NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1246, 30 September 1911, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Our readers may remember that on Monday last we referred very briefly to ISir J. G. Ward's abusive statement that Me. James Allen was the "grossest misrepresenter". on record. A southern journal considered this attack was a "serious charge," an unanswerable one, and it wondered apparently how Mr. Allen could avoid instantly resigning his iseat and leaving tho country to hide his infamous head. We suggested in cffcct that such an assertion from the Prime Minister did not require to be "replied to" any more than the blast of a factory whistle. One does not • stop to defend .one's character against the petulant boy who to vent his feelings throws mud at you. We might have added, in a phrase of Mr. Birrell's, that the Prime Minister's language was "not criticism any more than is the trumpeting of a wounded elephant." The southern paper seems to have been rather upBet at this view of the situation, for it returns to the subject and says The Dominion "advises Mr. Allen to make no reply to the Prime Minister's charge"! This really almost makes us despair of ever convincing our Liberal _ friends that wild invective is neither criticism nor accusation. Let us bring the Lord Palmerston incident right up to date: A voice (interrupting): You are a liar. Lord I'almerstou: Wlio said that? A voice: I did. Palmerston: Oh, it was you, was it? I thought fo. It is, therefore, of no consequence. To resume what I was sayin?. ... A voice (exultantly): He did not reply! Tin.! 110 is guilty I I proved it! I proved it! Guilt} - ! Guilty! Guilty! Our contemporary's strange impcrception of the difference between criticism and abuse is very common amongst our Liberal friends.

We have said some very strong things at different times about the Legislative Council as constituted, but no one has ever treated that body with greater contempt than the At-torney-General showed for it on Thursday last. The Hon. C. H. Mills asked: (1) Why the Government had not transmitted to Councillors the invitations to the Coronation extended to Parliament by the House of Commons Committee; (2) why the Government had not transmitted to Councillors the second express invitation to them; (3) whether ho would lay the correspondence on the table. In other words, the Attorney-General was asked why the Government had treated the Legislative Council as of no consequence and its members as persons whom it was safe to insult and whom there was no occasion _ to consider, cither as to their feelings or their opinions. In the House the Prbie Minister avoided any explanation of the Government's behaviour, and it was to obtain an answer that Mr. Mius put his question. Tho Attor-ney-General's reply was a scornful intimation that he had nothing to say on the first two questions—that they could read what the Prime Minister had to say about it—and that his answer to the third question was simply "No." That is what the Attorney-General thinks of the Council : that it is too lowly a thing to be worth troubling about. And apparently Councillors had nothing to say in reply to this cold and carefully prepared inault. Next week,!

no doubt, when some Councillor asks an explanation of sonic Bill the At-torney-General will tell him to go and read Hansard, and sec what the Prime Minister said about it in the Lower House. The incident finely illustrates the democratic manners of the new candidate for Mil. Lawiiy's shoes, and it illustrates also the need not merely for the change in the Council's constitution that Mil. Massey proposes, but almost for any change that anybody may propose. Mil. Mills, we aro pleased to note, is making a very proper protest against the conduct of the At-torney-General,

Two of the classes of the Estimates under discussion last evening were those relating to the Prisons Department and to the Cook Islands Administration. Tho House is oxpected to scrutinise tho proposed expenditure in these Departments when the Estimates arc under consideration and to discuss questions of administration, and any matters bearing on the conduct of the business of the Departments. The absurdity of the position in which members were placed may be judged from the fact tliat although it was September 20 the annual reports relating to the Departments for the year ended March 31 last had not yet been circulated in Parliament. In other words, members were asked to discuss and pass the provision proposed to bo made on this year's Estimates for the two Departments mentioned without having beforo tliem the reports of the previous year's administration. AVlion questioned on the subject the Ministers in charge of tho respective Departments stated that the printing of the reports had been dolayod at the printing office owing to prossuro of work. Could anything bo more absurd? Six months after tho closo of tho year the Departmental reports are not available to mombers, who are expccted to scrutiniso the administration of the country's affairs, and who are compelled to pass_ votes for tho coming year's expenditure without having the information before them which is essential to a full understanding of tho position. The funny thing about it is that when pressed about tho matter tho Ministers said the roports would bo ready next week —just a few days too late to servo the purpose for which they aro intended. It is an old trick, and a paltry one, to escape criticism. It is by the use of such potty devices that the Government has assisted to discredit itself.

A good deal of our spacc is given up to-day to matters relating to the province of Marlborough. Settlement in this district began at a very e.arly date in_ the history of New Zealand, but it is only in comparatively recent times that the attractions and advantages of this portion of the Dominion have begun to bo properly recognised. There is a largo area_ of country in Marlborougn awaiting the development which is certain to follow on tho opening up of tho land by better means of communication and transport. The possibilities ahead of Marlborough are indeed enormous, and it is safe to prophesy a great future for tho province nnder tho stimulus of the closer settlement which is now proceeding. Some of tho largo holdings in . Marlborough have already been cut up and subjected to the more intense which is usually tho sequel to subdivision, and it will bo' noted from tho articles which we publish elsewhere in this issue that othor estates are coming into the market in the same way. They will no doubt find ready buyers. Marlborough is also one of tho finest holiday resorts in New Zealand, and its nearness to the city of Wellington makes the attractions of its fine sea bcaches, and tho beauties of its landlocked sounds and charming coves and bays easily accessible to the largo body of city_ people who require an annual respite from the carcs and surroundings of town life, or who are fortunately enough situated to be able to indulge' in a week-end jaunt to the sunny and sheltered retreats which await them across tho Strait.

The protest made in Parliament yesterday over the absenco of Mr. Henare Kaihad was a quite proper one, and should have been made long ago. Mr. Kaiiiau's neglect of his Parliamentary duties is no new thing. His attendance at Parliament—last Eession particularly—appears to bo a matter of the utmost mdifferenoo to him. It is time that the farce of special Maori representation was put an.end to. The system of voting at Maori elections is open to abuses, and the special class representation is unnecessary and at times farcical. The interests of the Natives would be just as well safeguarded by thoso European members who give special attention to Native matters as by members of the Native race specially elected in a special mannor. The votes of each of the four Maori members count for just as much on every question voted on in Parliament as tho votes of any ether and yet they are elected in a quite different manner, and in two eases on an absurdly small poll. One member holds his seat on a poll of 358 votes in his favour, the total votes pollocl at tho election being 730. The average number of voters who polled at the election of each of tho 76 Etiropcau members of the present 'Parliament is approximately 5600, while the averago of the four Native members is 4100. The fact that there is one member of the Native race in Parliament today who has for years represented a European constituency, and has oven filled the position of Acting-.Primo Minister of the country, shows that there is no bar to Natives securing a place in Parliament under the goncral election laws, provided they possess the neccssary qualifications, and the position of Native aspirants would bo improved by tho inclusion of Natives on the ordinary election rolls. It is ouite time that tho system of special Native representation was abolished, or at least revised.