The Latest Mare's-Nest

Press, Volume L, Issue 14983, 2 June 1914, Page 6

The Latest Mare's-Nest

, Our "Lißoral" friends really would bo much hapnier and would cut a much less ridiculous figure, if they insisted upon a declaration of policy by their Loader. For, wanting a policy, and having no principles to fjj.*.t for and to rest upon, they have no course open to them snvo vituperation and baseless allegation. They discover mare's-nest after -maro's-nest, and experience teaches them nothing. Over and over again they have seen their charges against the Government exposed as oithor foolish fabrications, or <vs still moro foolish blunders, as, for example, in tho caso of the dreadful "espionago regulations" which thoy denounced as a "Tory" innovation only to bo reminded that tho regulations wero tho work of tho late Mr It. J. Seddon. Their latest mare'snest is a particularly fine one, and vory revealing as to tho real stuff of ••Liberalism." On Saturday thc chief organ of tho party printed an editorial of a column and a half in length, attacking tho Government for having "surreptitiously, by a political trick at " onco distinctly deceitful and reprehen"siblo,'' "manceuvred" through tho Hous. last session a clause in tho Customs Act providing that all goods imported by tho Governor should bo admitted free of duty. Ministers aro denounced as "flagrant poli"ticnl toadies," and a torrent of excited abuse is pourod forth over this very trifling matter. . "Even if tho 'Government had "surreptitiously" provided exemption for goods imported by his Excellency—who., of course, comes in for his share of the assault —a paragraph wduld hato been ample for the saying of all that need have been said. But our poor friends in Opposition havo lost their sense of values as completely

as - they havo lost their care for facts.

We need hardly say that tho facts are the exact reverse of what is alleged. The clause providing for the exemption of the Governor's importations from Customs duty was printed in plain black and white iv the Bill submitted to tho House. The Bill was, moreover, referred for examination to a Committee of tho House, which included Sir Joseph ward and Messrs Witty, Buddo, and Veitch. In addition .to all this, tho clauso was road and bu omitted to the House by the Minister when tho Bill was in its Committee stage, and tho Minister explained tho clause and the reason for it_ introduction, and it was agreed to without dissent. In the Council Mr Bell mado special reference to tho clause, which was agreed to without discussion. We have only to add that tho Wellington paper declared that tho exemption from duty of the Governor's importations was provided at the suggestion of "society toadies." Tho fact is, as Mr Fisher and Mr Bell explained, that the exemption was provided at the suggestion of tho Home Government, in order that. New Zealand should in this matter fall into line with the other Dominions. What are we to say of the party whose newspapers are capable of such malice and folly as we have hero exposed? This is, of course, the hundredth occasion upon which the "Liberal" apologists have had to mako the unpleasant choice between confessing to malicious stupidity and pleading guilty of downright prevarication. They will not mend their ways, however: of that we can be sure. We can be sure, too, that the public has noted, not only tho successive offences of tho anti-Reformers in their despairing campaign, but the hopelessly bad spirit that inspires them.