NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 531, 11 June 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

We must congratulate Mr. Guinness on his fc-6lecfcibn' as Speaker of th' 6 'House of JlcnYes'entotivcFfp'r'a'iihird' t'c7&. ! , Despite his 1 recent the. pfospe'ct's of trqubjc'.jvH^n : '.tlie "pfes,ent''P;irmet/it was generally "felt" 'that' thg Gqvelfwhcnt could' not' lo.pt' his claims fe> ,thq .ppsjtion. The member for Qircy, though a follower of Ihe present and past Liberal' Governments, has proved that in high and honoured rbV'bf Mr.'"Speaker 1 ho Snow's no'pSHy. He has Tield "th'e*scal,es ifiapartiallyj r ah'd members of the' Opposition .can : fslj ;oti re-. 'c'cj^ij^^^quar'cqnßiireral^bn'At''his hapqs to" that extended io".thojr opponent? .on th"o GpVer'nmenl side'" of'the" HpusJ!. N.pw member's .will find .in Mb. Guijnre3s one well able aftd.willing to extend to them the benefits of hi's'mAhy years of Porlitf ihentary experience'. The forms bf jirfr ce'd'ufc "are : puzzling things"tt'''the''ypu]3g 'Sp'eakef' can smooth" Vut'many of t]|ijsc v $uzzics for Hjm. : ' W'e.'mHst'.alsQ cojigratulato' Sib Jjos'EfH Wjijri) "on his'B,oiiiin'ce.""lt Is tp'tlitf BhiMß, cjredii" that "he" should ha|e pit diSide" the natural irritation wjusli ho must have suffered from "the seemingly bellicose nature of the remarks of the member for Grey before referred to. Mr. apparently is to'TJe'tlie new Ghairman'pf Gomjiiittces. ''Jfn'quld'jlie with the same success'that Has" characterised ''his' temporary ,'bcc'u;. pancy'oi the oluur, 'ihe House'wjJJ Haye no'jCause .to'complaint ' ." ' •* -~ The announcement yesterday that an indignation meeting of' citizens' will bo h.eld-locally to protest against"the'postponement of 'the' stessiho'" ,df * Parliament appears' to'havq pYoyicled Sm'iich needed verit'lor "the feenngs'of l,he' "pppulaccl tetter's' g.upp,orTin'g |he p'roppsar find ui : gshould be fixed'for the meeting poured in "to this office all day yesto'rday," and from all classes of the community. It seems quite certain that the_ meeting wiirbe.'a large and rep'resenf tatiyo one, and tbat'many' people"who'efo not as a rule take" an actiye" part in such demonstrations will'deem it their .duty'tci aitpnd. ""There is goocj' 'cause'' for : fcqngratujatijppin .this faclj.'.The'abuses' which crept' into the administration of ths affairs of thp Doniiriion wqujd never haye been "tolerated by'a public fully alive .to its real interests.' "The 'great bulk of the people haye been drugged into a statu of apathy by tho'ycars of 'prosperity thfpiigh' wfijch Jhe country hai passed, "They'haye been goßteril to live" in fije pjr.esefl,t'— a 'vqry p^'iji^ant v most.' the country is'reapinig''some'bi.tKe Harvest which is in a measure the outcome of their indifference to the maladministration of their ruler's., Now they are realising that the affairs'of" the country "require the closest scrutiny,' They' arc becoming more and more alive to the need "for car£ ful and ecpribniic'administratipn; Heiiqe thejFpr6test"a'gainst''tlii}' business of'the Dominion"being 'treated wjth'su'ch slight consideration for thsjr Interests'. " The Government has not seen, or las ignored, this awakening. 'Before the* Pjiime .Minister leaves the country he and'"his"col 7 leagues will probably:' have a"'bctter idea of the'real feelings of the public thah.tliey at present "possess. . •'"'■' "*'.' ; '.'"

Althuuph the Hon. A. 'JY*. Jffoap. jyho. recently'spoke 6f "throwing 'p,'- Dreadnought or two at our fchief appears to believe that the country-has incurred no liability in'respect of thcbattleship offer, most people know that there is a little financing to Be "done. "Already suggestions'of a 'special tax ha'yp jjeen made';. It" is'npy cfeaF .Jie Pfiiii's Minister fnCends'tp kepp .the 'public in thp .dark as to his intentions until tlie'end of thfl' year." He-has said nothing to<cn r fl,ble a safe guess to be made as to how h'e means"~t6 proyido the necessary money. ■The public is not likely to regard w.ifth any favour the proposal that special taxation shall be levied for the purpose; or, indeed, tjiat fresh taxation shall ~ty levied for any.purpose. "The fe'iation'per head of the 'population is already enorr mpusly v high.\ Iji. (Jreat Britain', \yhieh spend.s thirty shillings ppi on hpr defences, the total taxation' amounts to only-£2 15s. per' hca,'d'." New Zealand spends jibput six shillings a'head on de'fcjice, including the naval subsidy, arid tins although tie taxation per'head' is over £5. If Great" Britain' is to spend'five times as much' per. head""oii defence as New'Zealand'' spends*'without taking much more than half as much? per head from the people in taxation, it is obvious thal'tho'Government' should be able to. mept the cost of the Dreadnought without levying any fresh taxes! If the ratio of total 'taxation per head to defence expenditure per head were'the'samp I in New "Zealand as in Great Britain','"the taxation per "hcaaV" in;." this" 'counffy should. be "eleven shillings. "jSisgpyeni-! .riient and ''eiVfayaganpe' 'liaye ■ Actually rn'aap iY oyer'free, pounds, arid/are plurig : i'ng the country yearly" deeper'lnto debt! The only' taxation ' proposals. jfchat we should be heailng'of -'arp proposals to refluce'ihe' present staggering' load on the taxpayers shoulders. But this is impossible without a cessatipn of the policy of extravagance and 'waste'. ■ •'•'■"■ ■