THE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 133, 12 June 1909, Page 4

THE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

The 'House of Representatives did not make the rapid progress yesterday that was expected; and the chances aie that it, will tako a week before qualifying for the three-months-and-a-half holiday which it is determined to take. My. Herdman « adroit move with his Public Service Bill kept the Houso going on that important subject for the whole morningi with the result that the debate on the Address-in-Reply did .not begin till ths normal time in the afternoon for the meeting of the House, and at 11.30 p.m. the House adjourned with the debate slill unfinished. Wo are. glad to &cc that "the conspiracy of silence" which was expected on the part of the supporters of the Government in order to hurry the business through was not realised. The Premier, the Hon. T. 'Mackenzie, and fover»l private mpmbsre oa the Government sidfe (.golk part in. y«fiterd»y'«

debates, and the Premier especially did* not stint himself for time. Very properly, in the debate, Mr. Massey met the usual motion for the presentation of a respectful address to tho Governor in reply to his Excellency's speech by an amendment that the proposal for an early prorogation of Parliament should be disapproved. Though this is the one question upon which everything else at present depends, the interest has been taken out of the discussion by the proceedings of the informal Parliament, which met on Monday, and it was not to be expected that speakers on either side of tho House would throw any new light upon it yesterday. So little has the Premier learned from the different receptions given to the ,two resolutions, which were submitted to the caucus, that he actually quoted yesterday the opinion of a gentleman wfyo was formerly a member of the House, and still calls himself an Oppositionist, that the Premier should attend the conference, as though that was the question in dispute. It is a weariness to point out at this time of day that the Premier's attendance at the conference and Parliament's non-atten-tion to its duties are really entirely distinct issues. Whatever may be done at the conference, the most important service that we can render to the Empire is, as Mr. James Allen argued, to protect our own shores, and we hope to see Sir Joseph Ward turning his attention to this neglected work on the lines advocated by his late Minister of Defence, after the conference is over.