Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1914. THE MINISTER AT METHVEN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8850, 29 May 1914, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1914. THE MINISTER AT METHVEN.

There, was no discoverable need, after all,- for the Hon. A. L. Herdman to travel so far afield :as Methven to- deliver a political address. The story he had to tell contained little that was, new, and unless our Methven friends prefer to bask in the smiles of a real Minister of the Crown instead of in the warm glow from their firesides these cold evenings, they could have read his speech, almost line for line, in any of the recent addresses given in various localities by the Premier, by the Hon. James Allen, or. by the Hon. ;F. M. B. Eisher. The idea prevailing amongst politicians nowadays seems to be that charge aiid counter-charge comprise the sum '■"■total of: politics. There has never been a more bitter feeling between the parties in New Zealand than there is to-day, and it is all due to the absurd belie.l that. the public is interested in hearing one side •. condemn the other. „\Tt must be said for Mr Herdman that ,he never descends .to doubtful phrases or insinuations.He is not what some of llieif ■ Press admirers are pleased to describe certain members of the '* flying squadron" as—a "fighting" speaker. But if he lacks the ability, :or desire, to rise to the Jjeights of invective achieved by some of these meretricibus\ individuals, his logic is more convincing and his style of oratory more cultured. Unfor- 1 tunately, however, it is the matter that is at fault. The Garlick appointment, Sir Joseph Ward's attitude on the strike, the McKab telegram to Mr Webb (the Red Fed. nominee for Greymouth), Mr G. 1 W. Russell's exploded charges of political misdemeanor —these, and several others that he touched tip'on, are such ofttold tales that the public is weary of them. On the naval question Mr lierdman was somewhat vague. "While 1' 'Admitting that; the Government is committed tc the purchase of a Bristol cruiser and has appointed a Naval Adviser, he made the contradictory statement that "it was ridiculous to say. that there was any suggestion of a 'toy' navy, for the question was not at all settled for all time." The Bristol cruiser and the "toy" navy are synonymous, arid it is simply misloading the public to let ttem infer that, no further expenditure !.*> contemplated. If. the Government could be induced to take a referendum on.the Bristol cruiser question,, as opposed to an increased- annual contribution to the British I Navy, we have no dqubt that it would be condemned by an overwhelming majority. A very old friend reared .its head from the Minister's notes, and. it (was- introduced with the' same earnest avowal that'many Ministers have niayde during the past 20 years. This was the " grants to local bodies" illusion—or delusion—which countless deputations have been assured was on the verge of being brought before Parliament. Mr Herdman said that a measure to deal with • the present system would be introduced, and "he hoped public patronage in this direction would be stopped once for all." This hope will be piously echoed throughout the Dominion by members of local bodies who are continually harassed by .shortness of funds. It was not expected that the Minister would make anything in the nature of a policy speech, but it is not too much to ask that when the simple folk in the country are induced to leave their warm firesides to

listen to a political speech, some! original views on current topics nd. live y interest will be given them. The "flying squadron" is, we know, strong on "original views," but there are degrees of originality, and •, Mr Herdman could, if he would, give some very sound views on many of the pressing, needs of the Dominion— social and political.