The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, APRIL 16,1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2926, 16 April 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16,1891.

Equal and exact justice to all men. Of whatsoever state or persuasion, n'liffious or political.

Somk legislative secrets escape from the official ba-», others are designedly let out in order to elicit public opinion more partiuulnrly if they refer to prospective policy or future legislation. The latter may be compared with the whiskers of the cat tribe which we are uolrl arc given to them by Nature in order that they may be able to judge as to the possibility of squeezing their bodies through any given space. In the case of ministerial projects, if the feelers tell their conceivers that public opinion hns made the space too narrow for them to pass they are abandoned, very frequently no doubt with detriment to the public interest. A somewhat authoritative list of proposed measures to be brought forward next session by the Government has been published. It is a long one, and is designed no doubt to impress the public with an exalted idea of the energy, industry and pluck of the Ballance administration. Legislative Council Reform heads the list, and not for the first time in the hiscory of the colony has it been a promised measure, its constitution nevertheless remains to-day as launched by its designers. It is perfectly manifest that the power must be taken from ministries to shovel men whether tit or unfit through the doors of tke Council and constitute them legislators for life. The position of affairs at the present time is somewhat peculiar, the Ministry is in a hopeless minority in the. Council so that the power possessed by the nominated assembly to thwart and delay legislation is inordinately large. It has been seriously discussed whether Mr Ballance is not entitled to elevate a number of his friends, sufficient to restore the political equilibrium. He is sorely tempted to this course by the action of the late Ministry, which with its last expiring breath blew a number of its supporters, the Premier himself included, within its sacred precincts. All who have a justifiable fear of excesses by the Lower House are staunch supporters of the institution, but in a modified and more satisfaccory form. This subject has been so often threshed out that we will not devote space to its consideration in detail.

We are next confronted with a Bill to amend and consolidate the electoral laws ; they mending in many directions, but the idea of declaring polling clay a public holiday is quite unnecessary, and would entail a serious loss on the whole community. The only other proposal which is divulged is to strike every man off the roll who does not vote at an election. Surely there must bo some mistake hero ; no sane man would make any such suggestion. Imagine the injustice of depriving a man of his vote because he happened to be absent from home or incapacitated by illness from recording it.

A Bill for the establishment of Boards of Conciliation to settle labour troubles is promised. Desirable, as such a measure is admitted to be on all hands, it is not difficult to foresee that the drafting and passing of an efFeetivo Bill would take a long time. There are few men who have not attempted mentally to formulate a scheme to prevent strikes and settle disputes. Few have found any difficulty in suggesting the constitution of the Boards, but still smaller is the number of those who have had the ingenuity to suggest a possible form of legislation which will compel obedience to their decisions. If they have done so they have been met by insurmountable difficulties and have retired from the scene. If the present Government can bring forward a satisfactory measure and get it passed they will have accomplished a feat to which they will always be able to point back with satisfaction and pride. They must not, however, lose sight of the fact that it is useless to appoint Boards without delegating the power to them to enforce their decisions.

We are promised si Bill dealing with the native land problem. The keeper of tho bag containing the Ministerial secrets has not allowed any details to escape ; in all probability the good and sufficient reason for this is that they are, as vet, still in the clouds, waiting to bo brought down and moulded on the lines recommended by the Commission which is travelling through the country taking evidence and listening to suggestions,

There are three or four other measures suggested, but no details are given. A measure to substitute a laud tax in some form or other is conspicuous by its absence; from the list. The statements publicly made by one of the Ministry in this regard is probably considered suthtiiunt. Wo have already expressed an unfavourable opinion of legislalalion in this direction. Our objection to tho measura k that it must either bn .1 r-loss t.i>- o*" hi tsupplemonted by an ittcoiic tax, 'i'he sliding scale prineipk , , it applied, r:an only result, in a class tax ; us the small holdings, we are told, at'O not to bo injured, the larj;e ones must neeGsscarily bear the burden, To argue the quesiiou at its present stage savours somewhat of fighting the wind. It is not at any tiiue a pleasant occupation to conjure, up imaginary evils, and there is strong room for hope that before the time ionics for the Treasurer to lay his :;M,tr>i»mt. before PaHhjnpnl Jin will

liuvf! jippreci.Ui'd the injustice and impolicy of the proposal, and will not bend at the cost of equity ;vnd sound policy to Iho uryinya of his ill-informed supporters.