The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 874, 27 August 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1879.

' Liberal associations have been formed at all the principal centres of the Colony with almost marvellous rapidity. We really wonder one has not been established in Gisborne. There is nothing easier, for there will be found scores of persons ready to join in membership without really knowing what it may mean. Even intelligent men of the most advanced opinions hold different views as to what constitutes a Liberal Association. Take Christchurch for instance. Members are required to blind themselves to support the policy of the present Government, and the As?ociation appears to be perfectly satisfied with the verbal policy ;no actions are required to fulfil promises ; everything is to be taken on trust, except of Parliament who voted against the Government. At Wellington the Association that has been formed there is to be guided by some well defined principles, which are as follows : — lst. Shorter duration of • Parliament. 2nd. Extension of franchise, so as to pLxce the electoral power uppn ihe broadest basis. 3rd. Redistribution of electorates, with the view to making] representation as nearly as possible proportionate to population. 4th. Rearrangement of taxation upon a fair and equitable principle. sth. Laws for the fcale and management of Crown lands and lands held by natives such as will promote settlement and prevent monopoly. 6th. The vigorous prosecution of public works." For the last eighteen months the Opposition members have been contending for the ndnption of the foregoing principles. The Government, on the contrary, have bpen merely holding them out as the proper sort of thing " in the sweet by and bye." It is the old story overngnin — Sir George Grey depicting the beauty of a Constitution, but holding it back when it was within his power to grant it. Some people, however, cannot seo the difference between a positive present benefit, and a possible future blessing. For. ourselves, we prefer the bird in hand to any two there may be in the bush. Liberal opinions so permeate through the Colon)', and so infect men's minds, that none but a Liberal candidate can hope to be returned to Parliament. So then the whole of the Assembly being of one mind, it would appear to be of little consequence who may fill the Ministerial Benches. In this case it should be measures and not men. No representative will dare to vote against any one of the six points in our public charter, and as fur as unanimity of feeling goes the whole of these points might 'be compressed into Bills, and pass through all their stages in less than a week. But if we mistake not there will be most conflicting opinions, and many

long and warm debates, as to what are, and are not, Liberal measures. What, for instance, is meant by "are-arrange-ment of taxation upon a fair and equitable basis?" Some will take this to mean the abolishing the Custom Houses of the Colony and substituting an income, land, or property tax, which would mean Free Trade in the broadest sense of the term. Others will be for largely increasing the tariff which in itsturn means Protection. How about laws for the sale and management of Crown lands and land held by the Natives, such as will promote settlement and prevent monopoly 1 ?" Why, six men, though well versed in Statecraft, will he found each holding his own opinion, one opinion being as opposite to all the others as the poles asunder. The fact is, men have allowed themselves to talk [so] glibly about Liberal policies, and Liberal Associations, but when they come to be close questioned upon any one of the proposed Liberal measures, it is invariably found that they have never troubled themselves to think out a question' for themßelveß. When candidates for Parliament speak so strongly for " Liberal measures," it will be very desirable that a clear explanation should be given on each point, that the electors will know exactly what is meant. At present, scarcely a candidate in any of the electorates has attempted the thing.