THE NELSON EXAMINER. Tuesday, August 20, 1867.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 100, 20 August 1867, Page 2

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Tuesday, August 20, 1867.

1 Journals become more necessary as men become more equal and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty ; they maintain utilization. Dk TooquEviiLß, Of Democracy in America, vol. 5, 230, The best reason that can be alleged for the course pursued by Ministers in retaining their seats, notwithstanding their defeat on the important measure for the institution of Local Government, is to he found in the simple fact that there are none to take their places. If it is said that, this is no business of theirs, and that they should have left the decision of such a point with the House, the reply is that Ministers may well be excused for holding office with some tenacity, rather than let it pass into the hands of those who have been most active in opposition. To keep out a Ministry led by Mr. Vogel and Mr. Macandrew, is an object which ought to be important to every one who wishes to save our institutions from deserved contempt. Indeed we feel very certain, that the House never contemplated nor desired such a change. Several votes were given against the Government which would have been recorded in its favour, had the measure been announced as involving a Ministerial crisis. We will do the ultra- Provincialists, except one or two, the justice to Bay, that we do not believe it is their wish to see Mr. Macandrew occupying a Ministerial seat in the House of Representatives. The struggle for local self-government has but commenced. We have already recommended an appeal to the country, and an appeal will certainly sooner or later be inevitable. But, in the meantime, Ministers have important work before them, and we look anxiously to learn how they propose to perform it. We stated at the commencement of the session, that Finance was to be considered the real test of the Ministerial policy, and from the scanty notice it received in the Governor's speech we feared that this great subject was to be dealt with in an unsatisfactory way. But we have looked eagerly for any indication of Ministerial intentions in relation to it, and we are bound to say that the utterances which have fallen from the Government benches are re-assuring. Mr. Stafford has repeatedly expressed himself strongly in favour of direct taxation, and Mr. BichnioDd has declared the same, and in addition, that the Tariff demands a complete revision. In his remarkable and able speech upon the second reading of the Local Government Bill, a speech of which we regret that our summary gives so inadequate an idea, the Commissioner of Customs uses language of no doubtful import. "It is not only impossible," says Mr. Eichmond, " for the country to bear further taxation, or even its present taxation, Bhould the times of trouble which arc gathering round us become protracted, as we fear they will ; but, should it be the will of the House that I and my colleagues should keep their seats, it will be my duty to bring down memoranda which show that, in a merely fiscal point of view, the present Tariff" is impolitic, and requires trenchant amendment — impolitic simply as a means of collecting revenue, as well as from the fact that the taxation is not such as the country ought to bear ; and it is impossible to deny that the Tariff, after the alterations of last year, presses more heavily than before on what we may call the real necessaries of life." "For these rea* sons," he continues, "taxation of another kind must be substituted — a taxation much more direct." That ia speaking to the pur-

pose; that is blowing the trumpet of Keforin with no uncertain sound. We do not pretend to follow Mr. llichmond in the mode in which he connects his financial principles with the Local Government Bill. We conless to feeling a difficulty here, which requires for its solution more consideration than we can now give the subject. But we rejoice in such an enunciation of sound financial doctrine as we have had from the Premier, and the Commissioner of Customs. We do not expect a perfect reform at once, and we are satisfied with knowing that Government recognizes the necessity of reform, and perceives the direction in which it is needed. The Financial Statement will be made to-morrow, and it will deserve a candid and liberal reception by the House, if it only takes a reasonable step towards the realization of those principles for which we have so earnestly contended, and to which Ministers have now declared their unqualified adhesion.

"We are not able, to-day, to bring our Parliamentary Summary further down than the conclusion of the debate upon the Local Government Bill. Some important discussions have since taken place, of which we hope to give an account in our next. At present, we can do no more than merely mention them. Debates on Native Representation have taken place in both Houses, and in the Lower one, Mr. M'Lean's bill was read a second time. The " Gold-fields Act Amendment Act " led to a division, the Otago party making a determined resistance to the clause introduced for the protection of the judicial officers on the gold-fields, by making their salaries independent of the Provincial Governments. Dreadful things were threatened if this clause were not left out, but on this occasion the Government triumphed by a majority of 37 votes to 20. The Municipal Corporations Bill was read a second time. A Divorce Bill was introduced in the Legislative Council. JVlr. Travers introduced a motion, that the General Government should reserve the control of those functions which it had entrusted to the provinces. A long debate ensued, and the motion was ultimately withdrawn. "We hope, as we have said, to notice these matters in the continuation of our summary, in the next issue.