Poverty Bay Herald

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5211, 2 July 1888, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald

PUBLISHED EVERY EVEN IX G

GISEORNE, MONDAY, JULY 2, IS3B.

THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

Although the chances are in favor of the Government surviving tho session, the position of Ministers at th« present time is far fr<>m being p easant. They are at the mercy of two sets of enemies. The saving feature i 3 that the two set 3of opponents are fiercely opposed to each other. If union wero practicable, the days of the Government would be numbered. In this colony tho out-voting a Government does not ensure victory. Of late years the House has been composed of several discordant and selfish elements. Members are not here divide I into great parties, as is tho case in England. 'J he Opposition would be split into sections the mo.nont the work of Cabinet making commenced. In fact that body is so disorganised that it cannot au'ree upon tho selection of a leader. Mr Seddon at present poses in that position, but he is self-elected, and his claims are scouted by the ,nost respectable section of the party. Mr Ballanco ia altogether out of the running. The blunders he made in tho administration of Crown lands and Native affairs have marked him as specially unfit for any responsible position in the Government of the colony. Mr Downio S:owart's name was mentioned before tho ression as the coming leader of the Opposition, but thn fact ia that ha ia not personally qualified. He is simply a lawyer of moderate ability, and tli3re is nothing of the statesman about him. If Sir R. Stout wore in the House he would probably stand by the present Ministry. Sir Julius Yogel must, he greatly missed by the party at this jnncfuro, although, owing to the profound distrust in which he is held, thero would not bo the slightest prospect f'f a Btable Government being formed under his leadership, and he would take no position exwpt that of the real head. The present Ministry are fairly strong owing t<> tho disunion of th^ir opponents. As fir aa the Premier personally is concerned lie could make good terms for himself. That large section of the Opposition composed of the Canterhdry members would bo quite willing to follow Sir Harry Atkinson if he threw two or tliree of 1m colleagues over. The Premier has emphatically declared that ho will not do anything of the* kind. He will not bargain with iho Opposition on the Musis of disloyalty to his colleagues. Neither Mr Fergus nor Mr Fisher will be dropped. The gentleman selected by tho Canterbury members for office is t lie Hon. E. Richardson, who hal previously hold ♦he portfolio of Public Work;;. During the i mo he was in office, he laboured unrk?r the impression that Mr Fergus was hui'.giring afti'f liia place, and as he did not scruple to cay so openly, there was much enmity between the two. To make room for Mr Richardson, it would be necessary to oust Mr Fergus. That would be "part of the price demanded by the Canterbury members for supporting a reconstructed Ministry under Sir Harry Atkinson. New, should the Government be defeated during the present session, there would bo nothing to prevent the Premier yielding to the demands of the Canterbury representatives. The Government is not composed of men who have been allied together for years. It is a scratcT team, and the dissolution of the Ministry would leave earh member free to act for himself. Tho Free Traders are powerless t<> form a lasting Government, and if they join in voting the present Ministry out of oflice, thero would be a

great prospect of the Colony* being ruled by the Protectionist party. The Premier has never disguised his opinions on this question, though in deference to tho large amount of general aapport he has received from the Yv>>e Traders he has lvt-pt a tight rein on his Protectionist proclivities. It may be s;iid that tho Tariff proposals are directly opposed to this view, but Sir Harry Atkinson lias declared that ti<o principal object in tho increaao of tho Cuatoma Diriea was to obtain additional revenue Protection is tho secondary efFoct. In the present state of pa;tie9, tho Government likely to succeed the one now in oflice would most probably tako up a more pronounced attitude on the question. Ocr correspondedt at Wellington telegraphs that the Free Traders are showing aigna of supporting the Ministry in tho present crisis. That would bo the wisest cour3O to adopt, if they do not doaiie to see the colony given over to the rule of the extreme Protectionist party.

