“The Press” In 1864

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30585, 30 October 1964, Page 10

“The Press” In 1864

October 31. THE NEW MINISTRY There is not a little disappointment in the town, so we hear, at the result of the meeting last Friday week. The public came together on a desperately cold and wet evening, expecting to hear some intimation as to how the colony could be got out of its difficulties. But it heard nothing. It listened to a long speech from Mr Weld as to the past, a subject of which the public are getting a little tired; and to a proposal from Mr Moorhouse to dismember the colony, which is looking a little too far into the future to be of any interest at the present moment. But it listened in vain for any utterance as to what is to be done if

the troops are to be sent away; what policy is to be pursued towards the Natives; whether the “prisoners” are to continue to be paid by the Government for being so good as to abstain from robbing the settlers; whether, whilst the Waikato lands still remain unconfiscated, the “prisoners” are to be permitted to confiscate to their own use a piece of the Queen’s property in the North; whether the public stock is still to be sold for what it will fetch, like a bankrupt’s furniture; where the money is to come from for any future military expenditure; and lastly, who are to be the new ministry. No one expected all these questions to be answered, but might we not

have anticipated some of those indirect disclosures, some faint indications of opinion from our public men, which might hold out a hope to the Colony that any one saw his way out of anything, which the public may well doubt at present. In truth it is very difficult for any public man to express an opinion on affairs in the partial acquaintance which the public possess as to fact, it is not until he has perused the papers presented to parliament that any member is in the possession of the materials with which to make up his mind; and the disinclination to commit himself by any strong expression of opinion before being in possession of the facts is natural enough.