THE WAIRARAPA STANDARD TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1874. THE COMING SESSION.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume 3, Issue 190, 30 June 1874, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA STANDARD TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1874. THE COMING SESSION.

PuUiXDn will meet on Friday ■at. la the opinion of many per•ona who are neither vulgar nor ignorant such an announcement will be frit to bo somewhat ominous. Of coarse Friday i» no better nor worse than any other day iu the week ; still whan there is a atroug feeling prava hot threngbont a considerable pop lien of the eommunity against com' rnem il any business of importance •a that day, or with reference to the eoneaqneocas of any other act, such a feeting will have a tendency to create thn Ming dreaded. The auguries of tka aneiente wore based on a palpable faQagyVaod were themselves, as viewed by os, transparent delusions of the OMnidoat aharaeter ; but who can doubt that when there were pro nwiHTed le be favorable they would fend to tnepire that courage and con idaoea which always constitute such important alamaots of success. On the ether hand if unfavorable they weald prod ace the opposite effect. If •alyfcr this reason it was imprudent on the part of the Ministry to fix the anas aienrtisivnt of tbo session on a day ynlgarily regarded as being the enn least favoured by fortune. It is choosing to commence business under nafavorabie circumstances. But independently of any such- eoasulerataons, if club gossip is be relied upon, the eereion wifi not prove to the Ministry a bed of roses. If they are not threatened with any organised oppo■tiontbey will have more than one formidable opponent to eMitend against In both branches of the Legislature. It is rumored that Mr Fitsb whirl will be prepared to mats some domoging revelations as to Mr Vogel’s adasinistration, and Mr Watsvhoase In tho Legislative Council Inn bill, of indictment against both bis financial and immigration. measnrea which be will find it difficult to mfir reliafaetorilj whether to the Ingiebtare or to the oourttir; In any core the session will bp apre to proven stormy one, and eaunat in a party view of it, be wholly bbrfon of ruenlte. There has pdsba«a. Juever beena session of Parliasoee* held either In this or any other country where so little was publicly known as to t he chamater of the measures ment proposed to introduce. We have, it is true, beard of severitf mesmrea baiag in preparation, but these are n*H of that importance re to be likely to make or unmake an adunnistretm. One of them is antfwsLicensing Bill, which it ia mid will nltyr in an opposite direction to that.-which eventually proved so fatal to the Gladstone Ministry; but whether it will give any more satisfaction to the peopit of Now Zealand than thrf former one did to the people of England, is, to say the least, doubtful. We may, however, safely predict that the Go vernmsnt will not be prepared to ifntd «r fall on any such measure an Ibis, and they will abandon it without mrnpleifthey see there ise probability of its being rejected by the Mouse It is not the foie of any such measure wUehwilldeeidatbefatcot the Ministry. Their immigration policy srtil Sretykire nil their strength to support, and we Mi be tarlumd to think thetbpon this they treat suffer mi inevitable defeat, if their financial proposals were ■el Hholy to prove still more ntuaUsfantae* Met |h«t they wiU stand by them■ thepwredihetf to bf#n Mito, nrthey would prefer ■adlMng them. to mtot Ute wiebss ef fbnuepi* trate.w eves sbandouiug

them Altogether, rather than endanger their Mate. We saw something of thia kind last session, and we may expect to witness a repetition of the same thing this. It is reported that j there is to be a general revision ofj taxation ; but we question whether! Mr Vogel will have the courage to in- l troduce either an income or a proper- 1 ty tax, though such a measure would bare the support of influential members on both sides the H>u*e. The liabilities of the Colony will render some surh measure necessary at no distant date; but it will not be intro dueed so long asircan be rendered unavoidable. As the larger portion of these liabilities have been incurred in giving a largely increased value to real estate, it appears only reasonable that this description of property should be made to contribute towards their liquidation. But we are con rinced that no Ministry will bo found to propose such a tax, nor would either the House or country assent to its imposition, so long as it is believed that the cost of government and the maintenance of the public credit can be sustained by indirect taxation We are equally convinced that until direct taxes become t e rule instead of the exception, one of the strongest guarantees ot good government—one of the best safeguards against official extravagance, jobbery, and corruption one of the safest antidotes against popular ignorance and political apathy—will remain unsnpplied. Borrowed money is too often carelessly and lavishly spent, and this colony will yet become cognizant of the fact One of the most effective checks to this abuse would have been the impo sit ion at the outset of a property tax. and, as we have said, this will have to be imposed sooner or later whatever Ministry may be in power.