Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. OCTOBER 28, 1879 "FOR DESPATCH OF BUSINESS."

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 19, 28 October 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. OCTOBER 28, 1879 "FOR DESPATCH OF BUSINESS."

♦ : , The Parliamentary deadlock has been brought to au end by the defec- • tion of Messrs. Eeader Wood, Hurst, ' Colbeck, and Swanson, from Mr ; Macandrew's party. The four gentle- ■ man named represent Auckland con--1 stituencies, and their separation from " the main body of members from that r provincial district virtually breaks up the " Auckland phalanx " of which » we have heard so much during the 5 last few years. The Northern elecj tors are by no means friendly to Mr . Macandrew. Rightly or wrongly

they" assert that in times past their portion of the Colony has not received justice at the hands of the Government iv the distribution of borrowed money, and the chief blame of this they lay at the door of Mr Macandrew, whom they charge with being their greatest enemy. Therefcu'e, when that gentleman was elected head of the Liberal party, this feeling of distrust became intensified. The Auckland Herald, Star, and Free Lance each in turn urged northern members to lay aside party considerations, and remember thenduty to the district. Those counsels have prevailed. The Auckland phalanx is broken, and four gentlemen have deseriud the Liberal party, giving the (rovtHMiiiciti iiel«?;U" majority, aud enabling the work of the country to proceed. The basis of the compact made between the two parties was stated by Mr Wood to be as follows : — First, that there should be no change in the present Education Act ; second, that the measures which they call the Liberal measures should ba carried through the House ; and third, that an account shull be made up, showing the expenditure upon the public works iv different puts of the colony iv every provincial district of Now Zetland, and if the account shows that Auckland has not received her fair Bnure in proportion to what the other district!* have received, that there shull be somo way by which the balance shall ba made good. The above terms appear to be fair and honorable. The Liberal party, however, was bitterly enraged with the four gontlenien who had deserted them, and on Friday night, expressions of " sorrow, grief, and shame " were scattered abroad throughout the debate. The quartette, however, had fully made up their minds, aud were not to be bullied out of their intentions. Having gained the majority, the fxovernniont cordially invited Mr Macandrew to go on at once with his no-conndenco motion — a course we need hardly say the wily Scot did not- adopt. No donbt the news of the close of the deadlock would be received by the country with satisfaction, and although the position of the gentlemen who have gone over to the Government is not an enviable one, we fail to see that they have in any way deserved the charges of treachery, duplicity, &c, so freely levelled at them during Friday night's debate. Mr De Lautour, member lor Mount Ida, counselled hon. gentlemen on his side of the House to " have nothing to do outside with any of those who had left their party." We venture to think, in opposition to that gentleman, that those who are in distress (as Sir George Grey recently asserted) owing to the stoppage of supplies will thank Mr Wood and those who passed over with him for their action in enabling the Government to push on with the business of the country. As Mr Wood himself said : — He saw in that House what were called two parties, bub they were not so. Both sides agreed that the financial affairs of the country were in a sad condition, and y«t through personal feeling a deadlock was the result ; and if he could unlock that, he did not care for their noi->e and abuse, as he would have done some good to the country. He was not a model party man, who never thought of thinking for himself. It seemed to be a principle that they were not to act for themselves, but he would ask them to do 90, and let them give the other side 14 or 15 votes, so the business of the country might be carried on. He was not one of those to be driven into a lobby, and he had two things he cared for— his constituents and his conscience. However strong the ties of party may be, there are times when it is necessary for a member of Parliament to cut those ties and think for himself. Such an occasion was that of the recent deadlock, and the " Auckland Four " (as Mr Speight called them) showed themselves equal to it.