THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY. APRIL 24, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1078, 24 April 1882, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY. APRIL 24, 1882.

The political cards are drice more shuffled, And, though the players remain the same, the deals are re-arranged* As was to be expected, after the Governor was compelled to yield, Mr Whitaker accepted the Premiership together with the office of Attorney- i General, that he held under the Hon. John HalL That he was by far the most competent for the position in connection with the present -administration there can be to doubt, but at t the same time his occupation of it is likely to bring trouble to the Govtrninent, inasmuch as he is notoriously one of the Patatere land ring, has been concerned in the Piako swamp, and other large land purchases from Native owners, and is sure to have a heavy bill of indictment preferred against him by the Opposition when Parliament meets next month. The sale of the Patatere block to the company, of which Mr Whitaker k one of the chief members, has been, both before and since v the purchase was completed, the chief bete mir of Sir George Grey, and if the public do not hear a lot more about it soon we shall be much mistaken. The change of Mr Whitaker for Mr Hall will not by any means strengthen the Ministry, but will render it more liable to defeat Setting aside the onslaught that is certain on acoount of land transactions. Mr Whitaker, however good a lawyer he may be, has not the. tact, the genial honest manner of his predecessor. Even John Hall's worst political enemies respected his straightforwardness, his unquestionable sincerity in his convictidip— however they might differ from them — his industry in the duties he undertook, and his unswerviug loyalty to his party. Though Mr brings long experience to bear, he lacks many of the qualities ■that enabled the Hon. John Hall to hold his parly together, and avoid bitter attacks from his foes. Another difficulty" that the new Premier will meet with* is having no seat in the Lower House. In the . calm seclusion of the Legislative Council, any combative ability that either talent or experience may have given him, must be utterly wasted, and it will be indispensable for him to gain a seat in the "Commons" before he can properly discharge the duties of his position. It is above all things necessary for a Premier to be a member of the House of Representatives, in order to take the command of his lieutenants and his party. When the Hon. John Hall ran for the Premiership in the interests of the late Government, he left the classic shades of the Council, contested, and was elected to the Lower House, and eventually turned out the Grey Administration. The Hon. Mr Witaker will have to do the same and descend to the elective branch of the Legislature, if he hopes to hold office at aIL There is a rumor floating that Mr Hall will resign the representation of Selwyn, and that he will recommend as his successor — without much doubt as to his advice being accepted — the present Premier ; that he will be again called to the Upper House, and thus matters be arranged comfortably. Time will show how far this shot is correct. There is no question as to Mr Whitaker's experience, for he has held office in no less than six different governments, and in one, the Whitaker- , Pox combination, was Premier. His ffc-st tat^'oatfe sine Bell»Se^eJtt Ministry, when he was Attorney-General. His next was in connection with the Stafford administration, lasting from 1856 to 1861. He then took the portfolio of Attorneygeneral jn one #ie joints of the " Continuous Ministry" in 1876, after the departure of Sir Julius Yogel, when Major Atkinson took the helm, and held office again in 1877 but was ousted by the Grey Cabinet. When the latter in thejr turn were put out of power, he joined the H^all Ministry and has held the Attorney-Generalship since 1879. Now he is Premier in command of his old colleagues. Major Atkinson retains his positions of Treasurer and Commissionership of Customs, Mr Rollesfcon's position is unaltered, as are those of Messrs Dick and Bryce, but the portfolio of Public Works is given to Mr Johnston, than whom a more unfit man for the department could not be found in in the reconstructed Cabinet. Mr Oliver, the late Minister for Public Works, is said to be without a portfolio, but we fancy he will return to his old position. It is iit the highest degree satisfactory to

and that, owing to the re-arrangement, there will be no need to delay the meeting of Parliament for amended legislation is sadly wanted, but we cannot help thinking that, with John Hall, the chief pillar of the Government has gone, and that, before the coming ses sion ends, other gentlemen than those who occupy the Ministerial seats at its opening will retain them at its close.