THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. TUESDAY, 3rd JULY, 1900 PROGRESS OF PARLIAMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 14685, 3 July 1900, Page 2

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. TUESDAY, 3rd JULY, 1900 PROGRESS OF PARLIAMENT.

The proceedings in Parliament during the first week of the session were of exceptional interest. First there was the authoritative announcement by Captain Russell that the members not in accord or sympathy with the Government would not, for the present, form an organised Opposition, believing that under existing conditions they could best serve the interests ot the country by acting individually and subjecting the conduct and policy of Ministers to close and jealous scrutiny, without any pretence of aiming at displacing them on the Treasury benches. This unusual course may, for certain reasons | which are obvious, be judicious, and will beyond doubt be embarrassing to the Leader of the House, but it will not be _ without its inconveniences, and possibly danger to decorum and rapidity in the transaction of business. The party, which numbers about twenty, among them men bitter in debate and holding strong convictions, must needs be an irregular force, under no control, each doing what is right in his own eyes, and without the sense of responsibility which puts a salutary check upon factious obstruction and extravagance in conduct and language. They will be free from the considerations which tend to keep a Constitutional Parliamentary Opposition within bounds, not being amenable, as a party, to public criticism and the free comments of the Press, and not being constrained to take into account the future possibilities of a turn of the wheel placing them in power. Captain Russell, we can quite believe, was in earnest when he declared that the Government could rely on his individual assistance in the careful consideration of their measures ; but, without the aid of party discipline, he cannot answer for his political friends, some of whom are quite certain to give a great deal of trouble, and not improbably bring about scenes of disorder not creditable to the House. The position of Ministers is very much that of having, in the way of a following, what the French term an embarrass da richesse — Anglice : "too much of a good thing." There are premonetary symptoms already of disintegration, and certainly a want of discipline, in the crowded ranks of the Ministerialists. For instance we find Mr Fisher taking upon himself to move a resolution in favour of the removal or reduction of duties on tea, sugar, coffee, rice, currants, raisins, dried fruit, kerosene and other similar articles in general consumption. This is a decided interference with the function of the Government, in whom absolutely vests the power of proposing any alterations in fiscal arrangements. An Opposition may disapprove of the existing tariff and test the opinion of the House thereupon, prepared of course to accept the responsibility of office should Ministers be defeated. It is quite out of place for a Ministerial supporter to submit a scheme, as Mr Fisher has done, for reforms which, if carried out, would materially affect the revenue. The Trepsurcr possibly will meet the case by the " previous question," which would prevent consideration of issues raised. A " free breakfast table " has always been the favourite card of a certain school of economists and the cry is apt to be a popular one,

although, when the matter is analysed, the benefit to the community is at least problematical. Take the principle, tea, for instance, an article of large and universal consumption which, with a moderate duty — say sixpence per lb; as before the tariff of 1895 — yields a large revenue with no api preciable burden on the individual. j The duty in that year was reduced to fourpence, with the result that the consumer has profited little or nothing, whilst the sacrifice of revenue has had" to be made up from other sources out of the pockets of the taxpayers. There are a large number of persons who contribute little to direct or indirect taxation, do not pay income tax, do not consume alcoholic liquors, and do not smoke ; the duty on tea and similar articles is about the only one that hits these people directly, and there is no reason why they should escape scot free. There is, moreover, no taxation that, in consequen-e of the extended field of distribution, touches individuals so lightly. In 1899 the average consumption of tea, per head of the population, was a little over 6 lb. Of coffee, chicory, and cocoa combined the consumption was not two-thirds of Ilb per head. Mr Fisher proposes that the deficiency in revenue should be made up by additional duties placed upon imported pianos, music, silver ware, furniture, carriages, laces, feathers, furs, silks, satins, velvets, jewellery, billiard tables, fireworks, pictures, etc ; articles at present highly taxed, and which would not bear additional duties without the imports being very materially affected. A feature of the session has been the practical abandonment of that old institution, the debate on the Address-in-Reply. The declaration of Captain Russell that there was no organised Opposition, and the decision of the members opposed to the Government that they would take no part in the discussion, but let the motion go by default, took the heart out of the business, and after an airing of their eloquence by several nonentities of the Government rank and file the Address-in-Reply was adopted on the voices. In the Legislative Council, curiously enough, the debate on the Address was unusually prolonged and somewhat lively. The Hon. Mr Scotland, a gentleman considerably behind the times, created some commotion by denouncing the war in South Africa as unjust and cruel, and our young men serving in the New Zealand contingents as anything but soldiers. He would appear, however, to be a privileged'person, and his remarks' appear to have elicited no comment. On Thursday the Premier announced the absolute resignation by Mr John McKenzie of his Ministerial offices, and this we may say closes an era in the Parliamentary history of New Zealand, in which the record of the honourable gentleman is not without distinction. His retirement from the Ministry, as was expected, has been immediately followed by the resignation of his seat in the House. We may say with truth that nothing in his political life became him so well or has done him so much honour as his manner of leaving it. The letter in which he declared that he could not reconsider his determination to resign duties which he felt himself unable to efficiently perform was admirable in spirit and expression, and was listened to with regretful sympathy by a crowded House, Captain Russell being first to rise in his place and do justice to the many sterling qualities of his old opponent. The retirement of the Minister of Lands is a severe blow to the Ministry, and the loss is accentuated by the difficulty of finding a successor to at all competently fill the important offices which are vacated. Mr Duncan, of Oaniaru, who is just now the favourite in the running, would hardly be acceptable to the country, and Mr C. Mills, the senior Government whip, who, in turf parlance, is second favourite, would be in many respects still more strongly objected to, but most distinctly he has party claims to a portfolio.