The Dominion. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1911. A TAME OPENING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1191, 28 July 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1911. A TAME OPENING.

•» If the public has any really lively sense of humour it will find rich in entertainment the pathetically humorous speech entrusted to his Ex-' cellcncy for delivery at the opening of the session yesterday. Here is "Liberalism" entering on what its leaders and its claquc admit is certain to be a particularly stormy session, tho final session, too, before the first general election sincc the early 'nineties to which the party in power has had to look forward with grave alarm. An occasion, obviously, for a sharp and vigorous indication of the reality and vitality of Liberal policy; or, in the notorious abscnce of any policy, for either a clever pretence 6f s having one or else a brief call to whatever business is going. The actual Speech is .so pathetically none of these things. that its wearisome periods will dishearten those "Liberals" who take their party seriously. Consisting, as it does, of a long and pointless recital of past events unconnected with politics, topped off with a vague and innutritious allusion to a l)unch of measures the purport of which is not even hinted at, the Speech has a wistful air, as of a timid reverie that means nothing and that hopes nobody 'will pay any attention to it. The honest and sincerc section of the Government's supporters looked, no doubt, for a refutation of the nasty people who have asked, without receiving any reply, for even a hint of the Government's policy; they have received nothing but a -mass of ungrammatical and not altogether reliable news. It is not easy to treat the Speech seriously, but the thing must be done. His Excellency has been unusually sparing in his exercise of that right of, interpolation which most of his predecessors have exercised in their anxiety to wash their hands of the opinions as well as of the grammar of their Advisers. He gives, for example, in the first person, and without any qualification, the opinion that "contentment and happiness obtain everywhere." AVe are very doubtful indeed whether even Sir Joseph Ward would say Quito that, with discontent echoing from everywhere. If we clared we should suspect that his Excellency's blue pencil was blunted at this point by his sense of humour. "Contcnt'Jient and happiness obtain everywhere' ! It would have been a pity, we admit, to spoil it. . "My Advisers," however, have had to take the responsibility for the prophecies of "an augmentation of the prosperity" and of a grand outlook for the labouring man. To traverse the whole Speech would be a waste of time, and would serve no useful purpose. Those who have little leisure for reflection will say. "Paibb'isl? 1 !" after five miiTutcs anc ' the others who read on K. cf lnc ' t ' lc ""conscious humour of tho speech for themselves. AVe must confine ourselves to the sentences that deal with the legislative intentions of the Ministry. Tliev occupy only one-tenth of the Speech, and they might as well have been omitted. We were not wrong, after all, in supposing that the Acting-Min-istry s nerve-shattered condition would prevent it from daring even so. politic a thing as a vague promise a Land Bill. A Native Land JJiil is promised, which is to "deal with various .matters that have been noted in practice during the period since the Act came into operation." We trust that one of the "'matters noted is the Mokau land transaction. Other Bills promised, but left unexplained as to their intention, concern workers' compensation, wages protection, industrial . arbitration, plumbers' registration, patents, poisons, local, bodies loans, marriage, chemists, births and deaths, seamon, mining, and local government. Mr! Massky has provided the one respectable item in the programme, namely industrial insurance. This is the fiphting policy of "Liberalism," the ringing clarion call in the hour of trial! Or, rather, it is almost the whole policy. For we had almost overlooked tho item, which, since more space is given to it than 'to any other, must, we assume, be considered the principal proposal. This is nothing less than "the eradication of noxious weeds"' Had Sir Joseph Ward been here the opecch would not at anyrato have shown up so completely the nakedness of the Government. He would have been able to write, in his confused but rather ingenious way, a Speech that might have appeared to mean something definite. He would have been able to make even present-day "Liberalism" appear to havo enough solidity to cast something like a faint shadow. But without him the > bodilessness and transparency of "Liberalism" is made pathetically .apparent. The ludicrous emptiness of the Speech is the most pertinent criticism of the Government's desperate case that could be imagined.