enjoy rng the fun with exuberant de iight, the people are groaning witl: taxes, sickened at the specacle, anc Dur young men, the country's hope ire leaving us in crowds. The Go vernment promised to effect drastic retrenchment and bring down the ;ost of administration so largely ;hat the colony would not fail tc r eel the lightening of the burden, [iow near the truth that is, can be udged by the following particulars : —In 1880-81 the expenditure on ;he Public Service was £1,916,807 n 1885-86, £2,160,334; in 1886-87. E2.U4.651; in 1887-88, £2,079,327. md in 18S8-89, £1,923,313. During ;hat period the interest on loam las increased ; the last addition ol £100,000 being made when the loan >f last year was raised. r J hus the expenditure has, practically, not )een materially diminished; but the settlement of the country, at the lame time, has not attracted new jopulation, and those amongst is who should remain to share the jurden of taxation are flying from ,he colony. There is the deliberate itatenient made in the House by Mr Saunders, who is credited vith being a financier, that in place >f the Premier's surplus, there is a leficit of nearly £700,000. Surely, ,he patience of the people has ■eached its limit ! Can we continue )atiently to sea the best interests of lie country destroyed by an unrepresentative Parliament and feeble idministration 1 Mr Moss sprung l surprise on the Ministry when he noved his amendment condemning he Property-tax and traversing the inancial policy of the Government. ?üblic feeling is against the tax, tnd cannot disguise its sympathy vith the amendment. But, can it je imagined for a moment that, in ;he event of the defeat of the government, any rational colonist lesires to see either Mr Moss, >r Mr Balance, or, for that natter, any other man in the present Parliament, entrusted with the govern merit of the country ? There s but one resort, and that is a dissolution. The House is inimical to ,he country, because it is really :a«cr to repeal the Representation \ct of 1887. The Government show t firm determination no win resisting shis would-be dishonour. Next year ,he House would be more desperite in its attempts for repeal; jut, what guarantee have we that lie Government would continue irm in its resistance.' What inluence might not be at work in the nterval to turn the mind of the Premier to do evil to the country? Therefore, security lies in a dissoution; and it should be the last ,est of our faith in the efficacy of •epresentative government. If the nembers that may be elected to the lext Parliament prove as incapable md faithless to their trust, then she people should refuse any iirther allegiance to a New Zeaand Legislature, and seek relief i-om the Home Government.