NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 690, 15 December 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

....:,. ;.:■;.!■■ ; - p— —+— -ttt// :. ■+ -.;}:, .The ; pubjjc will bo puzzlgd to under stand•':the. attitude 'of the' Prime. M}N istejj last ■' eve'njng in connection :wjtl Clause ; 4 'of the.:- Defence -Bill; : 'Th'i clause authorises the' mating of regula tiojis by'.tjje" GQyernQ'r-inTCouncil,.;an'( on>these, regulations practically;', depend the' successful; working .of'the' proppsei now system of cqmpiilspry 'military; train i'rjg.-.:.'. ,The regulations, \n-ikci;.. are cjuli> as.irn'po.rtant' as clauses pf; the;; BiU, :■ iand Stiie, '/p'o'wp; :place'd,.in:'theVhahdß.'qf;.jihq : .Gbyornmeii in this respect' : 'is so; sweeping as tp'.in elude- "anything, deemed necessaryfor'ei fectuaUy 'carrying, this Acjt into- pfffici,! When this.' clause canie up; for , cpnsidor atipp, - : tho';Leader of J the V Qnpbsitioi hioycq'.'an-;a'ddi|;ipn;^' > it'-tfl''proyidQ'''thfi '.the'..α-egulatiohs as gazetted : slipuld bj laid ;ion"• the* tablp ;of' the ; Hpuso. '■'.] Th j proposal, onei' would "think; ;could" rip possibly':be 'objepted"to.,i'The;,'regiilatioii arc^re'ad"with I .and as parf of. the.'A'ct and seeing, thai;. the .Legißlaturo 'js ire sp.pnsible. for 'the. passing !of all Acts: i purely is not unreasonable pr itt.any.'wa; but of..place that rijembers' shpuld hav, laid, before thernsucjj' rogiilations/ as "rpa; beiramed;under..tlj'o.Apts so:parsed.!,-ji th<3 of the'. Defence Act under re view,, it was.not Iqnly:;proper that thi course should ■bq followed, but extrcjnel; desirablo becauso the regulations mus necessarily .be of .such .vital importano in the supcessful VwprkinK ipf : ;thov : Act But' for- some. uriaccbunt'ablo reason, (3ii Joseph Waho' r'isfused ; to > acceptUhe; ab 1 dition moved,; and 'making the■'. questioi a party' one, .supceeded'in. securing it rojection. Tjip ] gxcuse .; t}iat \ |;h existing defencp regulations are hotjaii before-Parliament is'.quitc without.force Apart from the fac); that in England al such .regulations arc promptly njacej be fore Parliamant," |ho introduction' of'. system of : compulsory military, trajhinj is a departure which in itself create? a: entirely" new.'.'situationi so .jar.:, as thi country is. cpneerned, and ione thatcall for the exercise of "great tact iand:j)idg ment in putting;it-into force.'. SIeVM/ie Sey's proposal would have ensured {tha the regulations affecting this newVsy'ster would come directly under; the scrutin; of Parliament, and any weaknesses whiel : might creep into them would be muci more certain of detection and correctioi than'i if 'they, werp merely, published' V thoGazettc. AVe find it difficult to uhdet stand '.the Prime "Minister's .' attitude 'What; has ho to feari.:.'" ; ,;„'■ . : ' .- ;. : '* •/■ ' ''■■■■■.-■ '■■•■•'■■■ ■''■■ '■■■■■■■■'■ ■-•■■'■ •■' :^'l; ■■:■';: A. SOME WHAT ;remarkablo : incident is re corded in connection with the .proceed jng in: Parliament this, week ..Jt would, seef that on Friday jfjsfc," on the;Peath ,t)utic Bill, De. ..' FiNpuv,. in the Legisiatfv Council, ivpnt 'out of his way ;to ; refer t "a certain section of politicians" wh had, so he alleged, approved the Bill as i whole and damned it in detail;. ■'.-' ,: '; : -', '.- iS'otMng (so runs the report ; pf his speech n-as ipore'pyrjnjis to the Jrppartjal pbsorver c politics than. tee assertions and jinconstiou cijnt; usca'.fhm a J?jll' of this .kind was dii cussed. Ho had had tjio ppjipj-tunity i ot lister ing tq;,somo qf thp mpst'uumiliEated cant '6 the. part of these , poljtinians,' used in'ths nntur of criticism, ;that he had over heard. ■; "Jlie, tell jrou that thoßjll is all'right'in principh bpt \n j;hp nex): breath they rofef" to 'it , a spoliation' and' confiscation, and condemn it i till, its details,", ho cpnjdnued.' This but:'b; traycil: the true, attitude : and 'idling of; thbs who relied on this .kind of absurd , ' cint'.' '.','■ i< , '■ T() all appearapces these remarks appliei tp.the merabef's'ori the in the; Lower House, and Dii. who, as Leader of the Upper Houses ha displayed some admirabje qualities.: wa? in this 'case,' guilty'; of' a.breach 'of' Par lianientary qustbm.V The. Leader-.' of'-th Opposition made, a protest against thi breach'. 