Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1885. MEASURES NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1111, 17 January 1885, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1885. MEASURES NOT MEN."

Soon, after the holidays, we may expect the season' of post-sessional speeches to set in': iiotiorable gentlemen in town and country will address their constituents, . and the, papers will be flooded with columns of talk, good, bad, and indifferent, • mostly the latter. A perusal of tjbe general" run of such speeches, and of the questioning and cross-questioning which follow, must, cause 'anything but satisfaction to the rational mind. 1 Members are blamed [ for failure -to) provide for the material wants of electorates. They are praised for attention to these matters, but we look in vain for any; sense on the part of Jelectors of r what .shall ' constitute the proper bearing of a legislator.' ' Quite a typical form. of oration consists, of a careful and minute examination of the -road grants, bridgesjfaM otbter favors of the like kindwhic&^he member has yon, but is df void^of-Ta single _w6rd to show that, in the^pijuoiijOf the r orator, obtaining such favors/ is not w& whole duty 'of "a . law-maker. ' Possibly " tne speaker .knows that road and bridgegetting is but* par £ of a member's obligation; but out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh. That is placed first which is highest in esteem ; the speaker realises what tale will be heard with the greatest acceptance. He takes the certain course to- bring his audience into sympathy with him. .The circumstance is significant of. the [degradation of politics to successful Hraids on the Treasury. The evil has bsen 1 growing ever since the initiation _ of ' bue^-Etiblic "Worts policy : tlie tooney ,being in hand lent facility to the gratification of members and electors in, perhaps, the least corrupt way, but yet in a way that has done incalculable injury to public life. It is in a bad way, "and it lies in the power 'of the' people to amend it.< No word can be rtruer than that which recognises Parlia r inent as the people's handiwork. What the electors will, that the Legislature: must become. Their votes constitute ' Parliament : their voices, if uttered forth. with no uncertain sound, regulate its policy. A Parliament, solicitous for the expenditure of public' money in every district J is representative of bodies of eleotors who fail to realise what the legislatLveiunction is..,. ;But t it is certainly .representative; anjli*. jperhaps, we may be told that that ;is,ajl ' that can be expected; pf a self-governing ' people, "We should answer; tbat'jt istime 'c for •-& iselftgoverning ' : people vfcoi •awake* toH prb^gf? f nbtiptf of whaitcdn-' r statutes' propSr ! griyernm"ent'. f .pMCenabe^s' for ''^ucces^t'ddrkfts' on' itielexc&^uer, may il^M.fo^sok^' thing! b^ttei^than-khati; some, wfljknpwb ate .sensible} tbougbjtful'and attentive" legislators. But it is easy. f t6'fit3akei support of a Government a condition of receiving favors for a member's district — not, perhaps,- that the distinct covenant is ever formulated. Thus candidates, without any conspicuous

ability, except that of never thinking for themselves at all in a political sense, may, by lavish promises which they can guarantee to fulfil, get the popular ear, to the exclusion of candi- | dates who are good road-and-bridge men and something more. The tendency of preferring and praising members for ability to get roads and bridges has evidently been to increase the mere road-and-bridge members of the House, to 4oweirthe»tonefpf^ai?liament,-"to'render it incapable of taking the broad, national view of alairs 7 wnicn T is to good government. Men who regard. - the rustic cackle of their district as the ' murmur of- the larger life about them are scarcely fitted for coping with measures designed for the good of the whole community. A few such men, in an assembly- of broad-minded legislators, would- themselves become less narrow, but the preference of electors for good, local servants converts the whole Par-

