THE WORLD TODAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8257, 23 December 1911, Page 6

THE WORLD TODAY.

"tIiTTAKDIAK" OFFICE, December 23, 1911. The'season-'of peace and good-will is with all Christendom to-day. Men and women aro doing their best to bury all hatchets, personal, social, or political, and to cultivate a frame of mind that shall enable them, m all sincerity, to wish thoir neighbours, their friends, and their former foes "A. Merry Christmas." In our Dominion, seme people- had indulged the sweet hope that Santa Claus would come along m a motor-car (one of those used so freely at election time) and drop at the door of Sir Joseph Ward a packet labelled "High. Gorhmissionership;" and pitchfork up to Mr Massey on a liaj T-stack another bearing the inscrip- j tion "Prime Minister ;" but that hope is doomed to ■'disappointment. Sir; Joseph has apparently resolved that-j this is not the time to disturb people's minds by announcing what'lie intends j to do. On Wednesday night, an enter-:'i prising; reporter of the "New Zealand Times" called at the Prime Minister's;'•] .residence, m the hope, of being told what Christmas boxes were to be sent out..per medium of Santa Claus. The pressman found that the Prime Minister, surrounded by his family, had obligingly interrupted a game of cards to receive him, but Sir Joseph was not no ready to oblige with particulars about the absorbing topic of the moment. Not even m the most oblique way could 'the interviewer penetrate that armour of reticence set up by a smiling and apparently happy Prime Minister. It could be observed that the interrupted game was patience, and the interviewer ventured to wonder if that could be taken as an omen. Here again he drew a blank. So the public must content themselves with taking part m a game of political patience. It is a case of " hope' deferred," but it need not make anyone's heart sick.