NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2018, 27 March 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

i . A very good point is made by a ecMitcitipom'i' regarding Sir Joseph Ward's refusal to disclose tile -policy' oi the. Opposition. The excuse put forward is that the Government would steal it, as they fed stolen the "Liberal" policy before. This is law enough imder_ any circiimstane'es, as is pointed out,, it is a peculiarly unfortunate plea, in view of the persistence with \vhieh the Wardisfcs insist ort de-diving that the Government are 'Tories, ft the Government really had stolen the .policy of the "Liberals,*' they eoulJ hardly be the "Tories" and" "rcftfi- . ti-onarics" -which the 'W&rdists clclight in picturing them to bo; and if they; are ready to seize and adopt as their own the wonderful policy which Sir. Joseph Ward is keeping so seoiirfily under lock and key, then less th«n ever.can they be described as "Tories." It is to be feared that Sir Joseph will have to find some other excuse for his failure to pre-' .duos a policy; otherwise he and his friends will have to abandon their attempts to brand their opponents as ''reactionaries." The Hcfor'm Party should be vary much obliged for the tribute which the Leader of the Opposition is so frequently pay. ing to their progresK-iveness. The; surprising thing is that, so whole i sotiled a patriot j -oiic who is always i telling us of his disinterested devo- i tion to Ins have the' slightest objection to the Dominion i receiving the benefit of his wisdom, whether it is at the hands of the Massev Government or anyone else* ( If he really has a policy which is to '' bo «f such tremendous benefit to the people of New Zealand, why should lie fear that his oppo-neats might

adopt it and tiring it into effect. Is hot that what he wants? or is it that his devotion to the country has its limitations, and that ho wants liis quid pro quo in the shape of office before he will consent to shower his beneficent gifts on mankind. Or is it that, as so many suspect, the hatching process is not j f e.t completed and the policy is still in tho incubator ?

Thb young aviator, Ms. ScotLakd, has good reason to feel disgusted with his ill-luck in Wellington. It is not merely that he has suffered a very great loss in the serious injury to his machine and had » narrow escape from losing his own life, but lie has a very real grievance against the treatment he has received hers at the hands of the, public as represented by those who attended to witness hia flight. The attitude of a section of the crowd at the Athletic Park last week, when the strong breeze prevented him, going aloft, was most unsportsmanlike, and unreasonable. No doubt it was due to ignorance of the risks entailed by going aloft in such weather, but it was none the less offensive to one who has proved himself a plucky and enterprising aviator. That he acted . wisely was plainly evidenced by the accident which followed on his subsequent flight, and which, by the greatest good fortune, tlid not.end even more seriously. Me. Scotland was well aware of the risk which he took on Wednesday when he decided not to again disappoint tfrose who had assembled to witness hia flight, and but for unwarranted hosshown to Mm on the- previous occasion when ho deemed 'it too dan* gerotis- to attempt to fly, he probably would not have yielded to fcis desire not to again disappoint the public As it was his anxiety to meet the, wishes of the sightseers has Cost him his .machine, and ■mi.prh.'t easily have, cost- him his life. Much, sympathy .is felt with him in his loss, and fiie suggestion has been made that an effort should be put forward to re-' cffimpeitse him iiy_ raising public, sub-sctipti-oiis to defray "thft loss he has suffered from the injury to his: machine. _ Already donations have been received, and prabaily there afe ijiany .eitiams who would like to' afford similar evidence of their sympathy with him both in his misfortune 'and in 'connection' with the treatment hs received which, after all,, was mainly responsible for the accident

