POLITICAL NOTES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3997, 14 May 1884, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES.

(By "Quia.")

That was a scurvy trick that tho Press Association played Napior in not forwarding a full report of Sir George Grey's speech. I havo never beon an out-and-out admirer of tho grand old man as a politician, but as an orator in these colonies he stands alone, head and shoulder above all others, lacking anything that might be described as stagey, and absolutely without mannerisms. I confess to a liking to his speeches as reading, and this last speech of his has all the subtlety of yore, all the graphic word-painting to which we aro accustomed, and at the "same time has as little of tho practical in it as may be found in the man himself, when in the cold shades of opposition, Sir George Grey sitting in that far corner of tho houso is a very different man to Sir George Grey occupying the place of honor on the Treasury benches. All that wild reform, all that consideration for the unborn millions, and the desire to turn things topsyturvy -turvy vanish amid the sweets of office. His wildness has, however, more than once deceived Major Atkinson and Co., and the firm have tried to go ono better, for instance on tho question of annexation, only to find that the man who should have supported them most strenously was a better opponent. To ond this paragraph as it began, differ from him as we may, we had a right to havo had a four column speech from him, for I am sure it is much finer reading than either the sanguino views of Major Atkinson, or the melancholy aspect favored by Mr Montgomery. Sometimes the wild statement of a correspondent, evolved from his own brain, but given on the highest authority, turns out to be as correct as possible, and it is a pity when such happens that the correspondent for five minutes should not dwell in a Palace of Truth, so that we couldtransfer to paper the inner workings of his mind when ho fouud his reckless assertion come true. At the timo of Sir J. Vogel's landing a special said it was more than probable hO Would re-enter political life. At the time it seemed absurd, but to-day nothing seems more probable. We have had placed before us the views of Sir J. on the existing depression, and it seemes really wonderful in how many ways that depression seems to strike a number of different individuals. Of the thirty or forty members who have addressed their constituents on the subject I think no two of thorn are alike. To abolish tho property tax is all very well, but what wo wr»ufc to know is, what are we to substitute for it. That that property tax does not fall on tho man who pays it should be self-evident to every economist. With regard to education I think tho nail has beon hit on the head. Per child our State school education costs about four pounds per head, while twenty years ago in Scotland and Switzerland a much better education was given, in the former caso for about onefourth the cost, and the teachers as a class were as well off, if not bettor, than they are iv New Zealand to-day. Sir G. Grey will not be a willing follower of any man, and thero to my mind lies a difficulty. Improbable., as I confess it seems, after the result of tho general elections be known, I would not be at all surprised to see a coalition between those two firebrands, Sir G. Grey and Major Atkinson. Wo have seen as bitter opponents meet together on a common platform before. AYe havo scon Parkes and Robertson for twenty years replacing one another as Premiers, and then we saw them form a strong Ministry. To-day the lion and tho lamb (I won't say which is which, in case I might offend some one) of Victoria, Service and Berry, join hands. Now, their joining is precisely the lines on which this coalition I have hinted at would take place. If the elections resulted say as follows —I am only using dummy figures—Atkinson 32 supporters, Grey 16, and ihe other party 40, well, there would be trouble in two camps—to my mind in all three—and the two weaker would, I believe, coalesce. Time will show.

And so popularity and ignorance have once more beaten ability and experience, Avlule humor is a A'cry bad third. I wrote some weeks ago that Dr. Newman's popularity was a mystery, but it has stood him in good stead at yesterdays election.