AUCKLAND, THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 1868.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1520, 8 October 1868, Page 4

AUCKLAND, THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 1868.

As wo had fully expected to learn, the course pursued by Mr. Pox and the Opposition in their attempt to refuse supplies to the Government, was not taken without some show of reason. That it was a desperate resort, as likely to prove unsuccessful, niust of course he admitted, but to sav that it was factious, unconstitutional, and discreditable, as has been asserted, is simply absurd. It was an extreme measure, but the circumstance under which it was resorted to was an extreme one likewise, and it has at least the merit of success. It has drawn from the Government a promise to brine down a financial policy despite, the air of virtuous indignation with which Mr. Stafford, at the time, to save the appearance of being forced into a compromise, refused to come to any arrangement with Mr. Tox and his party.

The state of the case was a very simple one. The House was beii:g called upon to vote the Estimates without any knowledge whatever of the plan under

which, it was intended to. distribute the nionejr •as ... between the General and Provincial Governments.' It waß scarcely likely that the Opposition had such confidence in the present Ministry as to vote the money,' and leave the distribution of it to the good feeling, and sense of the Ministry. Had the Opposition done this, and had Mr. Stafford used his opportunity, as no doubt he would have done, Mr. Fox and his party would, have deserved the severest censure. Nor, as we now learn, was the opposition to the particular vote by any means a factious one. It was a vote to place a certain., sum upon, the estimates for postal services, and yet the Government had kept back from the House a most important document moved for weeks since' by Mr. John Williamson, then-possession of which document by the House would materially affect the vote'for the supply of money'for postal services in New Zealand. We allude to the communication received by the New Zealand Government from the Government of New South "Wales, relative to the alteration of the port of call for the Panama boats, the existence of which correspondence was for the first time made known to the people of this colony through the columns of this journal. View it as we will, whatever of discredit to the Parliament of New Zealand may have arisen from the proceedings which took place on the refusal ofjfche Opposition to vote this item of supply, is due to the dictatorial unconstitutional proceedings of the Ministry, and especially the Premier, who is the Ministry. The attempt of Sir. Stafford to cling to office in opposition to the almost unanimous voice of the people of the colony-—whether expressed through the columns of the press, by large and influential meetings, such as those held ! in more than one province, or by the ex- • pressed request of the constituents of certain Government supporters to -vote against the Government, as has occurred in the ease of several of the "misrepresented'-' Otago constituencies—the tenacity : of political existence is, we say, discreditable in the extreme. As one of our correspondents points out, the cry in the ranks of the I Ministerial party is, " Do no good to the " country," for if you do we shall all lose our seats. Here is a candid admission at once that the seats are held under false pretences, that is, if, as we presume to'be the case, the member is supposed to represent his constituency, and not himself. It is constantly being thrown in the teeth of Mr. Pox and his party by the Ministerialists that they are anxious only to seize tho reins of power. ' Mr. Pox and his party can at least say that they have shown themselves willing to act in accordance; with the will of. the people, for they do not, as the Ministry does, seek to hold the reins of power whether the country would have them do so or not. They at least are willing to leave the settlement of that question to the constituencies. Not so Mr. Stafford. His lust of power will not allow the expression of the general body of the electors to be heard, lest it be unfavorable to himself; for there can be no doubt but that the Government will cling to office, notwithstanding the desire of the Opposition and of the colonists that the country should be appealed to on the great changes proposed. 1 Perhaps, tho colony owes much of its unhappy position in being saddled "with this " old man of the sea" Ministry, to the often alluded to ambition of Mr. Stafford to; receive the honour of: knighthood. ■ It has long been his ambition to receive this tinsel title, and. to the-intelli-gence that such titles will be conferred on the Premiers of Yictoria and Tasmania, and that in the proposed visit of the Prince there is a chance for the Premier of New Zealand, is much to be attributed, no doubt, the persistent determination to cling to office which is the chief feature of the ; policy'of the present Government. The Stafford Government mil never go out so long as there is the least chance of its having to receive the Prince. Last year it submitted to every species of rebuff rather than go out, and now it will, we believe, be again the same. The Ministry will abandon important measures—even its pet financial, schemes—l rather than lose office.

No doubt they Lope that on the frontier matters in aj r improve and that some fortunate victory of the. colonial forces may win back the confidence of some whom the mismanagement of native affairs has driven into the ranks of the opposition, but such is scarcely likely to occur, at least in time to serve them in the present session. Our position in the Patea is becoming every day more and more desperate. From advices received by the "Wellington, we learn that the whole of the'settled country north-west of Patea is abandoned by our troops, and that the settlers' houses and flocks mid Other property have been simultaneously destroyed by the Hauhaus. It i< i ven thought that the line of the Patea wi i not be maintained. The accounts are nor ciear that it has not been already evacuated. a it is the natives can now come down on the right flank of the troops and operate in a wooded and broken country only two miles removed from the sea. Previously we had about seven miles of open space about us.

Then, too, we learn that the late MaimVoil Tempsky's men are in a state of raorr than half mutiny, asking to be allowed to return to their families in the Waikato. Other corps, too, are said to be equally disorganised. Thefattempts, too, to enlist men in Wellington have been a failure. The utmost efforts the Government could use, even increasing the pay from four shillings to five shillings per day, have resulted only in the enlistment of sixteen men for the Armed Constabulary. All this does not look as if the prestige of the colonial forces was to be restored, and the reverses of the war were to be changed'to victories under the rule of the present Ministry. Neither European colonist nor aboriginal native ha 3 the slightest confidence iu the G-overnment.

RETENTION OF THE 18th REGIMENT. The following is the resolution brought forward by Mr. '-'tafford, and assented to hy the House. His Excellency, it is understood, will, under such circumstances, retain the 18th Kcgiment in the colony until adviccs in a-s wev to present colonial despatches can be received from the Imperial Government. Thus ends flie policy of " self-reliance" inaugurated by Mr Weld and his southern following. v 'r. J. "Williamson had given notice for a similar resolution, ai d it was on finding that a privatemember was determined to introduce a resolution of this nature, which beirifcQcarri^r]. that forced Mr. Stafford into making the matter Government business. To have left so important a matter to be brought.about by a private

member, would have placed himself and his Government 'in, 'Tpositiott than to have sustained a'positive "defeat' ou a direct motion of want of. confidence: "Thai the removal of the 18 th "iiegiment, in the present condition of the northern settlements, would tend to increase the excitement and con* fidence of the rebellious Maoris, and to dis-. courage"" those friendly to Her Majesty's Grfri vernment. That the colony has for many years' past constantly fulfilled, and is -virtually fulfil; ling the condition on which the retention of,-an. Imperial regiment in New Zealand was sanctioned in. the despatch of Lord Carnarvon, of the Ist December, 1866. That this House, therefore, respectfully prays his Excellency the (governor to take steps for delaying;" the departure of the 18th Eegiment until the subject shall be referred to the Imperial Government."