REV. J. J. NORTH ON RACING PERMITS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14407, 15 July 1912, Page 6

REV. J. J. NORTH ON RACING PERMITS.

Wo venture to suggest, that it would have been more becoming and effective, to say nothing of being more in accordance with christian charity, if the Rev. J. J. North, before indulging, in a" tirade against the hew Government on Friday, had taken the trouble to mako himself acquainted with the facts. Ho said that "tho new "Ministry had commencod with the "appointment of a new and absurd "portfolio of Minister in charge of "Racing Permits, which since tho last " Act, had been an inconspicuous sub- " division of tho Department of In- " tcrnal Affairs, but-was now elevated " in lonely grandeur and given to the " Minister for Railways, a racing ex"pert." The inference drawn from this by Mr North was that the Government "proposed to give an. im- " portanoe to racing, and incidentally "to gambling, which it had never had " before." When, liowever, it was announced that the Hon. H. D. Bell had. been appointed Minister for Internal Affairs, Sir Joseph Ward protested against a Minister whoso department, in many respects, came in direct contact with tho life and wants of tho people, not being in the representative chamber. Mr Massey admitted thero was something in this objection, and said it was his intention to mako a readjustment, not only of tho ports olios, but of the work attached to tho portfolios. For instance, he proposed that tho work of the Minister for Internal Affairs which particularly affected tho life of the people should be transferred to one of tho Ministers in tho Lower House, and nmongthese arrangements he pro-' posed that the issue of racing permits should be placed in the hands of Mr Herrics. When the latter arrived, however, he, very properly as we think, decided that as a member of the Racing Conference, it would not be right for him to take charge of the racing permits, and ho declined to do so. It was also found that without an amendment of the Act, it was not possible to transfer this particular function, which is specially vested in the Minister for Internal Affairs, and must therefore continue in tho hands of Mr Bell, unless the Act is amended. We suppose Mr North is in favour of tho virtue of British fair play, and of the injustice of condemning any man without a knowledgo of facts on both sides, yet he has jumped to tho worst conclusions regarding tho new Government, and has made an uncalled-for attack in a Prime Minister who, for honesty of purpose and straightforwardness of conduct, has never been excelled in New Zealand.