The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, July 18, 1891. FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 635, 18 July 1891, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, July 18, 1891. FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country's, Thy God's, and truth's.

The debate on the Financial Statement is being freely criticised by those who seek to group the promising members of the House, and separate the wheat from the chaff. The Post and other hostile journals warmly commend the way in which Mr Ballance acquitted himself, while the independent N.Z. Times also cordially compliments him. The Times says:—" Of the individuals engaged the Premier carried off the chief honors, proving himself, by his vigorous, capable reply, which kept the attention of the House for neatly three hours, the best debater in the House, as we described him at the outset of the session. The Government scored heavily as a whole, for including the Premier’s speech, they contributed five very good debating speeches to the discussion. As a young Government, moreover, they gave evidence of a great command of administrative details. Mr Ballance has impressed his Party in a way the majority were not prepared for, the truth being that Mr Ballance has never had good opportunities hitherto, having been overshadowed by his two more celebrated colleagues when in power) who left him in the darkest hour of their fortunes to lead a broken Party without either cohesion or any reason for holding together. His tactics in the present crisis and his speaking power and the calibre he has displayed have impressed the people considerably, and of course consolidated his Party. This is one of the chief features of the debate. The effect on the Party of the debating power of his colleagues, and of their business, is another feature. Their majority of 22 was largely due to these two causes.

The foregoing is interesting reading, proving how unreliable are some of the reports industriously and unblushingly circulated by those who pretend their fa. ability to recognise one good point on the

Government side, and who have spent week after week in inventing canards that are now beyond counting.