Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast Newss Teller. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 659, 25 March 1879, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News s Teller. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1879.

-Ministers' have .made a discovery that the financial condition of the colony is at present m extremis, and "that it- will be necessary to call Par- '"' liament together before the financial year, which is m June. This means, " of. course, that there must be more taxes levied, and rather heavy ones i; too/- it is to be feared. There has been a falling off m the estimated revenue about £700,000, and how this shall ' Tbe/ made good, will be for Parliament to decide. It is no use now to talk of retrenchment. Every department of the ptrblic service has become so demoralised by the example of extravagance set by Ministers, and the members of the Civil Service have become* so powerful an element m the aisupport they, can give or withhold, that the mention of retrenchment will not be allowed to be entertained for an instant. It will be remembered that Mr. Ballance calculated upon .receiving a million and a quarter sterling from the sale of Crown lands, but it is now well ascertained that m this item alone there will be a deficiency of some £300,000. There has been the loss coming, from the abolition of the Beer Tax, and the Joint Stock ; Companies, the profits from which i < were not allowed to be taken. The! 'Land. Tax. Act has proved a failure. The bare cost of assessing and collecting it will probably be m excess of : -£he, revenue derived. The reductions made m tea and sugar, have caused a large loss m the Customs departments, without m the least conferring a benefit on the " working man" and his family, or lessening the cost of the breakfast table. The only class who have gained by the reduction, has been the wholesale dealers. The duties on spirits will be found to have decreased. The total abstaining associations will have been found to have been the cause of part of the falling off; and the people of the

Colony are beginning to take to wine and the use of beer m preference to spirits, much more than m previous years. The purchasing powers of the people have also decreased, owing to the dulness of the tiroes, the scarcity of money, and the falling off of trade generally. The numerous insolvences, assignments, and arrangements with creditors, have been the means of driving hundreds of families to exercise stricter economy. If there is to be more taxation, as it is almost certain there will be, we trust it may be on income and property, so regulated that those who can stand the impost shall be made to bear it to the relief of those classes who cannot. We have it on good authority — it comes from the Government organs — that almost immediately after the meeting of Parliamedt, should there be any symptom of an organised opposition, the Premier will ask for a dissolution and a general election, with a redistribution of the electorates. The idea gains ground tha.t nothing less will satisfy the country. If Sir George Grey cannot be persuaded to retire into private life, and it is to be feared that his obstinacy and his ambition will prevent this, there is no doubt he will find some constituency which will return him, when the progress of the country will continue to be obstructed by his opposition ; for it is not likely Sir George will on any future occasion be permitted to assume the reins of government. Should Parliament meet early m June, which is most likely, the dissolution will follow some time m the succeeding month. For this particular reason, it is to be hoped that those entitled to be placed on the electoral rolls of the Colony will not lose an hour m placing themselves m a position to exercise the franchise.