The Star. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1881. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 179, 30 November 1881, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1881. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

The native crisis has so completely > overshadowed all matters political, that the general election has come upon us as it were by stealth, and no 6ti'anger would imagine for a moment from the state of feeling in the colony that within the next nine or ten daya there is to be settled the important question, Who shall govern for the next three years ? It is one of the charges made by opponents of the Ministry that the move on Parihaka was purposely so timed as to keep the elections out of view, that our mild and very proper Premier, taking a leaf out of the books of autocrats of the Napoleonic order, entered upon a war policy to distract the attention of the nation from Government misdoings. Whatever the effect of the new departure may have been, we are quite satisfied that "there was no such design, although the most may have been made of an opportunity. The Government changed its policy simply in consequence of Te Wbiti's change of front. It was Te Whiti who would have paktinga, and immediately on hearing of the September speech the Government declared for pakanga. The entire success, so far, of the new policy is much in their favor ; failure would have ejected them from office. They braved the chances, and are quite entitled to make capital out of their success.

The worst feature in connection with the impending election is the absence of any recognised leader of that party which at present does duty as an Opposition, and the difficulty of getting a suitable man. Sir G. Grey's last speech is but another indication of his unfitness for the office. There was scarcely a new idea in his speech, unless it was the proposal to reduce railway freights and tax property further than it is already taxed, to make up the difference, and he did not give satisfaction even to his most ardent admirer — the Auckland Star. It must be admitted that Sir George Grey did remarkably good service in 1875-7, by putting an end to a loose system of Government land transactions, and by creating a healthy public opinion, the existence of which became more especially necessary when abolition had centred all power in the General Government ; but his mistakes when in office were so many and great, that he is not likely to be again hoisted with power. The evil of it is, though, that Sir George will never accept a second place in any party. That he would not follow Mi 1 . OrxnonH, the other leader spoken of, is very certain, and it 18 probably because Mr. Ormond recognises this, that he has declined to assume a position which sotnein judicious persons tried to force on him last session. We can see nothing but confusion in New Zealand parties while Sir George Grey remains in the House; just now he is an undoubted source of strength to his bitterest opponents, the Hall Government.

A. socaaowfj of ttiePremier'B Bpeech in which he shadowed forth the policy of the Government appeared in our columns. We did not expect anything very startling from Mr. Hall, and we are not disappointed. The Ministry have evidently adopted Major Atkinson's motto, "political rest." The local government question seems to be shunned, but evidently the scheme of the last two Sessions ior rating Crown and Native lauds is still relied on hy the Government, and the only hope of getting improvements in the system from this Government is to take their present proposals, and lick them into shape. Further reforms in the Constitution are to be in the direction of making the Legislative Council elective under Hare's system, and giving the leaseholder the franchise. It is. very doubtful whether the former proposal will be accepted. The Premier claims that if the Council wre so eteuted on a property qualification, the House would provide for the representation of local interests, while the Council, consisting, of men elected for their to Ihe

colony and tb^ir high standing, would, it might be Import, represent tbe general interests of the country, and its get tied opinion as opposed to tbe temporary impulses upon ■which more popularly elected bodies might be supposed occasionally to act. But chis roeaus, in other words, making the Council the Upper House in fact as well as in name, and is quite opposed t<> tbe theory of our constitution, -which is that the House saaiZ be the depository of all power, the Council being merely a break to prevent the machine travelling too fast. The concession of the franchise to tbe leaseholder is a just and common sense proposal. But the most satisfactory feature in the address is tbe announcement that a carefully prepared scheme of public works will be submitted next session. The passing of tbe Railway Construction Bill, and the handing over of an important section of a main line, such as the Wellington West Coast line to a company of speculators, had created a suspicion that the Government was inclined to- stop public works expenditure. We are glad to see that such is not the case ; but, nevertheless, in passing, would remark that in the opinion of many well informed people a great mistake has been made in tbe case of the line referred to. The question has a local bearing, and -we hope that whoever is returned for this district will Bee that the gap in the main line between New Plymouth and Wanganui is among the works pushed on. The electors may well consider which of tbe two candidates, Major Atkinson or Mr. Hutchison, will be the better able to do this. On the whole, the policy of the Government is, as Mr. Hall says, safe, and so far as we can judge, the Government will return from the country with a majority.