'He'said. that:. • • ■ ' : . "he gathered from the'morning papers that th Lcader.of. the- Legislative Council had listonc' to.speeches in _thp:Honso and repljed to thei: in a very caustic manner ia the Council. Tlier was an; nnwritten:'law, which •'.-hitherto' : liai been very etrictly- observed, i that' no nptic slipuld. be taten'.in- one Chamber ,pf. the dt bate^' in : th« qther,'. Jfe,. was sorry that: );lii riilo haiLlifen Jirplcen, and "niiggestcd' that tli House should -tidhsidor':'whether,'the pfoyjsip, pi.p. spoeia) ga)lcry for'racmliDrs pf thi) Legit lativo Coijncij should, bo; (jifcpntifiued in fu jbtire.".--- •.'■.'.';;■'.■ ■"-■":.'.■■■.' \i ; ■'''■'■■'• \ : -" ■■'.'■■ .' .;' One would thought tjiat the bffcpd ing Jfinister. would ,hay<s been, glad; to'je the matter e,nd. at tjijs, hut μ^nfprtunafx:! , this was/not the; ca'ssv.He claimed that u

was referring to critics, of the 'J3il} wherever they might bo, and presumably not merely to those in the Lower'Chambor. However, whatever .the.merit of his cbhtoritipn in this respect might be, there is no room for doubt as to the directness of his attack in his subsequent reraarks:, . "There is pho" (he said) "who protends such n religions regard for the traditional rules, 'jncludinff respect for another , plnce—letliim dsk' himself whether"ho lias not timo and again offended not only against good taste, hut against tho best traditions of the British Parliament in his reflections on a House to which'ho (foes not belong."; ' ."" . . .' . . " ; ; This sort of thing is very improper, apd it is surprising to. find the, - AttorneyGoneralj in his high and responsible office of Loader of tfro JJpper House,' 5.6 flouting Parliamentary custom. We can only take it that the. strain of the session's. work Js telling its tale on the tempers of niciiibors and Ministers alike, and that things arc being said and done which under more wholesome conditions would not be possible .'." '. '■- ", .--■ •'■ )•"■ '" -';'\"' :■ The little dialogue that took place on Monday between the,'. Prime. Minister and' Mn. Massey regarding the\Gaming Act seems to indicate that the ■ Government is as determined as ever to lend its protecting «aid' to the spieler. . From end to'erid pf the country the newspapers have been steadily condemning tho Act of 1907 that confers a- status upon bookmakers. Begardless of party, tho press and the public have demanded, in the 'nibst- emphatic and unmistakable way,, that that, disgraceful, enactment shall bo amended in the interests of pub : lie decency and the national -weal.' I'hc Ccimrajssjpner'of Police' Kas^shown that it has. 'encouraged criminality—practically nobody has defended.^it save ' the bookmakers, '■ their patrons, and the' Government. '' Ity is" a complete' mystery .tc most people why the; Government has noi repealed tho offensive' clause 1 of the Act: and the Government miist be that some very/unpleasant ; suggestions have ■been', made' i'n : explanation of that niystcry. When, on Monday, tho member' loi Franklin gajd that he"■irould'fto delightec to 'have , an opportunity of .-'.destroying ' the' privileged' status, of the bookmaker Sir Joseph Waed replied: "You ,'wil! have the' qpportfinjj;y ytjij want,' and ai the satne- timo.' : .yi)U: will have an,.oppor tiinity. of -knocking.' the.l fcotalisator. put ..'. The- bookmakers and: tot-alisatori go hand 'in, hand. , ''. -The r of th< Loader of the House is beyond under standing. Of-course the tqtalisatbr ant the: bookmaker do hot go hahdin haiid Why then should' the PhjMp .MfNiSTEE d: tli« .country say they • do?; ; It ■is "quit* plain; what •the Prime Minister has :ii view. • The. only .interpretation that eai |)e put. on his words is that heis' goiri) , to;, shelter. |ho bookinaker behind .the total isator—-he is threatening those ■ who sup port the.totalisator.that unless they sup •port the .bookmaker they will lose'',-th) totalisator; But .why? Why shoijld.'tfe rt'eacl--(}f,the;.Qqyerhr|ipnt show sucl) splici tude for■ the';, bboktnak'ers ?. /.Siir tjpsppj Ward-is an' astute: politician rand h-surely-must' realise that on this fiuestio; hp '■■ will., )iave arrayed ' him prac tically, every, se.ctipn .of. the- cbmmiinit; exception of the bo.okmakers.'ani their friends. "■.;. ]):■''/ .-'-,-'.■ j'/.;'V T