Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1897.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2168, 6 August 1897, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1897.

The Premier is now on his way back to the Colony and will arrive in Melbourne by the Orient liner, « Oroya," on September 4th. Parliament may therefore be expected to meet in the last week of that month at the latest, under the provisions of "The Public Revenue Act, 1897," which continues in operation until the close of the 14th October, but no longer. The Colonial Treasurer is authorised to issue and pay moneys upon the scale of the appropriations of 1896-97, until an Act ia proposed granting and appropriating money for the service of the financial year, 1897-98. Practically Ministers have supply xtntil October 14th inclusive, and on or before that day must obtain authority from Parliament for any further expenditure. This is ordinarily done at the commencement of a session by means of Interim Supply Bills, which are passed as a matter of urgency and do not commit the House to any particular votes included in the Estimates, which are never brought down until after the delivery of the Financial Statement.

Since it is well understood that the Government, for many obvious reasons, desire to hurry through the session,

Mr Seddok will no doubt submit his financial proposals at an early period, and postpone all projected promised measures not directly connected with those proposals until next year. There is some satisfaction in feeling assured that Ministers will be confronted in the House by a strong and vigorous Opposition who are certain to insist upon explanations of the gross mal-adminis-tration which has become a public scandal, notably the abuse of patronage and the profligate expenditure of public moneys for political and party purposes. They are likely also to be brought to book over the Banking legislation of the last three or four years. Recent investigations in the Law courts have disclosed a state of things which throw grave doubts at least upon the good faith of the particular minister who is known to have been primarily responsible for the policy of the Cabinet in regard to the Bank of New Zealand. There can scarcely be a question but that the Premier and his other colleagues must have been cognisant of circumstances, which rendered the holding of the Colonial Treasurership by Mr J. G. Ward highly inadoaissable, if not improper. There will, we are disposed to anticipate, be a considerable " shaking up of the dead bones " over this matter; whilst the general indictment against Ministers will happily be in skilful hands. No facts, however clearly demonstrated, no exposures, however disgraceful, would seem to shake the faith of the party in this colony who support the New Liberalism as identified with Mr Seddon, Mr John M'Kenzie and the dummies who make up the Cabinet. After more than six years' experience, and in face of the evidence of their own senses, deluded electors are still found voting in masses for Ministerial candidates, hoping, it must be conceived, without hope—the promised millenium of the " working man" is not far oflj that the policy of every body getting everything without labour and without cost, is rapidly approaching fruition. It is futile to point out that under Seddonian administration the condition of the workers has in no degree been improved, but that, on the contrary, the field of employment has become more contracted, and rate of wages rather diminished than increased.

Notwithstanding the confident assertions of Mr John M'Kenzie and the carefully manipulated returns presented to Parliament, the progress of real settlement on the land has been anything but rapid, whilst the costly experiments of special settlements have proved ghastly failures. Taxation, both direct and indirect, has been piled on and there is no prospect whatever of relief for the taxpayers; whilst important public works, such as railways in the interior are neglected, if we except those on the West coast and other favoured districts. Where, for instance, is all the money—many thousands of pounds—allocated to the goldfields out of the last loan? We have hardly seen the color of it in Otago. For all these worse than delinquencies, the Government will assuredly be severely brought to book very shortly.