POLITICAL POINTS.

Evening Star, Issue 12551, 8 July 1905, Page 6

POLITICAL POINTS.

Tli© country's legislators have kept with commendable agsiduity tho even tenor of their political way during the 6econd parliamentary week. Their hours have been almost as respectable as their language, and a little more so than tlieir appearance. Of course. ;ts proverbial philosophy has it, "It isn't, the coat that: makes the man ; it's the hat," and the opening of the session again impresses upon the casual observer the very ovidenfc fact that the House is not a seminary of manners. It is rather an object lesson in life's little dishevelments. Bat though it may be hatted smd hirsute to an unenviable degree, and its language may he as " frequent and painful and free" upon occasions as that of Bill Nye,* it is apparently (so far as tills session is concerned) temperamen tally well disposed towards work. There is, of course, something of the wisdom of tie serpent in this virtuous disposition, for all the Argus eyes of t,he cojialituencios are upon the doings of tlieir elect, and the inevitable political day of reckoning is close at hand; indeed, the general attitude of the Houte is reminiscent of notliing eo much as the complacent and amiable, excellence of behaviour of the soiall boy for the few weeks immediately preceding a Sunday school picnic, and, ethically, our legislators' very present righteousness is just about as moral. During the week the pure Young Party of Reform, or, as .they prefer to be known, the New Liberal Party, blew in like a stormy petrel with an elaborate official statement- of their aims and objeots in the rough. They arc apparently a sort of Leaseholders' Left Wing, but tlieir platform is us comprehensive almost us a dictionary and as elaborate as a feminine toilette. It is more Viborid probably t-hnn this simile might 1 imply, and to a great exient it covers tho Government's policy but decks to challenge their administration The definite announcement of the personnel of tite mw party created sonic surprise when it was iound that the ox-Government junior Whip (Air A. \V. Hogg) had thrown in his lot with the reformers. It is quite a new role to find Mr A. W. Hogg preferring to serve in Heaven rather than ieign in Hell. Air K. j M'Nab and Mr Fowids, who apparently I coquetted with the young party for some time, ultimately decided not to embark upon so adventurous a voyage into inknown seue. The member for iVLataura was regarded with specially longing eyes, hut after toying with the prospective delights of freelancing which were dangled before his eyes, he "forbore to come and emulate Goldsmith's party hero who, Born for the universe, narrowed his mind, And to pariy gave up what was mejijit for mankind, Though fraught with all learning, yet straining his throw, To persuade Tommy Townshepd to lend him a vote. I The New Liberal party, in a. spirit of vn. iji'uli£eu aggressiveness, simply took charge of the proceedings in their debut, and traversed the administration of the Government with anything but kid-gloved hands, however faultless that administration maybe. Whet e. it erred from faultiness the new party spared it nothing.. Party honesty is, of "course, very often only party expediency ; and it may be that the new organisation has secret ambitions which it does not care to exploit too openly. Be this as it may, its effective action has so far tended to show that it will probably be a power in the House which is not likely to he ignored. Its combination is solid ; its critical ability is brilliant and vigorous, and it has the full strength of its convictions. Under these circumstances it bids fair to be the most substantial thorn the Government have had in their side for years.

New parties are as common in the House as the hips and haws of the autumn ledger. The genesis of the New Liberal party has been responsible for the formation of the New Country party under the leadership of Mr "Roddy" M'Kenzic. with Mr A. W. Rutherford a* an energetic Whip. This organisation hae been nursed into life for the express purjwe of combating the policy of the New Liberal party. 'The Country party, although approached wilh lauivls and olive leaves and other tokens of peace, declined to allow the Opposition country members to throw in their lot with, them. The Country party have no platform; they simply wield a blackthorn. They realise that the town dweller of the day has a champagne instinct with a beer income, and suggest that the increased price of living has materially affected the position of the town d"w>eller. The town dweller wants the tax upon household requirements lesssened, but the country nie-n----bers object that a remission of the duty upon the necessaries of life means an increase of the Land Tax and the burd-n generally borne by I lie taxpayer. The Ministry, it is pointed out. are purely a city Ministry, and it is necewary that a strong Country party should keep an eye on future industrial legislation. This party, it is understood, consider that, whilst the existing Labor legislation is all in the interests of the colony, it has gone far enough, and that it will only tend to further trouble and disorganisation if further amendments and exploitations are permitted in. The Country .party intend to vote solidly and emphatically against the Now Lib-ral party, and, whilst they have no elaborate plunks for a platform., they propose to wield a j most obstreperous blackthorn.

Mr M'Nab is an old oampiipnier, and he was not long in getting his Absolute Majority BiU upon the Order Paper. As a reward for hrs expedition, the Bill came <,n as the first Order of the Day on private members' day. There if naturally some fluttering in political dovecots at the near appioach of the General Election, and there arc quite a number of members v.-ho would rejoice at seeing some form of majority representation placed upon the Statute Book in preference to the present primitive and unsatisfactory elective system. Members generally had a not unnatural sympathy with this Bill, and it received such a warm reception as to almost justify its passage. The question of minority representation naturally figured largely in the. discussion, and there was a good deal of bickering and the exchange of not a few discourtesies concerning the practical disfranchisement of certain constituencies before the Bill passed its second reading on tbs voices. This is not -quite such a hopeful for its future as might be imagined. There is> a large sympathy vote in the House, as well as a, strong inclination to frame tome legislation that will render the ordeal of choice by the electors an ordeal which will be representative in its character. * . * ' -X- vf * * , After tile exhibition of Scriptural knowledge given by Mr M'Nab and Mr Laurenson in connection with, an interchange of courtesies anent the formation of the New Liberal party, the Bible-in-schools people ought to be stirred to still further enthusiasm. Both the gentlemen concerned are eminently Scotch, and they have not hitherto been suspected of such a frivolity of disposition as would lead them to such a light and airy exploitation of the Bible. The question as to whether this whole correspondence was not a. trine profane is one for the Presbytery rather than tho Press gallery, and it is certainly definite that certain members of the House are not so often Biblical as bibulous. Mr Hone Heke is an exception, for when he triad on Thursday night to quote Scripture for his purpose in connection with the I>ivorce Act Ameadn?ent Bill he was promptly called to account by»the Speaker, who ruled that tho Bible and the Order Paper were quite distinct as literary productions, and that so far as the House was concerned the Order Paper took precedence.