POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 7350, 24 October 1887, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Oca PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER.] j 5 October 22. .• [/, jr. VOKel. ‘rJ.yMuoh has-been hazarded regarqinjteiihp Sir J. Vogel’s conto Auckland on Friday night, which, altered at the last moment. Oflpmemeot credits him with charge of a Northern atflfiß^mMvehture iff the interests of the Proteoaomsts andpf the present Opposition paHjy anothftcria to the effect that he intends IcFsever his connection with New Zealand politics and return to England, Nothing definite is, however, known as to h|s inteptipnc, (ujd, bably the merest guesswork. Is Mffjor Atkinson Equal to his Task 7 This is a question which the ‘ Post ’ asks •itself to-night.- Replying to hia'ownquery’, the writer says: “We hesitqta to answer the question further than‘to "say that his past record is not calculated to inspire an affirmative reply. It is impossible to forget that Foa a previous occasion, under some circumstances, hejtook such a pessimist view of the situation that his Financial Statement caused widespread dismay at home and abroad, seriously injured the credit of the Colony in London, and intensified the very evil he deplored and professed a desire to/emedy.”

Tariff Deform. Defending the Government,from the demands for the immediate revision of the Tariff, the ‘Evening Press’ considers “it very unfair to lay any part of the distressing uncertainty under which trade suffers to the charge of the new Government. Itiatlje present Opposition who are sClely to blame for it. It stands -to reason that no revision of the .Tariff , that could possibly be made before Christmas would be anything else but a botch. We have had two specimens of these scrambling, hurry - scurry, higgledy - piggledy Tariffs since 1884, and we do not want to see any more of them. The attempt of Sir J. Vogel to force the Government to do as badlyas he did when he was in office is nothing but an unmitigated piece of impudence. The public can judge of the sort of Tariff that the party would inflict on the Colony, if they had their- way, from the fact that one of their prominent members has given notice of motion for putting a duty of 6s per ton on coal, the immediate effect of which would be to destroy the intercolonial trade and strike a blow at every manufacturing industry in the country. We are convinced that the Government will be supported by a large majority in the House in resisting any such reckless experiments,”

Quite Right. The ‘ Post ’ says “Of one thing we are very certain, and that is, that no scheme of mere retrenchment, of mere cutting .down of salaries or services, will suffice to restore confidence or to induce a return of prosperity. Something more than the pruning knife is required. The latent resources of the Colony must be stimulated and developed, and its population must be. augmented.” , ,