Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1887.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1583, 1 April 1887, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1887.

Tnß near approach of the last session of the present Parliament has put a number of the members on their mettle, and in all parts of the colony M.H.R.'s are either speaking or writing, through the papers, to their constituents. Mr Fergus, member for this district, however, did not need the fear of a general election to induce him to cddress his constituents, as he has periodically rendered a very fair account of liis stewardship. His remarks on over-legislation are timely, as, notwithstanding that Government have e>pressed their intention of making the forthcoming session as short as possible, rumors are l*ing spread through tiie colony by official organs that a number of entirely new measures aie to be brought dov u. With Mr Fkrgus we also take objection to the number of laws that the Sroi'T-VooEi. Government have added to our statute book, the greater part of which only help to keep up the increasing horde of lawyers, ami to ordinary laymen seem worse than useless. Speaking on the administration of public works, Mr FERGUS conclusively showed that if the Hon. Walter Joiivsox was a bungler. <hc present Minister, with all his professional skill and knowledge, has proved himself a worse one. Year by year the vote for this Department has gradually increased, and yet, we in Otago at any rate, can see little or nothing for our money. It ie illy has, as Mr Fkrgts pointed out, been fritterrd away, and instead of the staff being cut down, it is as lig and as unwieldly as ever. As he also showed, the Minister is quite unable to account for a balance of over £IOO,OOO on the Otago-Central alone, so that the total amount of wasted money throughout the colony must be something enormous. Nor were we surprised to see the stand Mr Fkkgi's took when pointing out that fruit growers in this disttictare under greater disadvantages, as far as N.Z. markets are concerned, than exporters from the sister colonics. Considering the manner that our railways are managed, it is certainly no matter for wonder that such schemes as Mr Vaile's are deemed practicable, and that throughout the colony there is an universal demand for a non-political board of management. One thing is certain, namely, that the present condition of matters in respect to our railways cannot last much longer, and some change will have lo be made. We are too glad to see that, airhough Mr FERGUS gave Government every credit for good intentions in passing the Charitable Aid Act, he did not approve of the measure. In large towns this system was working anything but smoothly, and it was only a matter of time before its evil effects would be felt in the country districts. In Dunedin, for example, the voluntary contributions to the Benevolent Institution have fallen off to at least 50 per cent., and although the trustees have up to the present time worked hard to reduce the expenses of the institution, they have been far from successful.

Regarding the Representation Bill, which is to be brought flown next session, Mr Fergus was very clear. He favors the reduction in numbers of members, and the mapping out of the colony into fresh electoral districts, of the boundaries being en trotted to an independent commission. Any one who has closely watched the two Parliaments will see that it would be of the utmost importance to the colony in general, if pocket boroughs, even in the mildest sense of a word, could he done away with, and our legislative expenses reduced considerably. As long as there arc so many members all clamouring for loaves and fishes in Wellington, for several months in the year, so long will the expenditure of the colony be increasing without regard to its revenue. There is in the New Zealand Parliament a sad want of colonial, instead of provincial or district, statesmen, and to obtain suui men we think Mr FERGUS* plan is the correct tine, namely—the cutting up of the colony into six or seven large districts, each to return, say, 10 men to the Legislative Assembly on the Hare system. We would go a step further and advocate that the whole of the colony should return 50 members under the Proportion:.! Representative system—which is undoubtedly an improvement on Hare's system. By this means not onlv would the best men he elected, but the mine: ities in all questions would be properly represented, This svstem has been tested by experiments in England, and by practice elsewhere, the worst objection its opponents have to it is to say that it is too cumbersome and complicated. At some future ocsasinn we will fully explain the system referred t'>, to leave it to the intelligence of our readers as to whether it could be safely adopted in this colony.

We were pleased when Mr Fergus remarket! that, in his opinion, the severe depression is at last i lifting, and we hope with him that one season of J adversity will have taught us how to set in the ; future. In conclusion, we must compliment onr j member upon lon honest, straightforward remarks, and l>>ar .estimony to the independent position he has always taken up in the House.