NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 933, 28 September 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

We must congratulate the. Prime .Minister on,the good news which he has been able to announce in connection, 1 tho Vancouver mail service. According to the statement published,. Sir Wilfrid Laurier has informed Sir Joseph Ward that the Canadian Government is not v only willing and anxious that the Van-couver-Australia . mail ;' steamers should call at New Zealand, but, is prepared to insist that this country shall bo. made a port of call. For some time, past Canada has : been favourable •to New Zealand.' being: included in the service, and the contractors also been willing,--but the Commonwealth .Government has objected. The .position at present is that New Zealand has offered a subsidy of £20,000 per ' annum if ' the Vancouver mail steamers will call at Auckland. When this proposal was made, in, 1909. it'seemed likely at one stage that, the"Commonwealth Government .would'fall in with it, but later it, decided to renew the contract for a year on the existing basis. The year will expire in Julyj. .1911.''••''Recently the Canadian Government called for tenders for a new service to commence iij August, 1911, alternative routes being stated. .'ln two of tho routes specified Auckland was Included "as'a port of call. It is under this new contract, presumably, that. New .Zealand: will secure, the service. There yet. remains, however, the decision of the' Commonwealth, in, the matter. Canada's decisive stand will, '.it is to be hoped, -.have the desired effect, in .inducing the Fisher Government to consent to'the'proposed change.,,':,,,;. •

There' was a' further period of wrangling in the House of Reprcsentativos' yesterday, afternoon', on the subject of'wasted time.- The.outside public.'probably will remain as much in: tbo : .dark as ever as to ivho, is really to blame for theslow progress made this- session, but: members of Parliament themselves can have -no doubt' on the subject.: ; Mr. G. % Russell, a.staunch.supporter of the Government, summed up the position very.well. Ho.did not, he said, wish to criticise the manner in, which the Government had arranged, the Order. Paper, but it appeared,to him that time .after time. subjects ;had .been brought on .with the, deliberate: intention of creating a discussion that would .otherwise n'ot' : have,;taken pla'ce. Every mernbei\'..of .:thc-House knows. that .this is a correct" statement ,'of what has ■'•happened;,;-. They know perfectly well .also that.tha Prime Minister was killing time in this way in order.to avoid bringing forward the more ; important business 1 until that stage of the session ha.d been reached when members were less. likely to, give it that close scrutiny which 'would- be - assured; it earlier.- It is an old form of political strategy- with the ,present 'Government and a very-bad one for the country.'. Sir Joseph:' Ward has" been astonishingly clumsy in. his 'manipulation of-the Order Paper during tho present session and the evil has in cqnsequence been more apparent than usual. By the-narrow margin of six votes >ho-. succeeded yesterday in carrying his motion to enable the Government'to force "through, new. business at any hour of the day'or night. The:-House was unwise to agree to this. ; It means.that' the. period of /all-night sittings has begun much earliar than usual " and that members ■ themselves, and ■ the country as well, will suffer from it.. The Opposition, however, are strong enough to 'prevent any .undue " attempt at driving the House being successful and we believe they will, be assisted in this respect by some of the more reasonable; of the. Gov-; ernment. following.:. ■