POLITICAL POINTS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14222, 9 December 1911, Page 9

POLITICAL POINTS.

In the opinion of the Anckland "Star" the fact that Sir John Findlay is a member of tho Cabinet should make him "doubly valuable" as a political asset in the eyes of any constituency fortunate enough to secure his services. Of course a Minister should not be ablo to do more for his constituency than an ordinary member, nor would he if tho Government's power of political patronage were diminished hy the establishment of Public Service nnd Publio Works Boards," such as the Reform Party support.

An ingenious literary contributor to the Dunedin "Star," searching for apposite quotations, offers the following, which fits the subject neatly :~ "Mr Isitt on Sir Joseph: I am in Parliament pledgo for his truth. -• Richard II."

At Ashburton on the evo of tho elections, Mr Nosworthy remarked that bo had three Government men opposed to him, which he took «as a compliment. "Besides that, thoy put two of the belted knights against tho unprotected yeomanry cf the country."

With tho exception of tho land question, said Sir John Findlay at Remuera. there was now very little difference between the two political parties. There are, as a matter of fact, a number of other differences between them. Thursday's polling has indicated at least one other difference —that the Reform Party is coming into power and the Government are going out.

Tho Wellington "Evening Post" thinks that in Sir Joseph Ward's manifesto "the talo of progress is skilfully to.d, but it makes one ingenious assumption. New Zealanders aro invited to imagine that unless such a stalwart as John Ballance had arrived to turn on 'a vivifying wave of Liberalism' the people might have been still on the horrid, torrid sands of 'an insignificant outpost of civilisation,' under a wasting domination of Toryism. Any such assumption is a trifle comical when one takes account of the constituents (all heavily armed with tho vote) for the New Zealand democracy.''

Our contemporary adds that the manifesto, while "very specific about the past," "is cleverly vague about the future." The vagueness is, of course, a reflection of the Government's mind. It is so wrapped in admiration of its own perfection that . apparently it thinks the public will accept it at its own valuation, and that it is quite unnecessary to give any reason why - it 6hou'.d have three more yearn in which to dream away the idle flours- ,

Every party, of course, wants office, remarks the "Hawke's Bay Herald," and believes it is better fitted to hold it than any ot_er. But every party does nob go to the electors on ■ "tjhe strength of the expenditure of public money it has brought about. -We are asked to vote for Government candidates because the Government has spent such and such large sums in their electorates. Where did the money oomo from? Out of our pockcto, of course. It does not appear that we havo anything to be extraordinarily thankful for. And when we find tJiat the cost of administration is yearly increasing, and that taxation ia —.creasing with'it, the. amount of our gratituro very speedily drops- to vanishing point.

What is tho use of the Prim© Minister laying his hand on his heart and declaring that the Government is. shocked at the suggestion that its policy is "spoils to the victors" when Mr James Colvin bluntly confesses to the doctrine that in his public capacity be would discriminate in favour of his friends? Here is tho dialogue, as reported in the "Charleston Herald" .—

Mr Georgo Powell: Do you moan to say, in your public capacity, you would be so grossly unfair as to distinguish .between supporters and opponents P Mr Colvin: I always stick to my friends. He's no man that does not. Mr.Powell: You are unfit for your job.

Old colonists know quite well that our prosperity is largely duo to the freezing industry. The last Atkinson Government had not the advantage of a buoyant trade and expanding revenuo which fell to the Ballance-Seddon Government. The latter came in just when the trade had saved tho Dominion and opened the London market for our produce. That is the cause of our present prosperity. Not Ballance or Seddon or Ward, but tho man who first made the freezing industry practicable was tho great benefactor of this country.

The Liberals did not invent our land laws, says a North Islnnd contemporary. That is practically the work of Mr Rolloston, and all that the Liberal Government has done to alter it has been for tho worse as witness the lease-in-perpetuity, or Mr McNab's fancy tenures, or the ballot.