An account of tho Hanlan-Tricket sculling race is on page four. Tho walkiug match, Hooper v. Penfold, takes place on Saturday next. Two slight shocks of earthquakes were felt yesterday, one at about 4 30 a.m., aud the other at 2 p.m. The Lidy Superintendent of the Hospital desires to thank Capt. Tucker for a case of oranges for the patients. Tbe Theatre Royal Rink was well patronised on Saturday and this afternoon. It will be opened again this evening. Mr Fulton raised a laugh in the House the other day by suggesting th.it a duty should be placed upon staymakers' materials, in order to discourage the use of those articles of female attire. Needless to Hay that the proposal was not passed. The native football team paassed by Giabornc in the Te Anau yesterday morning, spending an hour ashore The team phy Auckland on Saturday next, Wellington on Saturday, the 14th, Cliristchurch on the 2lßt, and Dunedin on the 28th. At the Police Court this morning, before Mr E. K Brown, J.P., a Grst offender on a charge of drunkenness was fined 5s or 24 hours. John Burke on his second offence was fined 103 or 48 hours. Both gentlemen being minus cheque books they were under the necessity of going to gaol. At the Columbian Skating Rink on Saturday evening there was a large attendance. On the rink there were a large number of sood skaters and skating was moat enjoyable. In the " nursery" at the back a number of learners were practising. Tilting in the ring Forma the attraction every evening this week. The New Zealand Shipping Company have sold two of their sailing ships iv London, viz, t'ne Waikato and Wanganui. The former is 1021 tons register, aud was built in Sunderland in 1574, and the Htter was built in Glasgow in 1577, and is 1077 tons register. The purchase price iv each ease was £6 10s per ton, and the purchaser of the Wanganui was Captain John Leslie, late owner of the May Queen. The Gisborne Lawn Tennis Club have postponed the date of their dance to the 14th AUiiust aud have decided to make it a Calico aiid Tennis Costume Ball. They have secured the new rinlt now being being built by Mr Townley for the dance and have arranged for a band to discourse sweet music. Altogether the affiir will, we predict, be a great success. According to the London Standard, the principal New Zealand contributors to the Imperial Institute are — Sir Wm. Jervois £1000, Mr J. Lean (nf Morven Hilh) £1000, Mr A. M'l.-ean £1000, Hon. R. Campbell £100, Hoo G. M. Waterhouse £100, Hon. W.W. Johnston £50, Hon. M, Holmes £50, Mr W. 11. Lewia XSO, Hon. R. Oliver £20. Besides these, there <tre a large number of other donations, ranging from 1 to 10 guineas. As proof positive of the value of the new tariff the N.Z. Herald remarks :— " The representative of a Urge manufacturing firm, with establishments in England and Scotland, informs a contemporary that under the new ta iff they will have to establish a factory in New Zealand to make their goods required in the celony, instead of making them at Home and importing as hitherto. This will mean the investment by them in New Zealand of a very heavy oapv^al, and also the employment of hundreds of hands. Mr F. H. Cook, of Messrs Cook aud Son, the well known tnirist agents, ia on his way from India to New Z^alaud, and there is every probability of their tourist system being inaugurated in this colony by the commencement of next season, when it ia expected that many visitors to the Melbourne Exhibition will avail themselves of the opportunity of seeinu' the natural wonders and beautiful scenery of New Zsalaud. The rao3 against time skated in Auckland a few diV3 ago by Mr L. Dixon, manager of the Columbia Rink, who enfinned hia title aa champion riukist of the colony by compassing a mile in 4rnin IS see, thua breaking the New Zealand record, is the last exhibition of fast skating which he intends »ogive, The sinews of his right leg were very badly straiaed by his last off irt, and he has resolved to ta^e the advice of a medical man and give up fast skating entirely. In the Theatre Royal oa Saturday evening R. Matthews undertook to knock W. Long, ' i local professor of pugilism, out of time in five rounds. In the first three rounds Matthews played with his man, occasionally getting a good blow in and knocking him about. In the fourth round Matthews began vo settlo down to finish Long in the two remaining rounds, but the latter haviug once been knocked down wou^d fight no further. Matthews tried to induce him to continue by bufusting him, but Long would not retaliate. Matthews stated he had tried to give the auilieuce a fight for their money, but L'):ig would not fi^ht. The crowd in dispersing cheered Matthews and hooted Long. The Minerva Quadrille Assembly meets j next Wednesday. Dancing at 8 p.m. sharp. — E. M., Hon. Sec — Advt. 11 Petrolea" !— Rehearsal tomorrow ntaht, July 3rd, usual place. Principals specially requested to attend. — Adv. Wanted kuown — Suits made to measure from the best Irish tweeds, personally selected by Mr D. F. Crawford at the manufactories £4 5a ; perfect fit guaranteed. — W. Jaggs, Tailor, Gladstone road. (Adv The firing by the E.C Ku«sarn for the Wauakaia Cup will take pi ice at the Kaiti range as follows — July 10'Ji and 27th, Aug. 7th and 24th ptox, betwaon the hours of 12 nnon and 3p. m. By order, G. J. Winter, Captain F.C Hussars, per Sergt. Thelwall. 2ad July, ISSS.— Adv.