INDICATIONS OF POLICY.

Evening Star, Issue 7339, 11 October 1887, Page 1

INDICATIONS OF POLICY.

Conjectures as to the personal constitution of the new Ministry being set at rest by the formal appointment and swearing-in of Major Atkinson and his colleagues, political seers must needs exercise themselves during the interval which must elapse before the delivery of the Financial Statement in predicting what the policy embodied therein is likely to involve. There is a very extensive field open to the imaginative mind, since, if we give credit to Ministers for having the courage of their opinions in regard to economic reform, there are clearly more ways than one in which this might be attempted to be brought about. That che financial proposals will be radical in character may be taken for granted ; but upon what principles they will be based is not so certain, although some light may be thrown on the subject by the speeches of the Premier and the Minister of Education in the great debate of last session, when the coup tie grace was given to the Stout-Vogel Government. .Major ATKINSON, after condemning in very tren«hant terms the reckless, extravagant finance of Sir Julius Vogel, put the question to honorable gentlemen : " And now what is it we ought to do ?" Premising that it really was not his business to suggest a course of action which would be remedial of a decidedly bad state of affairs, the then Leader of the Opposition expressed the conviction that the first thing the House would insist on—" I speak," he said, " with a full sense of responsibility " —was a large reduction in the general expenditure. He proceeded to warn honorable members that if they did not grapple with the question of retrenchment there would be " serious disaster " before many months expired. He opposed the new Tariff because he believed it to be thoroughly unconsidered, imposing duties on a large number of articles which ought not to be charged with them ; but " I venture to say that the Tariff must be " revised; and that it can be revised, and "that I believe a considerable revenue " must also be obtained, in order to " put us straight, from the Customs. That " I say frankly and clearly at once; but I " say also distinctly that before we do that " we must insist on large retrenchment in " the public service. I am not speaking " now of the Civil Service only ; I say that "large reductions must be made outside " that." This indicates very plainly that the Premier's idea of economy is not the mere docking of official salaries or the reduction of departments, but that he then contemplated retrenchment of an altogether more extensive character—possibly the reorganisation of the whole administrative system, as well as putting an effectual stop to expenditure out of loan on objects for which provision, if made at all, should be made out of revenue. In respect to taxation, Major Atkinson definitely disapproved of the proposal of the Treasurer to increase the Property Tax and make it a graduated one. Very possibly, as Treasurer, he will be found modifying his views so fur as to revert to the original penny in the £, avoiding the fractions in which the soul of Sir Julius delights. Taking one consideration with another, the penny cannot be thought excessive in the face of the large revenue raised through the Customs, which people not fortunate enough to have property to be directly taxed have to pay. The Premier holds unmistakeably strong opinionsinregard to the Land Fund. He can be no party, he distinctly stated, to "permitting the Govern- " ment to borrow permanently to put this "account into funds"; and he declared that the land must be "administered quite " differently from the way in which it is " bciug administered now"—i.e., in accordance with the united wisdom of Mr Ballance aud Sir Robert Stout. The new Minister of Lands (Mr G. F. Richardson) is known to entertain very similar views, and it is already hinted that he is determined to bring the administration within the spirit as veil as the letter of the land laws, affording greater facilities than they now enjoy to settlers witli means. He has grave doubts, we also believe, as to the utility of Land Boards, and conceives that an altogether simpler machinery for performing what should be but statutory work might be devised. The allotment of the portfolio of Lands to the honorable gentleman would seem to have given very general satisfaction, and it may be hoped that he will not belie his promise. The Hon. Mr Fisher made an excellent speech on the Customs Duties Bill, in which he displayed so thorough a knowledge of the finances of the Colony, and handled the public accounts—those sibyllic books—so cleverly that he became at once a possible Treasurer. This was not, however, to be just yet; but he has been, not without, we are inclined to think, a definite object, allocated the portfolio of Education. Is it contemplated —we confess to the suspicion that there shall be very material retrenchment in the education expen'i .'re? The honorable gentleman, on the occasion referred to, in discussing the economies whioh might be effected, expressed the opinion that "the education "system, from top to bottom, was alto- " gether too costly." He believed, he said, in free, secular, and compulsory education, but he thought the system was; "being built on a too expend -mp.," Entering somewhat into detail, uu .umed that we ought not to turn our State schools intoState nurseries by attempting to educate children of five years of age. "I hold " that, even as regards the physical and " mental welfare of the children them- " selves, they should not be put to school " before they are seven years of age." He calculated that, taking merely the capitation allowance, and not touching the increasing cost of school buildings, £84,496 a year would be saved by raising the minimum school age to seven years. With regard to the primary education system, he pointed out that "suppose we " stopped at the Fourth Standard no great " injury would be done to the children of the "country . . . since we are main- " tabling the most expensive portion of the "system for the benefit of a very small "number of pupils." These views, no doubt, are capable of being modified in Cabinet; but certainly their very forcible expression so recently gives an idea how the land lies. The honorable gentleman was very vigorous on the subject of retrenchment generally, and that it is possible to retrench, he said, no one doubts. " Reestablish the " credit of the oountry in the English money " market; for until you do that capital will •' not flow into the Colony. Do this, and " our trades and industries will revive. . . " Let us have some settled form of property "rights, less disturbance of trade, and "sometling like a settled form of govern- " ment. . . . What is wanted is to let " trade find a natural basis—let it settle ; "do not disturb it; and then, so far as the "Government are concerned, let us have "something like firm, judicious adminis"tration." These are correct sentimentswise words. We hope the practice will be up to the preeept. We must defer for the present the few remarks it was our intention to .make in reference to other members of the Ministry. ■ - A story which, if true, is worthy of note, comes from Soissons. It is affirmed that about a fortnight ago a young man was mesmerised by one of his friends in the presence of several persons. After some of the usual experiments with the magnetiser, the operator said: " I forbid you to drink wine during the next fortnight." The patient was then woke up by the magnetiser blowing in his face, and though he is nolonger in his presence it is affirmed that 4>e cannot carry a glass of wine to his lips. If the glass is filled with beer, water, or anything else, his arm will obey him and take it to his mouth, but if it contains wine hj» muscles are paralysed. " What will wc play for ?" asked pretty Cora, shuffling the cards. " For a kiss, I suppose," replied Merritt, with a smile. " But how will we settle, my dear?" "JSpJ enough. If I win, then I kiss jfojfjfo* win, then you kiss me." r