MR. WARD'S MISSION TO ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9721, 17 January 1895, Page 5

MR. WARD'S MISSION TO ENGLAND.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN!

SPECULATIONS IN WELLINGTON.

COMMENTS OF THE PRESS. FBI TELKGRAfU—OWN CORRKSFONXUCNT.] Wellington, Wednesday. Nothing is talked of here bub the authoritative announcement of the Treasurer's mission to Eagtand, for he is going on " public " nob on " private " business. Naturally enough, people ask why there

should be any mystery. This question »8 answered by the morning journal as follows :—" Mr, Ward, as we anticipated sonio days ago, is to proceed to England on

public business. What the business is we are nob informed, bub the Cabinet, we observe, has decided unanimously that, whatever the business is, Mr. Ward shall attend to it. Now, ib is perfectly obvious thab on large questions of public interest, requiring delicate negotiation, there must often be a proper reticence. When a private negotiator goes on a trip to a place distant or close, he carries his heart with him, bub he does nob wear ib on his sleeve for daws to peck at. The same rule applies to public business. That Mr. Ward's mission will resulb in great advantage to the colony we have no doubb. Mo man can command success^ bub if success is obtainable, ib will be obtained by Mr. Ward." But, quotes the interrogator, what is the Agent-General (Sir Westby Perceval) for ? What is there that he does not know and could not do in tho present circumstances of the colony ? As a matter of course, every conceivable reason is started to account for the event. One person says it is a " fishing" movement to discover the. financial possibilities of the London money market; another says that the aecision of the Cabinet unanimously in the present circumstances denotes a needless haste, because nothing was heard of ib until Ministers returned from their homes to the seat of Government after the Christ-

mas holidays. _ . . The Post says the public opinion of the colony must be seriously disturbed, and does not believo that this mission if necessary. It concludes one of its usually vehement utterances as follows : —"If there is any grave financial danger threatening the colony, and only to be averted by Mr. Ward's presence in London, parliament ought to be called together, or the chiefs of the Opposition be taken into the confidence of the Government, as they were in regard to the Bank crisis, and have on former occasions of grave national emergency. We say, unhesitatingly, that the Colonial Treasurer should not be despatched on a public mission to England, without the assent of parliament, or the concurrence of prominent political leaders, unconnected with the Ministry, and whose concurrence would satisfy the public that circumstances justify the oourso adopted. Ib would be idle to speculate on the nature of the public business which it is now alleged thafc Mr. Ward is going to England to transact:. The colony has a perfectly competent Agent-General in London to transact all its ordinary business there. It is difficult to believe that there can beany public business which Mr. Ward, who is quite now to London, could transact there in a few weeks which could not be as well or better attended to by Sir Westby Perceval with his largeexperience of London ways and London men. If the public business which it is now said necessitates Mr. Ward's visit to England was known before Parliament rose, the House has been deceived in not being informed regarding it. If such business has arisen since Parliament rose, it should not be left to Ministers alone to deal with a matter which may seriously affect the colony. The mystery with which it is now attempted to surround Mr. Ward's departure is certainly calculated to disturb the public mind, and intensify the want of confidence in the public finance of the colony which is so generally and severely felt here, and which it seems, from our cable news to-day, is also felt in England, where it has been voiced by the Times."