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

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 264, 6 November 1919, Page 4

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

THE SESSION.

— I For the cause that lacks astietanoe, ', For the tcrony that naede resistance, For the. future in the distance, And the good that vie kw do. j THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 0, 1910. j

Last night witnessed the end not only of the seasion, but of a Parliament that had a long life of five years. Elected lin the early months of the war, Parliament rightly prolonged its life until victory was won and the details of peace arranged. It lived through the most momentous years in the history of New Zealand and the Empire, and however I much one may feel disposed to criticise its actions it should always be remembered, as something that far outweighs everything else, that Parliament stood for victory at all costs and helped the j Government to throw all the country's! weight into the struggle. It was very fitting that in the last hours of the life of this war Parliament the Prime Minister should propose resolutions expressing the gratitude of the House to the New Zealand Forces and to the British and Allied navies, whose command of the sea made it possible for us to play a part in the war. These excellently worded resolutions would have been better, we think, had they included some reference to the immortal deeds of the Army of the Motherland. Members dispersed knowing that they had helped to contribute no mean share of the common victory of our race and cause. As for the session itself, it was perhaps the most successful of recent years. A great deal of work was done in a comparatively short period, and, owing mainly to the broad view of their responsibilities taken by the Opposition, things went very smoothly. Parliament did ite work all the better for the presence of an organised and vigilant Opposition. It was the chief weakness of the Coalition, as of any government so constituted, that legitimate criticism was constantly being etifled by loyalty to a Government ■which had its supporters on both eides of the House, .and the criticisms on this score have been amply justified by the evente of the past session.

This change in the working- of the Parliamentary system was brought about by the withdrawal of Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues from the Government. This action Sir Joseph Ward had a perfect right to take. The con-; tract was only for the war, and having returned from the Peace Conference, he! was not caflcd upon to stay a day longer ■ than oe deemed necessary as a colleague" of Ministers who represented the Conservative dnterests of the country.! People who apply adjectives such as! "despicable" to Sir Joseph Ward's conduct do not know the meaning of words.! Sir Joseph Ward and his followers main- 1 tamed throughout the session a pcr-j fectly correct attitude. The understanding with, the Government was that if no party legislation would be brought' down, the Opposition would do its utmost to facilifate business, and the j bargain was kept by both sides. Not-1 withstanding the unusual circum-! stances a good deal of important legis-. lation was passed. The Dominion was i called upon to take its share in the settlement of the problems of peace. Parliament, with a reluctance fully | shared by tho country, accepted the I mandate for Samoa, by which New Zea-' land takes the responsibility for'the wd-j fare of that German colony, with all the dangers and difficulties that possession of a tropical dependency entails. Problems of repatriation occupied a good deal of attention. The question of gratuities to soldiers was settled, and, although in our opinion the linos of policy are far from sound, further pro-! gress was made in the settlement of soldiers on the land. Parliament passed an important Bill giving tho Board of Trade much wider powers in dealing with "profiteering," and in response to a demand from all over the Dominion for more houses, approved of the expendituro by the Government and local i bodies of large sums to cope with the shortage. The finance of this scheme is doubtful. Indeed finance hae been a doubtful subject all through the cession. The expenditure shows a large increase, The seriousness of the situation is accentuated by the utterly unsound policy adopted of paying subsidies out of the public funds to keep down the cost of living, and by the fact that in; a new world the bad old system of,' scattering money all over the country for the greatest possible number of public works is being retained. Taxation remains at its war level. This brief, summary of the work of Parliament would be incomplete without reference to the long-delayed Act ot justice to women in making theni*eligible to .-it in Parliament. The dissolution of Parliament is a preliminary to an appeal to the electors. ,There are anxious times ahead, and there fare great problems facing Parliament and people which have yet to be grappled with. When one reflects on our small population and our huge debt, the absence as yet of any fcold immigration policy, the land problem, with its land .hunger on one side and its huge estates iiin-d vast areas of Crown and Native i lauds on the other, the need for roads, railways and water power, and the terribly unbusinesslike methods that have been followed in constructing public works, the mounting expenditure and heavy crippling taxation—when one thinks of all these things the need for bold, honest and far-seeing statesmanship is clear. The Parliament that has just expired steered the country through victory, but even if it had had the will it could not in the nature of things wrestle satisfactorily with the great internal problems of the Dominion. That must be left for the Parliament to be elected shortly, and the only party that can be trusted to do it is the party that inherits the traditions of the long Liberal-Labour ; regime.