Affairs Political.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1864, 30 July 1886, Page 2

Affairs Political.

It is now evident that the session of Parliament is really approaching its close, and that soon the business of “the great talking shop ’’ will be at an end for the present year. Ihe result of the recent so-called " No Confidence ” debate was a foregone conclusion. It was perfectly well known that the Government had a majority, and that the Loan Bill would be carried. This result was brought about in'due course, and now business will be hurried through as expeditiously as possible, so as to bring the session to an end, It has been asserted in some quarters that the recent “No Confidence ’ ’ debate was a waste of time. This is hardly the case. That debate afforded an opportunity for the expression of honest and independent opinions on the part of certain members of the House who really represent the views of important sections of the people, while at the same time it brought forth from the Premier, Sir Eobert Stout, a remarkable speech in which he gave bis own views and intentions as to a policy and showed plainly that such were very different from those of his colleague, Sir Julius Vogel. On the important question of borrowing, the Premier remarked “ With respect to borrowing, his views had not changed. He said now as he said before that those who wished to make this a prosperous colony must be careful in borrowing. In a few years the colony must stop borrowing, and he asked the House to face that. He said that the time was coming when they must stop borrowing, and meet their expenditure by direct and indirect taxation. The only hope of stopping borrowing was by beginning to cast what they could on localities and the consolidated fund—that was how they must “edge off.” He looked forward to the lime when the colony would only need to borrow about half instead of a million. He expressed an opinion that if members of the House would meet the Government instead of making so many demands upon them “they would have more economy. But tbo Government were doing their best to induce economy, having in view, first, that the people should not be overburdened with taxation ; secondly, that the colony should not be overburdened by debt; and also to prepare for the time, which was not far distant, when the colony would not have to go on to the London market to borrow.”

Certainly, this policy of cautious borrow- 1 ing in the present, and a total cessation of borrowing in the future, is one altogether opposed to the views about big loans and extravagant schemes of public works so often expressed by Sir Julius Vogel. It looks very much as if Sir Robert Stout was going to try to assert the powers of his position as Premier, and strive to relegate Sir Julius Vogel to a subordinate position in the Ministry for the future. But will Sir Julius be content to play second fiddle ?