The Waikato times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. SATURDAY, DEC. 5, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3026, 5 December 1891, Page 2

The Waikato times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

SATURDAY, DEC. 5, 1891.

E<]u»t and exact justice to all men, 01 whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

The National Association has held a meeting in Auckland at which throe resolutions were submitted and agreed to. These had been prepared by a committee as an index of the political faith which should be held by its members. It is to be regretted that the mountain should so long have laboured in order to produce three such familiar and matter-of-course mico. Much valuable time has boen squandered. The position of the colony is so serious, that every man who appreciates the position is impatient for action. Political victories are not won by a few individuals, whether they dub themselves an association or not, meeting together and passing resolutions upon which nearly ovory man, likely to trouble himself about their proceedings, is already agreed. The chief aim of the National Association should be to convert the political infidel. This can only be done by confronting his teachers upon the public platform aud monstratiug tho want of logic, honesty, stateinanship aud respectability which are characteristics of the party which tho National Association, and those it is established to protect, will have within a limited period to moot in mortal combat at tho ballot boxes. Evorybody knew long ago that any association with tho flimsiest right, to claim the cognomen " national " would uphold the independence of tho Legislative Council, and deprecate the proposal of tho Government to flood tho Upper Hou«o for the purpose of class legislation. Oue member pointed out that not only its indepoudeneo hut its vory oxistenco was thro.it.oaod. On tho othor hand Mr j Upton, tho late Mayor of tho city, 1

pointed out that the threats of tho Premier were unoilicinl, and that tho liiomhi'i's of the Association approved of the soven years' limit to the membership of the Council. J[r Upton ought to bo perfectly aware that a man in the position of Premier cannot spoiilc unofficially in public on any political question, more particularly when ho threatens the extinction of one of tho safeguards provided for the protection of the frugal and energetic against the attacks of those differently constituted, and who unfortunately nro the moro numerous class. It is tho wild " unofficial " talk of tho Premier which has i damaged tho colony to a greater degree than the measures he has actually proposed and carried, and they in all conscience have done harm enough, in that they have lowered us as people in the eyes of all civilised communities. The amendment proposed by Mr Upton was not carried, and the original motion was. The next resolution was almost as lengthy as an Act of Parliament. We perfectly agree that it would ho injudicious at the present juncture to increase the debt of the colony for any purpose which is at present conceivable. We do not agree however, with the committee, allowing that their proposal is capable of being given effect to, in thinking that constitutional provision should be made forbidding the creation of debts except for purposes which are scheduled in the resolution ; as the motion was referred back to tho •ommittee we will not trouble to comment upon these. We may, however, point out to the committee that if their proposal were possible it would be a restriction of the powers of Parliament which would be unconstitutional, If Parliament exists for any one purpose more | than another it is to manage the finances of the country. That they have often lamentably failed in the past is to our mind a reason to abolish Parliament altogether, but it would be inconsistent to limit the confidence which electors could place in their representatives, misplaced J 3 we must admit it often has been and will no doubt be in the future. Parliament itself should restrict the power of Ministries as regards unauthorised expenditure. The third and last resolution Tvas to the effect that individuals shall have the right to select their terms of land tenure, " That the colony is pledged to purchasers under grant to uphold the principle of freehold tenure." Mr Withy moved, as an amendment, the addition, " At the same time the Association considers that the holding of land in an unimproved condition for speculation purposes is injurious to the cause of settlement, and consequently to tho best interests of the colony." As an abstract proposition the late member's addition must be accepted, but when he gives, as ho appears to have done, the fact as justifying land nationalisation we cannot follow him t A land tax, not such an one as is proposed by Mr Ballance, would prevent this evil, for the reason that it would make the speculation a bad one. We trust that now that the National Association have agreed as to their faith, they will lose no tiino in changing themselves from a body mildly protestant to one actively militant. Tho members have undertaken a duty, and they should do it vigorously, or else step aside and allow others with more go in them to load the van.