The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1910.

Evening Star, Issue 14514, 4 November 1910, Page 4

The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1910.

The House of Representatives was in a working mood yesterday; Parliament, so much so that tho

Leader of the Opposition declared that a " record " had been established, and the Prime Minister, as taskmaster, felt justified in acceding to Mr Massey's request for a comparatively early adjournment. We may remark incidentally that the session inight have been over by this time if similarly industrious habits had been adopted from the start. A considerable amount of more or less important business has been set down for to-day and .Monday, but there is likely to be a weekend exodus, the claims of the Christchurch carnival being, of course, of imperative urgency. After this spell the stress of parliamentary work will doubtless be severe and uninterrupted till the end; but we would again urgo that the end ought not to be hastened by the employment of "rushing" methods. The electors do not wish to read of Bills being passed through all their stages at a single sitting, either in the House or in the Council; and it seems to us that if the remaining business is to be properly discharged our legislators should not display a hankering for their homes until the first week of December. "Unfortunately we cannot leel confident that there will be no repetition of the. undesirable kind of proceeding which has been so severely criticised in past years. The debate on the second reading of tho Licensing Bill was surprisingly brief, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition being the only speakers; and there will be some difference of opinion as to whether this unexpected phenomenon points to a favorable or to a stormy course in tho Committee stage. It may be that many members are perplexed as to the line they should take, and desire to gain as ranch time as possible for consideration before committing themselves on a subject which is apt to exercise a strong (not to say a mischievous) influence upon voting at parfiamentazy ejections. We stilji think that

tho introduction of the Bill was a blunder on tho part of the Government, and Mr Massey had warrant for contending that it had not been genorally demanded; but the prospects of its passing, in one form or another, appear to bo brighter than they were. Sir Joseph Ward adopted a conciliatory tono in explaining tho proposals, and if the Government are pre- \ pared to givo way on clause 3, and separate the local and national issues, it is just possible that the Legislature may be willing to take the opportunity of getting rid of the question. For it cannot be denied that tho measure,has the makings of a satisfactory solntion. It will be noted with some interest that Mr Massey's allegiance to the principle of State control of the liquor traffic has been destroyed by a closer study of the arguments pro and con; but we still entertain the idea that New Zealand will experiment with that system sooner or later. Yesterday afternoon the Houso discussed the report of the Railway Committee, recommending the petition of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association (for official recognition) to the favorable consideration of the Government. This question was fully treated in our leading columns last night, but we may just say that the action of the House in sending the report back to the Committee is rather inexplicable. There is no likelihood of the Committee arriving at a different decision; nor, indeed, so far as we can gather, had the House any such expectation in mind. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Railways, while preferring a comprehensive union, and deploring tho split between the two bodies of railway servants, virtually admitted that reamalgamation is impossible. Consequently, there appears to be nothing for it but official recognition, if the demoralisation of the service is to be avoided, as it must be at almost any cost. Mr Millar does not disguise his opinion that the locomotive men have made a mistake, but it is clear to his practical sense that they must be allowed to judge that point for themselves. He had fought hard to prevent a split, but the breach was now becoming so wide that it was becoming injurious to the service. The locomotive men could make work harder or lighter for men in the other branches. ... If official recognition were given there would be a workable arrangement between tho two societies in force within a fortnight; in fact, the Committee were informed that that would be the case. He might mention that the feeling was so strong that if the general society put a box up in an engino shod it was smashed. In tho interests of everybody the sooner the loco-moti-e branch was officially recognised the better.

'Phis being tho view of the Minister of llailways (in accordance with tho view of the Railway Committee), there would seem to bo only one possible ending to the controversy.