The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. FRIDAY. JULY 10. 1914. THE DUTIES OF GOVERNORS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 163, 10 July 1914, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

FRIDAY. JULY 10. 1914. THE DUTIES OF GOVERNORS.

For t\t cause that lack* assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do. I

A very interesting political problem has been solved by the Teplv of the <mrct3Ty of State for the Colonies to J the protest forwarded ir> him. recently by the Tasmanian Gnvcnwncttt. It may be rcnipinb-eTfMI tnat, Liberal party in the TaHnranian , Parliame-nit was 'bea.ten on ii division throujjh the defection of I jne of its members. The Guvornor roj ftH-.vd to grant a dissolution at the time, i hut Hired flays, later <ialled UTion' ihc j Lcndter nrf the Oppowtion to form a 'Ministry, laying down , several eomlitione. I the mast importairt bofng that Parliament must bfi disetrlveil , at onoe. Thy Labour party took office undirr protest, and -the AfeomWr then pasi?od a reeolutioa to i"ae ejfrct tiiai the action of ttve Ciovernor 'in imposint; conditions on Minister* anil im-dextakin;; to gTam. a diefcolotica « _ hctb<?T iParliaraont appTov<?d of their po-licy or not '-was unconstitutional: and an addlrepß 1» t'nie effnet was duly forwarded, to ;h-r> Colonial Offjrp. Xmv the Colonial -SpercUrT has derided the controversy in farmrr of the Labour -(>ov-<>Tttincnt. anri lrae laid dt>wn t.he gcrmral principle Chat. :is thy. (rovernor ir* always afis-iuucdi to act on tlic advice of his .Miniet&rs he «anno': daim to jrrant. t,be;m only a provisional temire of oflioe or to impose a.ny conditions upon their acceptance of it, more cepeonally in regard 'to a diesohition. This wrthoritativo expression of opinion from 'the C'nlonial Secrc.ta.ry 4ecieiv<rly settles the. question in favour of tile view maintained \>y tlie Tn«manraii Governnwnt. B»it it a victory j no; simply for the Taprmtnliin T/.vlrmir |-.my. but for the principles of MWtWutwrnaij <l<>inrx-.rai-y ihroiiohouL tlic Bmpin-. Ami ii iiappem-ju-t n.iw that in AiwtraI'm thiTo sifiii? tu '"-■ iir/pnt "'''M ,nr mure |)rei-U«! (lpnuition of Mie ponvn lii.il liiiveniuiK 4iwy i'\<'ri-ij!i\ ami ibe >vuy in u.hi.-h they may n«.- tlieir alltlio rity in l , H*liii{r «itli i...liti.-al >itin!ion>. A iVtt wei-ks :\2 ' tin , fiim-rn.pr (■i-ii'-ral ~i AuMniH.i. at ill.- rp.|ini*t "I tin" J i.ii.i iul Miiii-tn. ihvi<!iM i.i ftrjiiu .1 dij solution i.f lli- I'.-lfial <omu- an well I .ie- .11 tin- Hon-f of n.'|>nt:piitativi-. and ! ilif fur I.ii.- il.vii-ion h.uo \m-r\ ' hotly t.iir<>ii2ii"ii- flic Common- | wen'l 1. Tie Ke,leral Premier .-■■■ni-ii■!.« ! {'mil in :!ir> Coii^titntinn Aft the fi.ivor-n..i.(,rii.-:.il ;- authored to di*«oh-p hotli II" i.-'- if shore. \f a po-itive dead>i t>-i.nrru ihfni. an,l the Ijiwer Hcruec 14 \>y tiia ouiuuclive

tactics of tie Senate from putting t'lrroug-li -measures o-f Thtal interest to tie country. On the other hand it is maintained that the paweT conferred on the br tine. Constitution Act U discretionary, and not obli?a.tf>n-. that the "test bills'' -vrhn-h the Cook Mini-try has submitted to the .Senate are of relatively small importance, and t-trat no deadlock in the senee contemplated by the Constitution Act , ha? really arisen. Tlio leaders of the Labour party point out -with ;rreat force that if the two House? are dissolved under three conditions, it will never be possible for the Govern.or-Cer.-ir.il to refuse a dissolution on any occasion, when the Honate corner into conflict tritli the Lower llou=e. This -would make t.li-f existence of the Senate precarious in the extreme, and would reduce the bicameral system to a farce. And the weight of tliis arjrunient ir. jrrej.tly increased when we remember Ili at '-Mr Cook for months has proclaim**! his intention of seeurinjr the dissolution of the ."Senate in this very way. for the >imple reason that it consists practically of L.il>our members, and its present eon-i-titiiti-on U thnrefore unfavouraWe for his own political prospects. However, our prrermt. purpose is not to <-i>mMder whc.Uipr .Mr. Cook lias sueocedod in pettinft the better of tlip Labour party by a clever political trick. What «v are initeTCFjpd in jnet now i< I'.ie diilivulty of dieciding how far the ponveiv , ve^tc , .! in ;'ie < Governors ■if Rri;;-:i ,!pp<-:id-Micio- are lia.blf to bo i:-r lor abuse.l for partizan purposes. We do not ftiipircßt thait eiUier ihc Governor of Tasmania or the. (JovernorGlvner.il of 'Australia- hat- d-elibera-tely interfered in local p<ilitii'e for t'.ie expurpivo of rtren'gtheintifr one party at the expense of amoither. But •t appej-rs to eomething than a ■'oinvidenoe that the action of Sir nharlps Jlacartnry. in the one cut-?, and of Sir Ronald Munro-Forfruson in the cthrr. can fjirly be' dcsiTibed aw nntidemocratie in 'In both cases :he interests cf the LabouT party were prejudiced by the course that the representative of ith-R Crown adopted, and ihis fact certainly provides food for reflection. Obvioue.lv it. is difficult, if no; impossible, for men recruited from the wealthy and titled! cla**cw. which usually i-'upply Go.vcmoTr! for the oversea 110 minions, to approcia-tc nr sympathise with the aims and idcu-ls of colonial democrat?. It is. therefore, all the more urgently necessary tha-t the fiovernors of all British colonial dependen-.-ies should iia.ke the utmost care to avoi.l anr fruspicion of part iza-rnship. and. to .il:eitain from any kind of action that might, sugg-cet, however indistinctly, that they are guided .Tathv-r by social and poliitical rrrrjtidicrp than by a strict regard , for the rights of the people. The position of Governor in a colonial Suite is undoubtedly hard to fill, and only a man gifted with an unusual amount oi tart, and discretion ca.n hope to succeed" in it. But more Ulan this is required ;o m.tble a State fiovomOT to diechangre his rc¥;>oniiibilitife satisfactorily: and 1! will .be air evil day for the Empire if rv.T -ilie people of the oversea Dominions a.re forced to regard reprcsenta-f.vi'S ~f tin- Crown ac prepared' to take part in political controversies and to give Brttive euppf.rt to a. clafts or a political section instead of holdinpr the .balance of a.ivthority evenly, and thus promotin'e i-he great ends of democratic conetHiit ionaliera.