Mr, P. C. Webb, Social Democrat, appears to be getting very ahxiotis about his seat, -and with good reason. While his brother leaders of the Red Federation-Social _ 'Pemocrttii-c brotherhoad art* talking very emphaticaUy of their contempt- for the "Liberar! ,l?a.rty,. and those 1 behind' it,, Mb.'Webb, whose seat is vcrj? .shaky,' urges, ai.iia-n-cc- with the Wafdists' in order to put M% MassEy out dad S.ie .Joseph War-p in s 'Incjdc-fitai'ly,. of coueso, Mil. We£s'b hopes by this means to retain -his own- seat as .mem,* bcf.for Gfey> It.is -t-ini-to. delightful to note the manoeuvres of the .different political groups just now,. The other- day., it will, perhaps he recalled, the- local Wardist j.ournal madfl' a wild pngfa-ught on the s'heepfirmcrs of Hawko'.S Bay fox. da-King to eo.tnbinc to -batter p jo'tect their in* tel'ests, The swggos'ti&n. was coilvcy* qd that ;in some w ; aj this an itnproper movement agai-risfc Labour; the purpose hehiffld' fte attack ,on the farfflers-i $i course., being to assure Labour that the' Wardlsts were their frtends, and that it-Vas the, wvctchfed ■supporters of the Reform Jart-y who Were forming the association -of far--1X10.1*3. In the eurrcftt issue oi the •oiicial organ ©f : th,e Rod Federation this little trtek'is- neatly, -exposed; by a ge-ntlernfl-ii. narncd M'Ewzili, <vhb■says;

"Thf a-ir of {pnoccnee witlj wlikl thefttttivHSes o£ \M Sheep-owiiera' XWon -are d'isavo'jved aij.d chargecl. to the .Siasseyites is what needs ta our wa.fte.fe.'The fact tlvat Jitt, S. E. Wright is m-re-tary of 'the 'Hawks's Bay Biivplb.yers* Assoeiatian, awl t'hftt that. a='6Bci;rfion is liirgfely if not wlißlily Ltbciwl ivf.s eon 7 veiviently ignored, The i.iii-i>.!jj;ati-:m all tbrpngb is .that tho 'Slasseyites aiid the fiqusitters. are' i'l'i o : ne pafty : Sind the Liberals are til? only iieo.ple for. tlse' workfrs to trust in. If- • tlw Wotferif could ba hroujrht to See that ■}'« tho life and .death sttii.gglo before- lieni tho only people- to trust is t'henrse.lves, find Liberalism and Xtti-sse-yites jirf'h represent iiitti'ESte wivosi! very existence depend'H upon the' subjeetjo'.ft of tho worker-Si tlieu indeed, etc,, etc."

This little expbsMe is fittingly dealt with, in the editorial. col'iv.rojrs of the Red Federation's journal:

Thi?. latest effort, then, it says, to smash the 'bftH&thas. against Labour; to look this doors of javlnuiient With its political iinUiatives to Labour; to bar the gates 'Of the. AThtontifl].! CaiWt and its industrial palliatives to Lahoiir; to wrest the strike W'Bapni! Out of Mi,? jiaittls of Labour, m the joint ted of titietal capitalists .aiul. H-et'otivi c<vpUalls'i?., who are .eoiiibined in. a union' of exploiters that exists solely tc "fight Labour.''' La'lxw ft'u'fst rely p» its *>wn industrial and political .strength—must organise on the industrial fleW, l.flurt organise olt the political field, anil Labour must Ira ready to fight too LfeM goeniy as. Wel'i as the Kefwia enemy—for, after nil,'in each cKsfi it i-s the wrae enemy OTsojuerading ■' under a different ntimo aii.d incMflinp in sham fig.Ji.ts and ttwslc heroics for 'Labom's diversion while Labour is being 'plundered.

*Ebus we have tl'lo official organ of the Bed .Fedcratioft'Social Bemocrafcic organisation donßiincinp; the "Liberals" equally with the Slasseyites; we have the- leaders of 'the Sociah'Pernoerats in Ohrtstehiircli branding the new organisation founded there by tka Wariists as a "s.c-ab" organisation; . and at the sairie tifjis we have that bright and shining example of Social Democracy, Mr. P. C. Webb, urging alliance with the forces so denounced. Things certainly appear very trtuch. roixcet anw.ngsi the Labottr*S&cialist« as well as affiOftgsfc the 'Wardiste.