MINISTERIAL POLICY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 1763, 25 June 1877, Page 7

MINISTERIAL POLICY.

[Prom the Timabu Hebaid, Juno 12.] Parliament is to meet on the 19th July, scarcely six weeks from the present time; yet the great majority of, the public are, we have no doubt, completely ignorant of the business which is likely to be brought most prominently iorward. We do not remember any similar occasion on which coming events had cast such faint shadows before them. Neither the Ministry nor the Opposition hare made any definite declaration ot their intended line of action. The Premier, it is true, m the course of his speech at New Plymouth, gave some indistinct indications ol a policy ; hut those parts of bis address which seemed at the time to be the most tangible, have since been largely explained away; while the remainder was couched m too general terms to signify anything m particular. On the other hand, there have appeared from time to time statements to the effect that the Opposition were agreed on ihe course to be adopted, and that they were resolved to fight the Separation battle over again. We are not aware, however, that any of these announcements have come from a trustworthy source, and our opinion strongly is, that no understanding whatever exists at this moment among the yarious sections of the House who last year formed an Opposition. We have been assured very positively by those who profess to be well informed, that the Ministry will, on the meeting*of Parliament, be prepared with a definite and well considered policy ; and that the recess has been prolonged ipr the express purpose of enabling them to be so. We sincerely trust that this wiil be the case, and that we shall not see a repetition ot the policy of " waiting to tee how the cat jump 9," — a policy which has already been essayed too often. Indeed, we think that, if the Ministry have been observing the signs of the times with ordinary vigilance, they must recognise that the Representatives of the people will no longer tolerate anything like shuffling or drifting. The Abolition of the Provinces and the partial establishment of the distasteful County system, have been received by all parties with great moderation. The Government have met with no violence or undue obstruction m carrying out their measures; nor do any of those special reasons now remain which last year they pleaded for postponing all reforms. The country, therefore, demands that they shall now state explicitly on what bases they propose to carry on the administration. There is no denying that the affairs of the colony are just now m great confusion, or that a very general feeling of uneasiness and discontent prevails. It is for thu. Ministry to show that they are capable of reducing this confusion to order, and of removing the causes of this uneasiness and discontent. If they do this, they will deserve, and will,, we are sure, obtain the support of every unprejudiced Member of the House.* It they cfo not do it, we believetthat their tenure of office will be but short — that they will be forced to retire from the" Treasury

Bench, m the unhappy position of men who have neglected a grand oppor-. tunity. It must be remembered that the present Ministry are inherently weak. .They represent no. political principle, and they head no political party. No enthusiasm of any kind follows them. They have no traditions for their supporters to look back to, nor any declared objects to inspire them with hope. So long as they were a Public Works and Immigration Ministry, they had many powerful and earnest adherents. So long as they were a mere " scatter-cash " Ministry, they had a following which, made up by numbers what it lacked m character. So long as they were an Abolition Ministry they commanded a majority m the Legislature and throughout the country. But what are they now.? The Public Works and Immigration Scheme is well nigh carried out, and is admitted to be to a great extent a failure. Some of those who most opposed it have since joined the Ministry. The scatter-cash policy has collapsed altogether, for want of funds, simply; and its principles are universally decried ; yet some of its warmest advocates still remain m the Ministry. The Abolition policy is carried fully into effect j and one of its bitterest opponents, Mr Donald Eeid, has joined the Ministry. What sort of Ministry is it, then ? It is a tag-rag-and-bobtail Ministry-^not composed of bad men personally, b.ut belonging to no recognised set of political principles whatever. It depends entirely upon the programme for the future, which this Ministry may produce, whether they remain m office a week after. Parliament meets. For our part,, we respect several members of the Ministry very highly j but we consider that they are so miscellaneously congregated, and so totally wanting m the representative quality, that it would be a good thing if a clean sweep were made of them altogether.