The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16. 1692.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 9910, 16 December 1892, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16. 1692.

We aro now within measurable distance of a general election. Parliament has pasted through two-thirds o£ its existence, and, apart altogether from tho possibilities of a dissolution, there will bo a general election within a year. Under these circumstances Ministers are acting wisely, in their own interests and in the interests of the country, in seizing every opportunity to acquaint the electors with their policy. Up to the present they have done well. They have faced tho financial position, and. changed, the incidence of taxation. They have grappled with labour and social problems, and appreciably improved the condition of tho masses. They have set to work opening up the lands of the Colony with a vigour which promises most satisfactory results. Such a record enables them to face with equanimity the prospect of an appeal to the country; but in the meantime it is clearly their duty to place their views and proposals before the people. The Minister for Education lias recognised the part he must play in the discharge of this duty. He understands the popular distaste to over - serious speeches, and on Wednesday evening at once placed himself on good terms with his audience by an allusion to his political opponents. “ The present Opposition,” he said, “is just the sort of one, as regards many of its features, that a good Government likes to see. It is not too large, and it is not too popular. It shows the Government great kindness in absolutely declining to have any principles or any shadow of a policy whatever.” There were, however, many serious passages in the Minister’s speech, and some of them deserve attention from the ©lectors of the Colony, Naturally, much of the ground Mr Beeves covered was already familiar to his audience. It was, for example, hardly* necessary for him to outer upon a ieagthy defence of the L-ii-osr Bureau. The re suits achieved by that institution have been fully recorded. They are admitted by .every iair-mincied observer. Persons

j who Miupufce tr.o bens-nts tne Coiouy I iQ general and tha labouring classes jJU particular are denying from the | Bureau are incapable of accept- ! in S reasonable proof. The real 1 danger of the Liberal Party lies j toe persistent misropresentaj that the country interests are j hkoly to suffer from the no\y policy. | ho Opposition is endeavouring at j every point to raise a cry of I Country versus Town. Mr Reeves j resolutely faced this attack, and his defence was complete. Ho pointed j out that the Ministerial Party veproj senta a larger and wider area than | the Opposition. That in itself is a j point which not only illustrates the | numerical strength of the Ministerial i' Party, but also shows how widely spread is the.feeling in favour of the I Government measures. The list which the Minister for Education quoted of Opposition mom bora who represent city, town and suburban constituencies, largely strengthened 1 his argument. But, after all, the | misrepresentation is most effec--1 tually met by tbo policy and j measures of the Minis try. To ; these Mr Reeves canid confidently j appeal. Tbo land laws, the change | in the incidence, and the expenditure f upon public works, are ail in the j broadest sense measures of special bone-fit to the country population. There are other measures, such aa the Dairy Industry Act and the Manure Adulteration Act. and others, ia which the farmers’ interests are specially considered. Besides these, ! again, There is the general a-imiuDtra-j lion of Iho Colony, and not oven the j most violent opponent of (he Government has been able to show that ia n.ny one iota tba country districts have boon treated with injustice, or ; thattheirinterests have been allowed to | suffer through neglect or indifference j on the part of the present Ad mini- I stration. Of course, no one will j deny that the Government has ; achieved a considerable measure of I success in dealing with industrial j questions which are of special J interest to residents in the towns. It | has, however, been actuated by a high < i sense of justice; and no one has* j suffered unfairly ia consequence of \ the -relief it has afforded to the | masses. Who would wish to sea tha j Rectories Act, the Truck Act, the j Workmen’s Lien Act, and similar J measures struck off the Statute j Book ? Who, again, can show that \ the country settlors have suffered { from any legislation initiated by tbe I Government ? The attempt to set | country agiinat town and town | against country hag failed as miserably as it deserved to fail.

Mr Beeves expressed an opinion on j local government,’ to which we have j frequently given utterance. We j wish that he had dealt move ex- | haustively w r ith this important sub- \ ject. We commend it to him as a I means of displaying his constructive j ability. At present thoro ia an j amount of overlapping of functions, and an elaborateness of machinery far beyond tbe requirements of the Colony. Simplification, uniformity and efficiency must be tha watchwords of those who aim at reforming the means and conditions of local ; government. The references of the Minister to Education were evidently in accordance with the views of his audience. Tha system of inspection must in the near future be dealt with, and sorao means devised by which uniformity of results may. be secured. At present thoro are no moans by which the results in the various educational districts can he ;

compared. If the system is to be a truly national one, uniformity must he obtained. The two largest subjects touched upon by tha Minister for Education were, however, the questions of the purchase of ative lands and the reform of t a procedure of Parliament. The ! tormor of those is looming very large j on the political horizon of the Colony, and should be dealt with at once. Vast areas of land remain in a state r nature in the North Island, and settlement ia steadily poshing outwards to them. They c.mnot block i tus path of progress much longer. uTuunentary reform is scarcely less important. The sp-ictaclo of the legislative work of the Colony being delayed as it was last session cannot be endured. The scandalous waste of time entailed by the verbosity of certain members of (ho lion so must cease. The country and Parliament are both in earnest about the matter, j and it is the duty of the Government to lead ia tha work of reform.