THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1408, 2 June 1884, Page 2

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

I . ♦ (Christ church Press.) # Commenting on the Premier's speech at Auckland, tho abovo paper says : — " It is not so much the speech of the head of the Government dis* cussing public affairs with the people as that of a Minister conscious that he. is bpaten, and looking around, for methods of recovering his lost ground and prolonging his tenure of office. It eonsits, we recrot to say. too largely of threats against those, who are assumed by thf* Premier to be bent on turnin-r oat thf Ministry, and, on tlie o hmhand, of provnises toting t > wi.o .j

they look for assistance in their extremity. We regard Major Atkinson'R latest utterances at by far the most unsatisfactory which he has delivered during the last five or six weeks, and as calculated to a . very considerable extent to undo whathever good his former addresses may hever di>ne his Ministry. We refer especially to his remarks upon the prospects of party politics in the coming session. The Premier made no disguise of his conviction that the Ministry are no longer in a majority in the House'of Representatives. He implied as plainly as he could, without absolutely stating it in so many words, that they know they are liable to be defeated as soon as Parliament meets ; but he also let it be understood by the most pointed implication that they do not regard that as any reason why they should retire from office. 'If members, he said, would not so on with the business, the country would be put to the expense of two sessions in the year instead of one. He hoped the Assembly would, see its way, in a short session, to accomplish the necessary business of fh» country, and thus avoid the expense which otherwise would be inevitable. The elections could take place earlier in the year, so that no great loss of Kme would be incurred in ascertaining the feeling the country on large questions submitted to it.. Of course this was a matter entirely in the. hand of the Honse, but be thought it right to make known to the country the opinions of the Government on ther subject.' Now, either Major Atkinson has been very grossly misrepresented by the Press Association telegram, or he has sjiven utterance to views which appear to us to be unconstitutional, and quite unworthy of one occupying his high position has head of the Goverume it It is surely an unusual thingfor a Prime Minister, in a country pvosaessing responsible government, ' openly to assume that he does not command a majority ; that Parliament will refuse to acknowledge his leader* s 1 up ; but yet asking to be allowed to -•emaip in office on sufferance for an another year, on the ground that it will put the country to a heavy expense to turn him out. We cannot help hopingti>at Major Atkinson's meaning has in I some way or other been misrepresented ' in i-he summary of his speech which has been telegraphed. If this is not the cisc, then we can only say that tho language he employed is most extraordinary, and almost takes our breath away. Put in plain language, hi* ! remarks simply amount to this : that the Premier has bluntly and unequiyo- | cally propounded the theory that ho ! ant? his"oll>'a,sruesbave aveste/1 interest \ in the Treasury benches, and that all i other considerations whatever are, as a ; matter of course, to he subordinated \to the paramount object of their retention of office."