The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JULY 4, 1890.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVII, Issue 833, 4 July 1890, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JULY 4, 1890.

For some weeks prior to tho openin* of the present session of. Parliament", reports were current, and were apparently well-founded, that it had been determined to submit a motion of want of confidence in. the Government at tho earliest possible moment after the meeting of the House. It was also freely explained that the only difficulty in the way was the inability of the leader of the movement todiscover either in the policy or administration of tho Government some point sufficiently weak or faulty as to warrant its being made the foundation of the action dc« cided on, or such as would ensure for the motion the support of a majority of the people's representatives. The utterances and actions of Ministers were eageily and minutely scanned, but these opened up no way of getting over ' the difficulty. It was then hoped that something in the speech from tho throne might afford a pretext for niov. ing an amendment to the. address-in* reply. But a knowledge of the intentions of the Opposition f put Ministers on their guard, and the Governor's speech was found to have been so framed that 1 it was absolutely barren of even a pretext for the intended amendment. The next point of expectancy was the Financial .Statement. This was speedily forthcoming, but it was scarcely what tho Opposition had hoped for. It seemed exactly to hit public sentiment, and the verdipt all over the country proclaimed it tho most satisfactory Financial' Statement ever submitted to a New Zealand Parliament. This was very disappointing and disheartening to those who had determined to hew out of it weapons with which to lay seigo to the Treasury benches. Tho leader of the Opposition found himsolf in a dilemma. He was unable to find in the Statement any stable foundation for his promised attack, while his followers wore getting impatient and clamorous. Hope deferred was making their hearts, sick, and a falling off of allegiance was imminent. In his perplexity a happy thought struck him. Why not call in tho aid of his old friend and chief, Sir Robert Stout 1 No sooner tho inspiration than the action. Sir Robert was found willing, as be always is, to help an old friond. After much cogitation the plan of action was agreed on, and on Tuesday morning it was whispered abroad that the no-confidence motion had been written out. At the afternoon sitting Mr Ballance gave notice as follows: — " That in the opinion of this House the continuance of the primage duty is unnecessary, and is a distinct bi'each of tjio understanding arrived at when it was first imposed ; that further retrenchment is imperatively demanded, and can V>e effected without impairing tho efficiency of tho. public service \ that the retention of the Property Tax in its present form, and the land policy pursued by the Government, alike impede the progress of the colony." In the evening began the attack by the hon. gentleman, who very soon found his weapons weak and his thrusts very easily parried. The purpose for which the primage duty ' had been imposed was fulfilled. Tho Government proposed to re-impose it for another and very necessary purpose, but did not wish to press this and were prepared to leave the decision to the , House. As to further retrenchment, the Opposition when in power declared further retrenchment was impossible, and yet the present Government had further retrenched to the extent of L 300,000, and wero prepared to continue the process. As to the Property Tax, when the leader of the Opposition was. in power he made no attempt: to substitute a land for a property tax, 1 and has no intention of doing so wero .he Premier to-morrow. As to the laud policy, during the past yostr.'- there were 500 agricultural holdings in excess of the largest average of any year for the past four years. During the favo and a-half years tho Government had been in office, 327,000 acres, more,' were disposed of than in the previous years, . and at a saving of L 141,000.' Mr Ballance in bis speech also found much fault with the Government -for their defence expenditure. . The reply is . that in 1885 when' the Stout- Vogel Government was in office the sum expended on defence was L 127,000 j in 1886, L 130,428; in 1887, L 73.500; in 1888, when' tho present Government came into office, L 50,084; in 1889, L 15,700, and only LIO,OOO for the present year. As a matter of fact afc a time of panic Mr Ballance himself had committed the Colony to an expenditure of about L 400,000 for defence purposes. The trial of strength was short but decisive ; the Opposition vvere routed all along the lines. The debate was closed at the Wednesday afternoon sitting. Oh the question being put the voting was 38 to 32 or a majority of 6 for the •Government. It has to 'be" explained that the division was unexpected arid a good many members wore caught napping. They were outside 'somefthore. Had all been in their places the voting would have been 52 to" 40; or 12 of a majority for;the Government. " Now this Has been, altogether a foolish affair. It began wrong and could only : end as it has done. Mr Ballahco first decided to make the attack and' told his*'fol-

lowers so. He was obliged to keep faith with" them, and thus had to fight \yith such weapons as were available at the time. Clearly he should have played a waiting game, and had he done so some fitting opportunity for attack would no doubt have been presented during the session. But he has shown his weakness at the outset, and' his influence during the remainder of the session must be weakened. Besides, brief as the debate was, the Opposition succeeded in clearly showing'their ultimate aim — a dissolution — another session during the present year — another honorarium. This is what they sought to bring about by the attack on the Government. They urged further retenehment yet had the motion been tarried it would have involved all the expense of a special session of Parliament — including payment of honorarium. Seeing the exhibition^ the leader and members of the Opposition have just made of themselves, it will only be through very bad generalship on the part of Ministers if the Treasury benches are placed in a position of much danger during the session.