The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 138, 13 November 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13.

The proceedings in the House of Representatives at the present time present a most unusual spectacle, one indeed, we venture to affiim without parallel in the history of constitutional Government. On the one hand the Ministry affirm that they will continue to hold office, although a majority of the House of Representatives is against them, because they believe that the majority of the country is in their favour. On the other hand, the Opposition declare that they will oppose everything, and grant no" supplies until the No Confidence motion, tabled by Major Atkinson, has been discussed and divided on. Meanwhile parliamentary business, except talk, ip at a standstill, and the Treasury is empty, so bare indeed, that unless an "Impress Supply Bill" be passed within a few days, payments out of the public Treasury must cease. A most undesirable state of affairs, and one deeply to be regretted. It is evident that each party wishes to lay on the other the blame of impeding the public business. Both parties see that a dissolution is inevitable, and each wants a " good cry " to go to the country with. The Ministry say to the Opposition —" We are desirous of " proceeding with the business of the " country, and of bringing the parlia- " mentary session to a close ; why do " you hinder us from doing so ? It is " true that you have given notice of a " vote of want of confidence, but that " question was decided a few days since, " and we cannot allow the public busi- " ness to be impeded because you hare " chosen to table another No Confidence " vote." To this the ' >pposition reply— " It is true that the former No Goufi- " dence vote was decided in your favour, " but the division upon which that dcci- " sion was grounded was obtained by " surprise and trickery, and even then it " went only in your favour by the casting " vote of the Speaker ; it did not/epre- " sent the majority of the House. You " propose to proceed with the public ■' business, although you have a vote of " No Confidence hanging over your " heads ; whoever heard of a Ministry " continuing to conduct business under " such circumstances, and until the " question of confidence is decided one " way or the othc ? Instead of, accord- " ing to parliamentary practice, offering " every facility for the discussion of Ibis " question, you use every possible means " to prevent its discussion, and by thus " doing you defy the majority of this " House, showing that, contrary to every " principle of responsible government, " you are determined to hold office in '•' defiance of the majority of this House. " Such conduct is intolerablo, and we " will use every constitutional means, " even to refusing supplies, before you " shall thui continue to over-ride the " majority of the representatives of the " people." We have thus endeavoured to lay fairly before the public the present position of parties in the House of Representatives. We make no comment thereon, but leave the public to judge for themselves. We should, however, be wanting in our duty did we refrain from remarking on the extraordinary statement emanating from Ministers, that they will continue to hold office even should the majority of the House be against them, because they believe the majority of the country to be in their favour. It may be as they state that the majority of the people is in their favour, hut even if it be so, that does not jnstify the position they are assuming. No one knows better than Sir George Grey that where responsible government prevails, a Ministry can only retain office so long as they possess the confidence of a majority of the representatives of.tlie people, and if such majority is supposed not to represent the opinions of their constituents, then, by dissolving Parliament, an appeal is made to the country on the question at issue. Sir George Grey has committed a grave error in not giving every facility for the decision of the pending No Confidence vote, and had the decision gone against him, he might fairly have advised His Excellency to dissolve the Assembly, and if that advice were refused, then the responsibility would have rested with the Governor, not with Sir George Grey and his colleagues. This is the constitutional course which should have been adopted ; any other savours of autocratic, or rather oligarchical rule.

Within the last few years much has been d me to further communication (between the Bays themselves, as. well as betwf'n the Bays and Akaroa. Good roads t) aii.uu.st every hay now intersect

the district, and, where 'formerly iniere bridle paths of difficult and dangerous ascent or descent wound their toriuc-us way over the r.ngvs, an easy gradient may now be traversed with, at least,, some degree of ease and comfort to both man and beast. There still remains, of, course, plenty to be done to further improve these roads, and to facilitate communication, but what has been effected is already productive of much benefit, | and is a sign of progress. Not only has it opened up a larger extent of country, and increased the value of property, but it has also afforded ; the Ameans. of a speedier transit from place W- place, a matter of vast importance in.a large and scattered district, and where it is true in almost every individual case, that " time is money.". Of equal importance, however, in these days at least, with a quicker means of travelling, the opening, up of a tract of country, or the providing of better communication with outlying places, is the arrangement of a proper and frequent postal service. Yet, strange to say, though the Bays' district: has been benefitted in the former ways, thus presenting better opportunities for a more perfect system of mail delivery, no steps have been taken in this direction. Okain's Bay is especially an example in point. This large and important district has only a bi-weekly mail service, namely, on Mondays arid Fridays. Letters for this district must lie for three or four days before being forwarded to their destination, as, though we have a daily delivery to, there is only a triweekly from, Akaroa, and mails are forwarded from here to the various sub-post-offices, there to await transmission. Le Bon's Bay and the postal district it includes, are also in a similar state with regard to their mail service. Theirs, likewise, is only a bi-weekly delivery, and, in common with the other Bays, they suffer frequent and oftentimes serious inconvenience from the delays experienced. It is, perhaps, premature to expect a daily service to these outlying districts, and the Government would hardly be justified in expending so large a sum as would be necessary to subsidise it, when we take into consideration the numerous other places in the colony that are springing up, arid, each in turn, justly demanding a share in postal privileges. But there should undoubtedly be a tri-weekly service to each of the Bays' postal districts, and, we. unhesitatingly affirm, that in asking for it, they would only be asking for what is undoubtedly their right and due. Let diis important matter be set on foot at once, by a powerfully-worded petition, numerously signed, to the Chief Postal authorities at Wellington, and let our representative be made aware of the facts of the case, aiid,vwith his assistance, we have little doubt but that tbe desired end will be attained. Having mooted the question, we now leave it to carry its own weight with those interested, and trust soon to see it bearing fruit in the inauguration of more perfect and complete postal arrangements with the Bays' district.