The Evening Star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1909.

Evening Star, Issue 14184, 8 October 1909, Page 4

The Evening Star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1909.

The Governor of the Dominion is not responsible for the pre-

The Opening of Parliament.

paration of the Speech which he reads at the opening of the parlia-

mentary session [except, perhaps, the passages in which his personal journeyings are described]: so that His Excellency must not be blamed for the prolixity and lack of verbal distinction which almost invariably characterise these conventional productions. It could be wished that the New Zealand custom approximated more closely to that which obtains in the Old Country. Trivial topics and minuto detail find no place in the Speech which the Sovereign delivers at Westminster, and there is no good reason why they should be so punctiliously honored ..da.’-similar.occasions at;

Wellington.*. Even at the opening of the short session in June the report of the Speech ran over two columns of ‘ Hansard,’ and we take it that yesterday’s deliverance approaches a “record” in point of length. It is a pity, too, that Ministers persist in overcrowding their legislative programme—introducing far more Bills than there can bo any possibility of passing, and thus playing into the hands of their political opponents, who are always ready to scoff at the subsequent “slaughter of the innocents” and animadvert pointedly on the partial abandonment of over-sanguine engagements. Some day the Government —the present or another—will realise that the due fulfilment of adequate but properly limited promises makes for the enhancement of Ministerial prestige. Apart from these drawbacks, the Governor’s Speech does not readily lend itself,to serious criticism; and it is to be lioped that the debate on the Address-in-Reply, which can only deal with generalities, will not be unnecessarily prolonged. If our legislators are to get home for Christmas, there must bo no delay in tackling the actual work of tho session. One of these days, we are tempted to suggest, Speech and Address may be summarily abolished, without vital detriment to tho public welfare. After studying the various paragraphs of what is virtually a Ministerial manifesto, we offer no apology for singling out and giving place of honor to four short words which occur very near the end. “ The law of libel ” is one of the subjects with which—not for the first time—the Government promise deal. Remembering that a similar announcement was made at the beginning of the session of 1908, we are entitled to wonder whether the present mention of tho question is merely a polite formality, or whether the Attorney-General and his colleagues really intend to press Parliament to remove a crying scandal and satisfy a just demand. We leave the matter at that for the time being, in the hope that the Government Bill will be available for examination in the course of a few days. The paragraphs (reasonably optimistic in tone) dealing with the commercial conditions and prospects of the Dominion synchronise happily with the publication of the figures relating to tho exports from the Dominion during the first half of the financial year, and it is exceedingly gratifying to find that there has teen an increase of no less than £1,833,373 (in comparison with the corresponding period in 1908). Perhaps the largest amount of interest will be excited by those passages In the Speech which tieat of the Land Question. The Special Settlement scheme, the nature of which was first explained in last year’s Financial Statement, is to oe pressed forward; and we may here say that Ministers an.l their supporters will hardly know whether to be amused or to he’angered by the amazingly cool assertion (made in more than one quarter) that this particular proposal has been stolen from the Opposition. Seeing that the Conservatives possess no policy to speak of, it would certainly be cruel to annex even tho shadow of a plank from their flimsy platform; but, in point of fact, whatever credit arises from the introduction of the Special Settlement scheme must be given to the Liberal Government—and in this connection Mr M'Nab must not bo forgotten. The Land Question is almost certain to b© a favorite bond of contention during the next three months. The Leader ol the Opposition prates inconsistently about the necessity of ‘ a vigorous policy of land settlement,” as though it were one of the basic principles of Conservative policy forgetting the bitter, persis ■ tent, and uncompromising way in which bis party resisted all the progressive schemes introduced by the late Sir John M'Kenzie. The Conservatives have never cared one iota about the cause of land settlement in the generally accepted sense of the term; but they care a groat deal about the cause of land alienation, and Mr Massey entertains the hope—futile, as we trust—that a majority in the present Parliament may support his advocacy of increased facilities for obtaining the freehold. Wo do not object (except,, perhaps, in theory) to the freehold element in the Special Settlement scheme, adequately safeguarded as tho proposals are; but, until we have unmistakable evidence to tho contrary, we shall continue to believe that the Government intend to keep faith with the main section of the Liberal party in respect bo the non-alienation of areas held under the Land for Settlements Act. The strange remarks recently made by the Minister of Commerce in tho Rangitikei electorate have naturally given rise to grave misgivings, and the Prime Minister’s first references are ■ awaited with much interest jand anxiety. To quote from the Governor’s Speech:

You will bo Risked to consider further land legislation, devised, among other things, to make rural life moreattractive, to encourage settlement, and to more effectively prevent the undesirable aggregation of holdings. Our own view is that the Land Question (apart from the Special Settlements) might well be allowed to remain on the terms of the compromise of 1907. Some of the other matters mentioned in the Speech may be reserved for a second article; but wo wish to express special satisfaction at the evident intention of the Government to press forward the National Annuities Bill and a measure dealing with the important question of prison reform. The happy' effect of pr Findlay’s inclusion in the Ministry, in relation to the cause of social progress, may be easily estimated, if we remember that only two years have elapsed since Mr M'Gowan. then Minister pf Justice assured the House of Representatives that the New Zealand prison system did not require reform.