THE CORONATION MYSTERY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 135, 5 December 1910, Page 6

THE CORONATION MYSTERY.

We regret that we cannot congratulate Sir Joseph Ward upon the statement which he made in the Hous,e of Representatives on Saturday respecting the arrangements for- the Coronation. He repeated his previous denial that any official invitation had arrived from the Imperial Government for members of Parliament. It was impossible for him to disclose information which, had come to him in confidence, but "it might be that after the British elections an invitation might come."' It is really absurd to attempt to pass off this diplomatic half-truth as the whole truth, especially when the facts are fairly patent to everybody. Nobody supposes that the British. Government would commit the- unpardonable blunder of making invidious distinctions between the various colonial Governments in respect of the courtesies to be extended to them for the Coronation. We know, however, that the Commonwealth Government has received, if not' an official invitation for the representation of its Parliament at ths Coronation, at any rate a condi- ' tionaJ request to see if such a representation can be arranged. As the Commonwealth Parliament has discussed the matter, and the arrangements for its representation at the Coronation have been publicly announced, it is perfectly clear that t^e withholding of the formal invitation was a mere technical matter, and that th& communication which S ; r Joseph Ward declines to divulge was in effect an invitation. It is clearly ridiculous to attempt to make a secret of what has been published to the whole Empire by the action of the Common wealth. It is/xloubly ridiculous to make this attempt when it is defeated by another statement during the same debate. Sir Joseph Ward himself expressed his regret that Mr. Massey had been, unable to agree to an arrangement whicn would ha-ve enabled Mr. Massey and other members to go Home for the Coronation. This surely lets the cat completely out of the bag. Why Bhould there have been any suggestion that the Leader of the Opposition should go Home unless there had been the practical equivalent of an invitation from the Imperial Government? It is not usual for the Leader of the Opposition to go on these occasions, though we should be glad to see the practice instituted. The proposal was unofficially made from the New Zealand side in connection with the Defence Con. ference last year, but the present position is clearly different. Mr. Massey's explanation that his refusal to go implies no discourtesy to the Imperial Government would be conclusive evidence, apart from what has happened in Australia, that in this case the proposal did not originate in New Zealand We deeply regret Mr. Massey's decision, the grounds for which he did not explain, though he hinted that they related to his private business. But, if this is correct, why should not the Opposition be represented by the next in command, as well as by one or two other members, needed to make up its fair proportion of the proposed delegation of eight? It is to be feared that the references of Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Massey to the general election supply the explanation. If Mr. Massey had HWi to. gOi the Premier .would havg. .

proposed an extension of the term of the present Parliament until February, but he saw no reason for doing so after Mr. Massey had refused. Mr. Massey's subsequent statement that he was himself utterly opposed to the postponement of the election must surely mean that this was tho determining point. Mr. Massey would consent to no course which would involve such a postponement, and so the matter lapsed. A reasonable inference seems to be that Mr. Massey was prepared to support the proposal of a Parliamentary delegation and to form part of it jf the election proceeded as usual, and this condition proved a stumbling block. The Opposition even objected to the clause in the Appropriation Bill which proposed to postpone the beginning of next session until the 3lßt of next July. Here it seems to us that the party showed itself unreasonable, for, with the Premier at the Coronation and a general election pending, it would surely be unfair to insist that the business of the House should proceed as usual. It was, however, stated by Sir Joseph Ward that the next session would not last more tlian a month or six weeks at the outside— which takes the matter much further than the Appropriation Bill, and means that, except for formal business, the session will be practically dropped. We do not like this result at all, and it is monstrous that the House should not have been allowed to consider coolly and carefully all the momentous issues involved before coming to a decision.