MARKING TIME.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 65, 14 September 1911, Page 6

MARKING TIME.

* he debate on the Financial Statement was continued yesterday and very neatly concludtd. Although Mr. Mander's speech concluded almost at the very moment when members are as a ntle most anxious to rise— namely, just after tho Hotifee had reassembled for the evening J&ittiflg— there wa# quite a long pans© before anybody rose to fill the gap. The Speaker had actually called upon the Premier to reply, and the Preniier. wae reluctantly complying when Hi* situation was saved. An Opposition member and a Government member rose together, though it subsequently appeared that neither of them had very much, to say. The House was, however, enabled by their assistance to "pla.y out time," and th« inning* wilt be «• sumed to-day. It. cimnot be said that much was said either before or after the opehing of the evening sitting yes^ terday to make one rejoice that the debate still lingers on. Though not yet certified to be dead, there is really very little life in it. Ministers seem, how» ever, to be quite satisfied with the position. They could have imparted life to the debate by pntting up their besi speakers, or they could have killed it by holding the otheie back. The- middl* course ie proverbially the safe course, but the present ca«e is clearly one of the exceptions to the rule, No harm would be done by a prompt \tinding*up of th« debate, but to let it drag t&rfrely and listlessly on ie a waste of time and a weariness of the flesh. Seeing that there are many good things in th» Budget, one might have supposed that the Government would be glad to advertise them well, but dreariness seems to suit ite book best just now. Probably the main object in view is to gain time. If the debate is to be treated a« a trial of strength, it must nevertheless be conceded that the Government is not getting the worst of it. Thai this can be said, despite the poverty of the speeches on the Government side, is due to the fact that the Budget is not being seriously attacked. It might have been supposed that So vast and varied a programme would have offered points enough and to spare for the sharpshooter* of the Opposition. But Mr. Massey himself was able to approve a good deal of ifc, and his most serious charge against it, as a whole, was that it is "vote-catching." There is un« doubtedly iohd foundation for the charge, but Mr. Massey and his party seem to be so thoroughly satisfied of the truth of th» charge that they do not care to risk the loss of votes by too strenuous an opposition. One member of the party actually oaid yesterday that _ he had no quarrel with the Budget, but. only with the policy oi the Government outside the Budget. Another of Mr. MasSey's followers complained that the Budget had appiopriated without acknowledgment several of the vital points in the Opposition programme. The re> suit is that this exceptionally comprehensive Budget is having an exceptionally easy passage. Among the few points that relieved the dutness of yesterday's proceedings was Mr. Poole's manly and sensible defence of compulsory military training. We entirely agree with him that it will be a great boon to our young men both physically and morally, and we have repeatedly urged that it would be worth having on this account alone, even if it had. no military value. But Mr. Poole surely overlooked the latter a-spect entirely when he urged the reduction of the age-limit. Lord. Kitchener has told us what is needed to set our defences in order, and his recommendation* include the continuance of training till the age of twenty-five. Until Mr. Poole or eomebody else can produce some higher military authority to over-rule Lord Kitchener, neither the Government nor the people can dream of tearing up his report and reducing our whole defence system to chaos arid futility once more. There- was washed up on the I\?tone> beach this morning a BmaU motor launch yvhicli had evidently broken away from its moorings, and drifted thither' &l th& mercy of the winds. The craft is a very neat looking one, painted green, with the deckhouse in, tthite. There is a chain attached to the boat, and it is likely that the anchor was snapped off wh-h the strain. White muslin sailor collars, for wearing with coat and ekirtcostumes; square back, white embroidered spote, faggot stitch hem, at 3s lid each. Kirkcautie