The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-08-26
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A6Oertiser
Y. AUGUST 20.
A Coincidence.


The following portions of q leading article in
the Sydney Morning Herald Of July 2sth, II viii
strike our readers, might well have been written
in this latitude-with slight alterations
The present session of Parliament opened in No
yember, 1875. and the Assembly is still engaged IN
the discussion Of the estimates for 1875. IL has
been the rule for the Appropriation Act Tor the
year to be passed months after o large portion OF
The money to which il refers has been expended /;
aud If the rule in this matter has been proved oy
exceptions. the exceptions have been few indeed
But another rule is now in course OF formation. IL
is not enough that the Appropriation Act should
be held back. Some regard that practice as desir-
able, for the purpose of holding q check upon the
Ministry. We are now getting into the haoit OF
carrying on the work OF government upon Tue
strength of temporary supply bills, which are
pushed through Parliament in an almost formal
manner. and authorize expenditures which The
House cannot End time TO scrutlnlZe. How TINS
system, or want OF system, is 10 be reconciled with
the theory of checks before referred TO, 1t Is not easy
to perceive. In mentioning the fact, however, II Is
not difficult to account for it. The dispatch OF public
business in a regular way is ~impeded by the disor-
ganiZation of the House; by a deficiency oil compe-
tent and trusted leaders; and by a want OF seli-con-
troll, moderation and reticence on the part OF men
who appear unable either to follow or lead. There
has been Indifferent management by The government
and the results of that have been aggravated by
evervb b.%Ji cnmyn, n as' n mfG5s Aa1 eeaee tbis wn, as'
though eight months have passed. the legislative
work of the session is insignificant in amount, and
such as might have been accomplished. with
greater efficiency, in perhaps a couple.
1t is thought by some that we ara drifting
towards a condition of things in which changes of
Ministries will only be procurable by the passing
of general votes of censure, or votes of want OF
confidence. In the absence of well-defned parties,
in q community where politicians are not divided
into the two classes of men who look forward and
men who look back,-in a Parliament that has to
deal very largely with questions of local expendi-
ture, and in which support or opposition TO a Min
istry may depend upon questions OF roads and
bridges rather than Of political principle, 1t Is not
an easy task to carry ont to the full the ideas Dy
which responsible government in the Imperial Par
lament has been regulated. There is an interval
between carrying them out fully and deliberately
setting them aside; but whilst the Ministry can
hardly be credited with having followed the former
course, ii has retained Office, and administered the
government of the country under conditions that
have exposed it to the charge of having adopted
the latter; and that charge has been formally made.
The Ministry has suffered a number of defeats
some of minor Importance, some OF greater. 1t
has allowed its policy, or its proposals, to be mod
flied extensively, or rejected by the House. 1t has
been unable, or has failed, to deal with many mat
tiers of Importance and urgency; and it has carried
such measures as have been carried with consider
able difficulty and delay.
The regularity Of the situation, however, con-
sisted in this, that whilst maiorities could be found
to thwart, or modify, or condemn the policy OF the
Ministry, it was a well understood fact that a ma
jority could not be found to pass q general sentence
of condemnation. The action of the House is
swayed largely by personal considerations; and
the question has been whether any possible good
could be done by causing a change of Ministry.
Under such circumstances the vote of censure was
brought forward with the ayowed expectation of
defeat, and that expectation has been practically
realized. For, although by talking against time,
and protracting q discussion upon motions for adj
journment until the vote of censure lapsed. a di-
vision was averted, there was no doubt as to the
result had a division heen taken. The government
would have had a considerable majority. Hence
the idea Of resorting to general votes of censure
when a Ministry attaches little Importance to de-
feats in policy or to its inability to lead has in this
case, at least, been a failure. 1t is obvious that
under such conditions the country must snGer from
a species of legislative paralysis. And the vote of
censure was apparently moved for the purpose Of
teaching the country that lesson amongst others.
1t is unfortunate that legislative paralysis should
afliet the colony at q time like this-the hood-time
of fortune--when there are special demands for
the utmost efficiency and yigor in the administers
ton of public affairs. The last three months reve-
nue. amounted to nearly a million and a quarter.
The balance at the credit of the consolidated reve-
nue. amounts to a million and a half, or with the
advances that have been made from revenue to
public works loan funds, pending the issue OF de-
bentures, it exceeds two millions and a quarter. A
sum of more than three-quarters of a million lies
in fixed or special deposits at interest in the banks.
The government is embarrassed by the possession
Of this heavy cash surplus. And yet, though we
have an immense territory to settle and develop, a
bold and comprehensive immigration policy seems
to be beyond the grasp Of Ministry or Legislature,
and time is spent in wraDgling about crude pro-
posals for railway extension, which the government
puts forth in q tentative and lrresolute manner.
and supports with little or no definite information.