TUESDAY, JUNE 19/. 1906. THE COMING SESSION".

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 144, 19 June 1906, Page 4

TUESDAY, JUNE 19/. 1906. THE COMING SESSION".

Since it has become definitely known that Sir Joseph Ward cannot be in his place in the House of Representatives until the end of next month, or even the beginning of August, the opinion seems to be growing that the suggested adjournment of all Parliamentary business beyond the formal opening and the passing of an Imprest Supply Bill would be a mistake. Much must necessarily stand 'over till the real leader of the party, the de fucto Premier, as we may J with substantial- accuracy call him, has returned. Much, we may even say, and that the most vital work of all, must stand for some little while after vis return, for it is absurd to suppose that on the very day of his arrival he will be able to rise in the House to produce a cut and dried scheme of Cabinet m- i construction in liifl hand, and to ex- I pound all the details of the policy u.easures of a Cabinet not yet ■in ex istence. A Cabinet is not made in aday, and though hundreds of amateur Cabinet-makers will be at work on ihoir j own account between now and the beginning ,of August, and have indeed alieady made considerable progress, with their numerous lival designs, tho man who is or will bo constitutionally responsible for the business cannot take it personally in hand for another aix weeks yet, - and the utmost that the cable can do- by way of preliminary instruction must count for very little in no delicato and complicated a, matter. It must therefore be remembered that even a clear month's adjournment would not enable Sir Joseph Ward to meet Parliament with a, Cabinet ready made. In order to accomplish that, whatever might be considered a reasonable period to allow him for the work of reconstruction would have to be added ; and as this could hardly be less , than a fort- I night, an adjournment of Isix weeks at | least would be required. To fiuspend the whole business of Parliament for a period representing about a third of the length of an ordinary session would be so abnormal und wasteful a proceed- { ing as only to be justified by dire neces- | city, and we do not think that any such necessity can be proved in Hie present cose. The plea will of course be that tho policy measures of the new Cabinet cannot possibly be propounded until Sir Joseph Ward has arrived and been given time to form his Cabinet and seltle its policy with his colleugues j but tho contention appears to us to be fallacious > in several respects. In tire first, jikce, I it overlooks the fact that there wii 1 bo j a Hall-Jones Ministry in existence when j Parliament meets in ordinary course ; that this will leally form, with the Seddon jMinjetiy that preceded it and the Ward Ministry that is to follow, a continuous Ministiy, representing the same party, composed mainly of the same J members, and standing for the same j general lines of policy. As tho Cabinet of Mr. Hnll-Joucs is merely to serve as a stop-gap, t it could not possibly formulate any new schemes of importance without cqnsulting the man upon whom would fall the responsibility of carrying them out, but a. general consultation could be quite easily carried out by cable. Details oi course could not be satisfactorily discussed in this way, but general outlines cduld be settled 'without any difficulty, and no moie would be needed for the Opening of the session. Indeed, a very little ingenuity would enable anybody with the Govern6r's Speeches , of the last few years before him to construct an admirable programme of approved Liberal principles for his Excellency to unnounce next week without prejudice to the views of any Ministry that might be entrusted with the carrying of them out. The second great fullacy underlying the plea for delay is the assumption that Parliament must start at once to deal with tho policy measures of tho Government and other business of the first importance. As a matter of fact, we all know the very reverse to be the case. The Address-in-Reply offers free scope for, irresponsible irrelevancy of every description, and the House becomes a debating society which has as little thought of the business of legislation as any other society -of the kind. Private members have also special privileges with their own Bills during these early weeks of the session ; and with one thing and another five or six weeks quite commonly pass with nothing f done and .nothing attempted of a serious character, If the precedent is followed in the coming session, the House will -be just ready for serious work by>the time Sir Joseph Ward has returned, and had a fortnight's grace to construct his Cabinet. It would obviously be as unnecessary as it would be unfair to Sir Joseph Ward to make any progress with the big que6,tions during his absence. Tariff revision, national annuities, and land reform must) all wait until his return. Not only could they not bo dealt with by Parliament, but they could not) even be put in form to represent the mind of the Cabinet till Sir Joseph Ward was thero to tuke charge both of the Cabinet and its legislation. But there must already be a large number of minor Government measures in shape, of which not a few will be necessary amendments of a kind that any Government would have to adopt if in power au the present time j and it surely cannot be reasonably said that with noncontentioug business of this kind, with a Governor's Speech on the general lines which accord with precedent and with the wide diaoursiveness of the debate on the Address, the House of Renresenta' tives will not have ample work tt> keep it busy for six weeks or more without touching the larger and more controversial questions. It has olbo to be remembered that this formal and subsidiary work haa to be faced in any event, and that to adjourn for, say, six weeks to enable Sir Joseph Ward to meet Parliament with a Cabineb and a policy would involve a total delay of about threo months before the House could get really to work ; and by that time, according to custom, tflie thoughts of honourable members would bo turning homewards. An adjournment of the kind suggested »ould therefore mean something very like Uhe wast© of a. whole session, which surely would be too heavy a price to pay. In ordinary circumstances the prospects of a stop-gap iOftbinet meetuw Parliament with an uw

complete policy would net be very bright, on account of the opening it might afford the Opposition; but with the reoord majority which Mr. Seddon has , bequeathed to . his late colleagues there is little that they need fear on that score from the attenuated following of Mr. Massey. A factious opposition is not to be expected under the presenb extraordinary conditions, and if attempted it would meet with neither success in the House nor sympathy in the ccuntry,