The press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1881.

Press, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5074, 12 December 1881, Page 2

The press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1881.

The general elections, which took place on Friday last, do not, to all appearance, materially alter the relation o£ parties. The Hall Government commenced their career in October, 1879, with an exceedingly narrow majority, but which gradually increased to a workable one, as the real principles and aims of the administration came to be clearly comprehended. Ever since Ministers have maintained that majority, and, as we have just said, the constituencies hare not apparently seen fit to alter that position. And if we hare correctly interpreted the verdict of the people of New Zealand, snch a decision cannot be other than matter for congratulation. Change is a marked characteristic of colonial politics. The party in power to-day, whatever their merits be, rarely find themselves able to secure the popular support for more than, a year or two at the very most. Apart from the fact that any administration however capable, painstaking and upright, is sure to make some mistakes, and accumulate, if nothing more, a number of small grudges against itself, the desire for change for mere change , sake is sure to operate in the long run. In the former respect the Hall Government have had much to contend against. During the last two years it has been their unpleasant task to do many things which could scarcely be regarded as popular. The economy which they have had to practice in the public service* the firm break they have had to put on the expenditure on public works, and other acts of s like nature; cannot fail to have got them enemies, however much their policy in a general way ought to have met with the assent of the people. Although therefore we have always strongly urged upon the electors the great claims of the Hall Government upon their hearty support, we have not shut our eyes to the fact that those claims might, to some extent, have been overlooked in the presence of a number of petty and local considerations of which Opposition candidates naturally made the very most. And that those gentlemen have not been more successful, is creditable to the electors, who have is so many instances been able to take a colonial, and not a mere parish, view of public questions. A noticeable feature of the elections baa been the return of the members of the Cabinet unopposed, or, with the exception of Mr. Dick, by overwhelming majorities. On the other hand, there is only Mr. Macandrew's and Mr. Montgomery's unopposed retarn to place against this triumph. Sir George Grey has had to fight for his seat in Auckland East for dear life, and only won it after all by the narrow majority of thirty-five. Mr. Ballance, who was Colonial Treasurer during the triumphant days of the Grey Ministry, has had to give way to a prononneed Ministerialist. Mr. Onaond, round whom the hopes of the Opposition have strongly centred, is defeated by a local nobody,

whose views as far as we have been able to ascertain, are of the most wildly revolutionary character. Not only has the leader of what wonld have probably been the Middle Party been excluded, the same fate has befallen three other candidates who would most likely have been found ranging themselves under his leadership. We allude to the Hon. E. Richardson, Messrs Reader Wood and Alfred Saunders. But the loss of prominent men has not been by any means confined to the Opposition. Sir William Fox has had to give way to a candidate hitherto unknown to fame, and who, although not by any means a prominent opponent of the Government, goes up to the House unpledged to support them. The electors of Geraldine, in rejecting Mr. Wakefield, have not in any way altered the relative position of parties. But they have deprived Parliament of the services of one of her most gifted orators. Mr. Wakefield has, moreover, during his past Parliamentary career, always taken a broad colonial view of public questions. In excluding him i from his seat the Geraldine electors have I done the colony an injury and themselves no great credit. The exclusion from, the House of all these prominent politicians is certainly to be regretted. The most of them have, during their past parliamentary career, acquired a know* ledge of public affairs and accumulated a vast amount of experience of very great value to the House. And when it is remembered that several others of the most prominent members of the late House of Representatives have voltm-. tarily excluded themselves from the new House, it is not too much to say that the defeats to which we have alluded are on all accounts much to be deplored. The lovers of fresh blood have no goad ground to complain of the composition of the new House of Representatives. "Wβ now know the actual result of all the elections. Out of a total of ninety-oae who compose the European members of the new House, nearly half hare never occupied a seat in the New Zealand Legislature before. They have their reputation yet to make, and the best' thing they can do is to set diligently about the duty of qualifying themselves for the task they have undertaken. The serious losses which Parliament has sustained by the voluntary retirement of some of its most prominent members, and the involuntary exclusion of others, mast as far as possible be mads up for. And we must look to the new members to fill up the vacant places as speedily as possible. But one of the very first things many of them will have to do will be to entirely forget half their platform theories. When they take their seats in tho House of Representatives they will be expected to devote themselves to the practical work of legislation. The floor of that Chamber is no place upon which to ventilate abstract doctrines. The Queen's government must be carried on. The lives and property of her Majesty's subjects must be duly protected and taken care of. Our national engagements must be punctually met, and steps must be taken to meet them in a manner which interferes as little as possible with the convenience and comfort of the taxpayer. Then again, as we have often pointed out, there are only two lobbies when the division bell rings, and it will never do for a member to be continually oscillating between the two. If a representative is to be of any use to the colony generally, and his constituents in particular, he must be prepared to take a side. He must be willing to sink minor differences for the sake of large questions. Without this is done party government becomes impossible. No Ministry can initiate and carry out a consistent policy unless it can rely upon an united body of followers. On the other hand, a compact and well organised Opposition is nearly as important to the proper running of the Parliamentary machine as a compact and united Ministerial party. All these facts must be borne in mind by the new members if they hope to become really useful and practical politicians.