THE 'TICTOBIAN REVIEW.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 14 June 1880, Page 2

THE 'TICTOBIAN RE VIEW.

_«-, * — -«— In October lasfc Mr Franklyn, the editor of the Tic f orian Keview, addressed a letter to Karl Grey ,jrfqaest ing j the veteran statesman to eoiHribnte an j article on the affairs of Victoria, tben. aDd still, in a somewhat disturbed condi* tion. Lord G?ey exeusps himself from writing a formal article partly on the grounds that he could not without going up to London obtain aeeesi to books and papers for reference, and partly also for the reason that ' age has now greatly diminished whatever powers of applica* tion and of mental exertion I ta^v formerly bare possessed.' He writes, however, a letter containing what be terms some 'desultory remarks/ which he authorises Mr Franfelyn to publish if he sees fit The editor of the Victorian Review, it appears, bad himself described the condition of the colony to Lord Grey in the fol'owing t^rms — ' Victoria is suffering to-day a most unprecedented depression. Business interests are paralysed, and enterprise di-couragecl to such an extent that the translation of capital to other places is going on at an alarming rate,' and he attributes this ' 'o the legislative incapacity of those who have been administering the public affairs for the last two years.' Taking this as bis cue, Lord Grey sees no reason to doubt that the affairs of Victoria have been mismanaged, but be thinks that the mismanagement bas been going on for a considerable number of years, though the bad effects have only lately begun to manifest themselves. A remedy, he thinks, is more likely to be attained if it could at once be candidly admitted that no one party bus hid a monopoly of mis-management. Lord Grey then proceeds to point out what he conceives to be the most serious errors which hive beon committed. First of all. and as he thinks greatest of all, because it 'ed up to the other mistakes, was the extensive change in the Constitution which was roa^e very torn after the separation of Victoria from New South Wales. * The new arrangements,' of a double Chamber, and of the kind of go« vernment by party known as responsible government, were not, in his opinion, so [ suitable to the condition of affairs as that > which had been established in the form of a single Chamber with a certain proportion of members nominated by the Crown. The effect of this change has been, he considers, ' to prevent any steady and consistent line of policy from being acted an,' and he concludes that 'the present deplorable condition, as described, may be regarded as {be natural result of the bad system of government which has been pursued.' Then he refers to some of the mis« chievous measures which have been the result pf this form of government. The first of these, bping ' protection to native industry,' Lord Grey, as an old free-trade reformer, regards as an exploded fallacy which no man of eminence in public affairß in Great Britain now ventures to justify. But as the old fallacies of protection still appear to retain their bold in Victoria, he briefly recapitulates the fundamental priuciples oF economy w'-icb. he considers have thus bren violated, and chiffly by diverting indos- !

try from its natural channels* The next great mistake, Lord Grey considers, was the departure from the principle of ' sufficient value ' in the disposal of the Crown lands— the principle, in fact, that no land should be sold except at a pried which would make it too costly to be held by anyone except for the purpose of being really used- Lands likely to be bene." 6ted by projected railways should have been held for sale at a higher price, »"na stead of being improvidently alienated, the proceeds usually going ,to the pur* poses of the general Government. As a means of remedying these evils, and of ensuring the better administration of affairs in the future, a recommendation is made to the effect that advantage should be takeo of the present oppor* tunity to reunite the two Houses, thus doing away with the bicameral system, and providing for the elecfion of a certain number of members by those who hare been directly electeJ as representative members. Suggestions such as these, coming as they do from so experienced an administrator, are very worthy of consideration, thnugh they may be regarded as be'onging rather to a past generation than to tho present. The principle of freedom of choice and of responsibility has been so widely applied to what are called the self- governing colonies that ife would seem to be impossible to try back, and indeed it would scarcely be fair perhaps to say that Lord Grey recom« mends a reactionary policy. Moreover, we doubt very ranch whether even Victoria, with 8?1 its solecisms of political economy, is in such a desperate condition as is sometimes supposed. It is possible indeed that the Australian colonies, and Victoria in particular, might h|?e been more wealthy and more prospejroos than they are. It is scarcely disputed, how» ever, that, considering the short term of their existence they have surpassed all ex* expection in the abundant wealth of their resources and in the remarkable develop** ment of their social condition. The possession of so much acquired wealth, and the admittedly welUordered condi* tion of the people, is scarcely consistent with the absence of the higher political capacities which so often are attributed to them. It would appear, however, that they are not now and scarcely ever have l-een quite satisfied with the existing state of sffiirs. If, therefore, this unrest js to be taken a* a sign of progress, there is certainly progress of a kind, though its direction and its ultimate destination must be considered as unascertained, and at presenE not quite discernible. Lord; Grey's paper, nevertheless, is an important contribution to the Constitutional oiscussion, now quite a chronic malady.