THE New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, MAY 25, 1885.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 7485, 25 May 1885, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, MAY 25, 1885.

The tone of Major Atkinson’s Hawera speech was very moderate, and he appears to have grasped the present situation of parties pretty accurately. Last session it was the complaint of many of his followers that, after the Stout-Voqel Combination had got into office, he did not offer such opposition to the new arrangement as he might have done, and that, more than once, he gave the Ministry valuable assistance. Some of those who formulated that charge against the late Premier may feel inclined to revert to it in connection with the Hawera speech. It cannot be called an attack on the Ministry, but rather a calm, judicial review of the situation, and of the Ministerial programme as far as it has been made known. It is evident that Major Atkinson does not believe that the hour has come for a successful attempt to turn the Combination out of office, and meanwhile he is not prepared to offer any factious opposition. That was the position he took up last session after it had been demonstrated that the Ministry had for the time being a working majority. The old Montgomery Opposition used to boast that it pursued a similar course, but the self-laudation was undeserved. Two sessions of the last Parliament were disfigured by an immense amount of senseless obstruction, and the triumph of the Opposition in the third session was not due to any liking which the deserters from the Ministerial ranks had for the new company in which they found themselves. The General Election returned as many sections to Parliament as were there before, butthe success of the present Combination practically gave the country what had for a long while been wanting, namely, an Opposition which understood its duty. The fact has lately been admitted by Sir Julius Voqkl, and the principal trouble he has had since he took office has been with professed supporters of the Government. Difficulties of that kind must of course be expected when the Ministerial phalanx is composed of such discordant materials. At Hawera Majoe Atkinson said in effect that he was biding his time. Ho had no faith in the Government finance, and “ when he saw that the people of the country were satisfied that two and two could not bo turned into five, he should do his best to turn the Ministry out of office.” The first part of the speech was devoted to the question of Federation. Major Atkinson thinks that, as New South Wales and New Zealand had strong objections to the Federal Council Bill as originally drafted, it is better to accept the amendment which allows a Colony to withdraw, rather than lose the measure altogether. He does not believe that the adoption of the clause will be of much practical importance, as no Colony will, by going out of the Federation, put itself in the position of having no voice in controlling external policy in the Southern Seas. But on that we would remark that the knowledge that a discontented Colony may at any time withdraw, will be likely to operate as a powerful inducement to the Council not to trespass on the internal affairs of the several units of the Federation, an interference which Major Atkinson acknowledges to be possible. The Council as a whole will desire to prolong its existence, and the surest method of securing that object will be the adoption of a mutual policy of conciliation amongst the members. Major Atkinson sets his face strongly against the proposal that no Act of the Federal Council shall be binding on any Colony until after acceptance by the Legislature of such Colony. He says that the limitation would render federation meaningless, and that if it cannot be had without, the idea had better be discarded at once. We are not at all sure that he is not right, but at the same time there is little or no hope that the Legislature of New Zealand will consent to surrender the right of accepting or rejecting according to the will.of the majority.- Passing on to the subject of defence, his remarks on the recent action of the Ministry were characterised by a spirit of fairness and liberality. He acknowledged the difficulty which had had to be faced, and was prepared to judge the. Government by the standard he would have adopted for bis own conduct under like circumstances. He of course will await a disclosure of all the reasons the Ministry have to put forward for having incurred the unauthorised defence expenditure; but he pointed out that it was owing to the action of his own Government in obtaining the service of Major Cautlet that the present holders of office had been enabled to carry out the, work of protecting the harbours. It is clear that Major Atkinson does not intend to give the Ministry any trouble about the unauthorised expenditure unless an order has been sent Home for a, cruiser. We heartily endorse a great part of what he says on the subject of Local Government. The people are far too much given to running to the central authority for anything in the shape of roads and bridges. There is a lamentable want of independence and selfhelpfulness. We cannot stay to review his remarks at length, but he is opposed to the Government scheme as far as it is known. With regard to Public Works ho contended that the promises of greater activity had not been fulfilled, but he did not blame the Ministry except for having held out hopes which had no chance of realisation. His disapproval of the choice of the central route for the North Island railway is nothing new, and the same may be said of his intention to move for a branch to connect Taranaki with the central railway, and thus to open communication with Auckland. It is a work which may be assented to at some remote period in the future, but certainly not before other lines of far more importance have been constructed. His criticism of the Government schemes relating to the East and West Coast Railway in the Middle Island, and to the Harbour Works at Westport and Greymouth, was fair, but he evidently wished it to be understood that, had he remained in power, he would have turned his attention to those great undertakings, and he said that, in deference to the wishes of the member for the district, he had prepared a Westport Harbour Bill. That statement must of course be accepted .as strictly accurate; but it cannot be denied that the apparent apathy with which the Axsusoir Government re-

garded the East and West Coast Railway and the Works at Westport and Greymouth, created a very bad impression both in Canterbury and on the other side of the Island, and’ lost the Ministry a large amount of support. When Sir Frederick Whitakeb was in power he did all he could to keep the railway in the background, without positively refusing to recognise it as a work to be Carried out. At Westport nothing Was done; and the works at GreyiSouth were stopped, notwithstanding the fact that further harbour improvement was Urgently demanded for the expansion of the coal trade. It cannot be denied that in all those cases tbe present Ministry has acted energetically and in such a way as to hold out fair pro* miae of the attainment of the objects in view—objects which certainly are of colonial importance. Major Atkinson admits the latter proposition, but when he was in power the people asked in vain for a scheme under which the works could be carried out. We shall review some other portions of the speech in another issue.