liament into an association of narrowminded men. The localism which is in conflict' outside the House -continues its warfare within. Statesmen can neither be! elected ridr trained under the system. Besides remembering that the office of Parliament is to legislate — to make laws for the regulation of the people's .•a^Tairs r -^electors will also do we'll to, reil.ept ithat' Parliament meets to : work. Members arc praised for atten,tictar to the material wants of electors; Hlimed for the neglect of them'; blamed, for votes on particular measures in.the^ case of provisions which, may have failed to serve some .sectional interests. Constituents also now and then recognise the conduct of members who have spoken wisely, have forborne to waste time, have contributed to progress of work, have, by example, reproved the babblers. We wait to see an effective outburst of electoral indignation such as, may serve to restrain the obstructives who, by force of talk, make work drag. Machinery capable of applying check, it seems vain to look for ; the problem of when to apply it so that no stop shall be placed on legitimate debate seems insoluble. Electors allow session after session and year after year to pass without an adequate sign of displeasure. What wonder, therefore, that representatives go on sinning in the 1 way of consuming valuable .working time? Yet from the people alone can come a check. Representatives ,-are sent to Parliament to do what the people cannot do for themselves — to do the country's public work. jWhen they return to give an account of their stewardship, one inquiry, sternly put and demanding an answer, should be : Have you helped the country's work by words in season, or hindered and obstructed it by inordinate loquacity ? And let the people, when they have their opportunity, resolutely condemn the vice, of Parliamentary talkativeness, and the evil may be stayed. And another offence against the public welfare may also come under electoral disapprobation — the reckless moving for the production of papers almost useless and costly out of all proportion to any good purpose the outlay will serve. The people are the masters and makers of Parliament, and it is their duty to see that their servant and creature performs their will and discharges the proper function.

The annexation episode of the New Zealand Government, instead of adding another page to the history of the Colony, will be a subject for mirth. This, the boldest conception of Sir Julius Vogel's mind, haa been nipped in the bud by Lord Derby, and the Ministry must return to Wellington without having accomplished the purpose for which they took their departure from the seat of government so mysteriously. It speaks well for the Government that, in a weighty question of this kind, they took council with the leader of the Opposition and Sir George Grey. . Had they not done so the dznoument would have afforded a splendid opportunity to the' -Knight of Kawau for future detraction of the Government. As it is; Sir George must share the chagrin, as he hoped to share the glory . Kno wing the present' temper of the Secretary for the Colonies, the Government seriously erred in previously consulting him. Had they proceeded to Samoa, and, on the strength of the petition of the chiefs formerly sent to the New Zealand Government, requestingthemto annex theisland3,declared a protectorate, pending the sanction of the English Government, the issue might have been different. It waa the Australian annexation of New Guinea, undoubtedly, that led to the British Protectorate ; and there are good, reasons for concluding that, had New Zealand annexed Samoa, a similar reault would in all probability have followed. It is, therefore, a matter for regret that Sir Julius did not strike a very much bolder attitude. The Imperial authorities could only have refused, to ratify the action of the Government ; but such action would, at least, have shown them that we were in earnest. However, after communicating with Lord Derby and receiving such a discouraging reply, it is too late to take any unauthorised action. Still, the momentary excitement caused by the proposed annexation has not been barren of results ; and it would ill > become ' this Colony to . resent too jstrongiy'the dictum of , Lord Derby., We are; unable to see behind the scenes of European -politics, and there are diploanatic relations which we know nothing of to- be taken into account. These actors to ua may be well-known factors in the mind of the Secretary for the Colonies/-' 'and j whiW l we are considering diffideW J> and incapable, -he j *wifi7l?erhaps" be .able prove to E&S ' in the end that he has only been exercising necessary caution. Diplomatic correspondence has been going on between, England and Germany con.cerning'Samoa,''and' a mutual agreement ,has been entered into by both powers to jbhe .effect .that neither will annex Samoa. ,We \ should, be inclined to accept this .understanding, as far, at least, as GerV, xn&nj is concerned, cvm grano salts. ' A /considerable trade has* already sprung up -in , Samoa f ,with the latter power, ahd £ effort is^bjßing.'putjfortfe to maka German interests paramount in the group. It is, therefore, in the natural sequence of events, but a question of time when Germany will be forced to annex the islands in the interests of her subjects. The .unusual display of colonising activity

among European nations points to the urgent need of an International Congress for the partition of the unallotted portions |of the earth's surface. Nothing short of such i a Congress will settle amicably the 'vexed of Pacific annexation. There * are: groups of islands in the Western Pacific, ""surrounding the Fiji group,; to which England should have the first "claim. Their position and contiguity to the Australasian Colonies should afford good grounds for making juch.a claim. The feeling of France has already been sounded in the direction of exchanging New Caledonia. for the Falkland Islands ; and there are good reasons .fojr, ,_belieying -that such an exchange would not be obnoxious to the French. It is generally believed, also, that Germany .will give up New Guinea in exchauge for Heligoland. Therefore, the obstacles in the way of British annexation of all these groups between New Zealand- and New Guinea are not insurmountable. Given these, Germany and France should be permitted to divide the rest of the Pacific islands between them ; but a Congress of the Great Powers alone could settle the matter in a satisfactory manner.