The Star. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1886.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5454, 30 October 1885, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1886.

Or, job an onion, to produce the semblance of a tear — a tear of sympathy ; for we find ourselveß dry-founted when we endeavour to commiserate with Auckland in her present mental condition. The howling which was begun in Otago some weeks ago, because of the neatly effected reduction by the Canterbury, Weßtland, and Nelson members in the Public Works expenditure, has been taken up in Auckland, where, however, there is a display of impotent rage such as Southern philosophy had never dreamed of. Northern members, in the course of the Russell amendment debate, saw much virtue in stringent economy ; so they voted, many of them, in favour of the sweeping reductions. There is open confession now, albeit the confession is unwittingly made, that their virtue was the virtue of a not too exalted standard of human nature. They were smugly complacent. A cool million had been borrowed on account of the construction of their main trunk line of railway, and there/ore they were the more ready to declare for the application of a principle which would be eminently beneficial when tried on somebody else. It seems that, after all, they were not particularly keen of perception. Their range of vision not extending beyond the tipß of their nobes, they failed to secure the necessary stereoscopic combination o cause and effect. The discovery of their mistake has produced a terrible shock. In the ordinary course of events, an obvious question of finance has arisen: Will the million obtained on account of the North Island Trunk railway, have to be applied, because of the altered condition of things, to general purposes P The question was put to the Government, a few days ago, by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce ; the asking it of course implying a conviction that such diversion might, and probably would become a necessity. In answer the Colonial Treasurer points out that whilst the Ministry will do nothing but what the law requires, not many months can elapse beforo the sum in question must be drawn upon, there being no other funds available, for works which Parliament has directed shall be done. At the same time he reminds the Chamber — and here he addresses the North Island people generally — that those who voted for the reductions in the Public Works Expenditure " must have had the intelligence to know " what the outcome would be. They knew — it was their business to know — that the million iv question was in accordance with the ordinary custom included in the Mhedule of the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Act, that _tor Defence and other authorised works payment must be made, that no new loan was being granted, and that consequently the required amounts must " come out of the only unexpended loan until further provision was made." And Sir Julius pertinently remarks, in the course of his reply to the Auckland Chamber, " Major Atkinson was, I lmew, aware of it, and every member who was not must have refused to consider the subject intelligently." The reply iB a perfectly logical one, but it has not had a soothing effect. The Auckland Herald is in the doldrums, whilst the Auckland Star is ludicrously rampant. Sir Julius Yogel it compares to a political ooDJurer performing before "a gullible public "—the publio, we suppose, whioh is to be found in the districts of tho " infamous Railway party ;" he is a " hucksterer and stock-jobber;" he and his colleagues are committing themselves to "a stupendous mistake," and they will incur the vengeance of "retribution," which Canterbury, Westland, and Nelson will also share. What a wonderfully short step it is from the sublime to the ridiculous j and how deliriously comic is this bombastic fury. We commend to the careful consideration of our Northern friends a certain prediction to be found in "All's Well that Ends Well," " It sbaU come to pass, That every braggart shall be found an ass."