Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1886. The Close of the Session.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1873, 20 August 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1886. The Close of the Session.

The session of Parliament baa closed, and for [a time there will be a surcease of talki wrangling, and all that dissension which is ever found in the hot area of political strife. Looking back to what has been said and done during the recent session, it is impossible to regard its proceedings with a feeling of satisfaction. Most of the work of legislation affected has been hasty, slipshod, and imperfect. Nearly every Act passed will require at some future time to have its imperfections and blunders tinkered and amended by further legislation. Then the financial measures of the Government have been neither one thing nor another. On this matter the Premier and Treasurer have held entirely opposed views. The Premier wanted the borrowing and administrative policy to be marked by prudence, caution and thrift. He declared in favor of rigidly limiting borrowing ; of 11 tapering off ”in the matter of loans, and of by and bye doing without them altogether. The Colonial Treasurer, on the other hand, was eager to go in for a big loan; to spend lavishly and recklessly, and to create another " big loan ’’ generally in the colony, regardless of the terrible reaction and depression which would inevitably follow. The result of those conflicting views, and the determination of a powerful party in Parlia> ment, ;to restrict borrowing was a sort of compromise. A loan of L 1,325,000 was sanctioned, and expenditure on railways and public works is still to go on within certain limits; But it cannot be hoped that the “ tapering off ” process with respect to loans will be carried out to any great exteut during the next year or two. In the General Estimates and in the expenditure connected with administration, there is no appearance whatever of the Government trying to retrench and economise, lu the several administrative departments, the expenditure is steadily and largely increasing. In truth—as Major Atkinson observed in his speech just before the Jsessio* closed—“ tha policy of the Government is not one of “ tapering off,” but rather a policy of gradual expansion of borrowing and expenditure.” This way of putting the case is absolutely true. The Estimates show no " tapering off,” but an absolute increase of expenditure. Then, before the proposal for a loan was pnt for. ward, the Government had already entered into engagements greater than they could meet. Parliament had really no choice save to grant the loan asked for, because had it been refused the Government would have become defaulters, and the colony would have

been brought face to face with bankruptcy. When ttiose existing engagements have been met there will be little or nothing of the £1,325,000 loan left. The financial position of the future is therefore by no means reassuring. Surely and certainly, p~. night, doth follow day, the Government wi.l cornu

before Parliament next session with a proposal for a new loan. Certainly, the prospect of •• tapering off ” in respect to further loans ia a very dubious and remote one. In other ways the session has been a most unsatisfactory one. It has been a session marked by the gravest scandals and the most flagrant jobbery and corruption. The districts railways scandal, and the large money commission paid to Major Steword, a member of the House, to get the debentures of a certain line purchased by the Government, as a most disgraceful transaction, utterly' degrading to the character of the Legislature. The putchate of the Stark property at Auckland by the Government for L 17.100 was one of the most monstrous jobs on record. The disclosures with reference to the Government Life Insurance Association revealed a degree of recklessness, extravagance, and jobbery almost astounding iu its extent and magnitude. The grant of £2OOO to Sir William Fox was a gross misapplication of puUie money, and a wicked fraud upon the taxpayers. There were a host of minor jobs besides, “ worked” during the session, the mere record of which would be wearisome and disgustimr. Wc do not therefore regard the Parliamentary session of the present yen with any appreciable amount of satisfaction, while it must be added that many of its transactions have been of so nefarious a character that a contemplation of them can only arouse anger and indignation in the minds of all honest, honorable and right thinking men throughout the colony.