186 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [pART II
in the leadership of the party, asked for a dissolution on the
ground that it was desirable to test the feeling of the country
on the principles of direct taxation and a change of relations
between the Houses. The Governor declined, as the House
had been elected under their auspices, there was no clear line
of division in the country on the topics suggested by the
Government as being ripe for settlement, and there was no
real prospect of any dissolution resulting in a clear verdict
for a policy rather than for persons.!
In South Australia in 1871 the Governor accorded a disso-
tution to ministers on their being defeated in the Assembly
by the casting vote of the Speaker, though both Houses passed
addresses asking him not to dissolve ; his action was clearly
correct in the case of so close an issue, as a Ministry formed
without a dissolution could not have had any stability.2
New Zealand, as usual, presents interesting features. In
1872 the Governor, Sir G. Bowen, declined to grant the
Stafford Ministry a dissolution, because he saw no prospect
of any result from such a dissolution, and he asked that the
Government should be constructed on a wider basis, which
was accomplished by the formation of an administration
on October 11 under Mr. Waterhouse. But he quarrelled
with Mr. Vogel and retired in March 1873; his successor,
Mr. Fox, resigned after a month of office, but happily
Mr. Vogel was successful in keeping a majority together for a
time.? In 1877 the Grey Liberal Ministry asked the Governor,
Lord Normanby, for a dissolution, because, having taken
office in October on the defeat of their predecessors under
Major Atkinson on a vote of confidence, they would have
been defeated in the House before they had time to develop
their policy, but for the casting vote ‘of the Speaker. They
' Tasmania Legislative Council Journals, 1879, No. 66; Rusden, op. cit.,
iii. 481.
* South Australia Legislative Council Journals, 1871, p. 65; House of
Assembly Journals, 1871, pp. 235, 237.
* New Zealand Parl, Pap., 1873, A. 1, pp. 7-20; Rusden, New Zealand,
iii. 38 seq. He retired in 1876 on his appointment as Agent-General, and
was succeeded by Major Atkinson.
