Mr Ballance was the ostens ) ible leader and waß present ; Sir Robert Stout wns acknowledged by a good ' many as the real leader of the • party, and he was necessarily absent. It will be remarkable if the same state " of things exists in regard to the new Parliament. We understand tbat the Premier will be no more capable of enduring tbe strain and excitement of Parliamentary debato thnn be was last session, and if so we shall have a repeti tion of Mr Mitchelson'H acting Premier ship with Sir Harry Atkinson's advice and control in the background. It will b probably last until tho Ministry avo defeated on some question which will j compel their resignation. With regard to tho leadership of tho Opposition there is more doubt. In the firßt place it is quite on the cards that Mrßallance will not be returned., We by no meinß predict bis defeat, but be is being very bard pushed by Mr' Carson, and if the [utter. wins, there will be an end of Mr - BallanoeV- pretensions until the next general election. Bnt if Mr Ballance is successful, what influence will Sir Robert Stout be allowed to exercise over the so called liberal party P It is quite evident that he does not intend to " remain politically quiescent. He will pull the wires, but tho qnestion is whether the puppets will dunce. In this connection it is noteworthy that the pro 1 gramme which Mr Ballance is engaged ' in putting forward at Wanganui does not tally well with important par s' tions of the address recently delivered • by Sir Robert Stout at Napier. So marked indeed are the differences that Mr Bullance appears to have been j rather nonplussed when he received the Press Association's telegraphic summary i of the address. Mr Ballance edits the Wanganui Herald, and that journal ' whilst publishing tho summary cau r tioned its readers against accepting tbe i telegram as n correct version of what had been said by the real leader of the ■> Opposition. 