Premier and Governor in N.S.W.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18571, 22 December 1925, Page 12

Premier and Governor in N.S.W.

The Governor of New South Wales has discovered that it is almost as delicate a task to represent the Ki« as to be the King himself. For accepting the .recommendation of the Premier that he Should call a sufficient number of new members to the Legislative Council to give the Government a majority in both Houses, lie has been told very plainly by the Opposition and by the Press that he has committed a grievous blunder. With the ex-Attomey-General refusing to believe that " such a staggering blow is to be struck at the « Constitution," the " Morning Herald " saying that the step is "not only an " error of judgment in itself, but will '''assuredly cause grievous trouble in «the future," and the " Daily Tele"graph" declaring that "there are "men who would refuse to become res' sponsible for such an act, even though "the consequences infant the resignation of the most coveted official posi- " tion in the world," Sir Dudley de Chair is probably wishing himself back on the quarter-deck. And yet it is difficult to imagine what his offence is. He has done that thing precisely which a Governor must do if he is to keep the Crown free of Party politics—taken the advice of the head of the Government. If he had done anything else at all—asked the Premier to get a mandate first from the people, or set himself up as the guardian of the Constitution—he would have been charged by Labour with partisanship and it is far more important that the representative of the King Bftould remain " above "the battle" than that Party feelings should be hurt. It must be remembered also that the matter has been before the Governor for eight or ten Weeks, that he has had ample time to get instructions from the Colonial Office, and that the course he has now taken is the course the King himself took when Mr Ramsay Mac Donald asked for a dissolution while leading no more than a third of the House of Commons. But the Premier's conduct is just political brigandage. His aim is not only "to debauch the Council," as the "Daily.Telegraph" complains, Irat to HBe his majority to flout the electors in the most high-handed and shameless way* Instead of regarding

Parliamentary government as obedience to the will of a majority tempered by the opinion of the minority, Mr Lang has converted it into a scramble by a majority for everything that it can lay its hands on while its opportunity remains. And Jlr Bang is not of course an individual, but a mouthpiece. He does, and is pledged to do, precisely what he is told, which means that this "staggering blow struck at "the Constitution" is a sample of what the community may expect from any Labour Government. New South Wales is paying for its. blunder in giving Labour the opportunity to play the political highwayman, and if we are wise in New Zealand we shall let one payment suffice.