THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ASSEMBLY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2501, 8 January 1869, Page 2

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ASSEMBLY.

(from the New Zealand Sun, Dte, 31.) Unless tho General Government contrive to spend moony without legal authority or fail to meet their engagements, the meeting of tho Assembly cannot bo long delayed. We have reason to holieve that about tho middle of November there remained available for expunditure only about £BO,OOO, against part of which there wore some outstanding liabilities. Supposing that thoro are still many heavy liabilities, payment of which can bo evaded for a few months, the cash payments must very nearly havocxhaiisled the appropriated balance. The Governor, It is to be supposed, would be very u-i willing to sign any special orders, anxious as he notoriously is, that the Assembly should be called together. The Government will find it difficult to overcome these various circumstances. Intensely re.

luctant as they are to meet the Assembly, and ready as they would be to resort to any contrivance which would postpone the day of reckoning, It is likely there will be no help for it, and that Parliament will very shortly be convened. Ministers will have to be very ingenious if thoy manage to put off the meetmi? beyond March. With a meotingof the Assembly so nearly approaching, many sub. jects that are likely to be dealt with by it, are invested with immediate Interest. There is not much doubt concerning the fate of the Govcrnmcnt-for the last two sessions they lmvo remoincd in by dint of unscrupulous whipping. We do not care to pollute our columns with the scandals notorious at Wellington. One example Is sufficient. Mr Haughton's position speaks volumes on the subject. But no amount of whipping will be likely to have much effect in the way of maintaining the Government in office. Excepting Southland, Marlborough, and, to some extent, the West Coast and Nelson, every part of the Colony haß proclaimed against the Government. The advocates for self-reliance, and those who say that the Imperial Troops should be sent for, join in denouncing tlieincapacityof the Government In Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, and Taranaki, the cry has gone up from all sides for the removal of the Government. Canterbury and Ota K o, both desire it, although some of their members may, as they did last year, sacrifice their sense of duty to the Colony, to serve their own ends or fancies. Supposing the Otago and Canterbury men were at divided as they were last year, the result would still be against the Government, as moat of the Auckland members will join the opposition.

Putting on one side the party question, the Assembly will hare to come to a definite conclusion concerning the "self-reliance" sham. It would be infinitely mischievous to longer hang up the question, and no half decision will meet it. The colony has undertaken more than it can perform, and British subjects have the right, failing adequate protection from the local Government, to demand the protection of their nation. The Assembly can scarcely fail to see, that to pretend to continue the self-reliance policy will be to over-ride the rights of the people -to convert, in fact, self-reliance into something very much like Blavery. But another subject of large import will occupy the Assembly. The attempt to substitute for the present form of Government an arbitrary central system, administered entirely from Wellington, ii soon to be renewed. Ministf-rs have hitherto refrained from openly declaring themselves. Whilst they have shown themselves in act utterly hostile to the Provinces, in words they have pretended to cherish them. It is strange that general attention has not been much more directed to the fact that the position of the Government is somewhat altered. Their politic reticence and disguise can hardly be continued. Mr Stafford, in accepting the representation of Timaru, accepted the championship of a policy, for the extreme nature of winch Timaru has made itself remarkable. Timaru is rabid against provincialism ; it will not even return a member to represent it m the Provincial Council. On two occasions the nominations lapsed on account of the crowd of people present refusing to allow any one of their number to name a candidate. On Mr Stafford the mantleof extreme centralism has fallen, or it would be more correct to say he has deliberately assumed it. It was strongly suspected that Mr Cox, whom Mr Stafford replaces, resigned because he could not reconcile to himself to continue longer to represent the turbulent and extreme views of his constituents. Mr Stafford will now be recognised leader of Timaru viewsthat is to say, such views as Mr Carleton, Mr Cracroft Wilson, and Mr Ludlam entertain. These views, be it remembered, were much in advance of the opinions of some men of the party; for example Mr Curtis stops a long way short of Timaru views. The opinions of many members are likely to be further modified hy what is taking place now. In the midst of the present difficulties, it is impossible to forget that, but for the Provincial system, the whole colony might be reduced to immediate disorganisation; something, in fact, approaching to wholesale martial law might prevail. During the 1«63 war, the provinces stood between the colony and the reckless waste of the colony's entire resources. The provinces were the means of saving something to the colony of healthy colonising pursuits. We are having prepared a table which will very much aid the disoussion of the subject on its merits, by showing at a gknee the various channels into which the revenue of many years past has Sown. We shall take an early opportunity of asking our readers to consider, without reference to party feeling, whether it will be at all for the interest of the colony or the provinces, to substitute for the present system the autocratio form of Government, which, under the guise of extending local Government, the Centralists are really endeavouring to establish.