THE H.B. TRIBUNE. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1914. LIMITED RESPONSIBILITY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 288, 24 November 1911, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1914. LIMITED RESPONSIBILITY.

Sift Joseph W.’.itii Ims a novel point :n f ieri soil!'* i'intt elli:"X Dili' itmi bis lit !< !’<■’* of tbe .a<!ihHustintioii he has contended that he should only !><■ ert vised for the sins of ojnission or commission which cm be a:t;o i;*d to the period during which be occupied the position of leader of the Government. Of course the Premier does not admit himself that then* has Lein any political sinning i’-il* titional or otherwise, but if othei p,, 1 .. err iiiclim-'l to think s,, he , 1 ,s that til' y should not «o back to the .lawn of Liberalism for illnshnt ions, bat confine rhemselves i o the list five during which it j,. v 1., en Lis di-t ingllishcd honor to dine* lot- mi’direct I the affair; of the eo’.iutr.x. It is -i f’t ; r proposition anil we ermnot p« rceive it possible to i'.t’t‘ e th*'* com-ission if the poi’d b, in the inti rct< of fair ph.\. Sir J,,.-, ph clearly cannot lie made responsible fi.r anything done, said. (h| . , mi!** I to be done or -a ; d. bv John Balbmee ..r TUelrtrd John SedJ,>n. \ man cannot fairly be t ried (••■’mes (-omm'ttiil by another. Till r< fore the Premier must reasonaldv I't'd fteelv bo granted this limitatien of ri spoilsd>ility. and it can lie all the mo-e f’-eelv granted when v.. km.v. th Fa< ’em it quite enough , n.wde.l i/.'i ids five y< ars of office |,r>vi'i'‘ vi ample fund for desjrn.’ive citic-tn. S : r Joseph Ims given thi' p<"op'e pient.v of food iol thought- without tombing the work i f d<-0 and l>v-gi>r.<‘ leaders. But the Pl< -:i'* *• f' dl- " ‘ "P !li ' fa r p. r ‘’" posit io') with :>n iiicinsi-tency which .-imithilal e- the whoo' force of his argum* nt. Whde he doc- not " t«h to hie eritie : -ed for the work done bef,,,..- t.’.s lime he. nevertheless, does ui-li to rn-.ke me “f the ■ star’ ] ii iegi-laiion of past Governirents to biilsier up hi- own tottei;,io fHiviou-’.y this will not jl,. n . n <t he hound byTi'is state-

of -it fence. If his opponents agree m t to so Lack beyond his own .■ i'e. i ■ to discover t aulis. oe mint likewi-e avee to stand by such >magr*' virtue- v b.c ran produce in the o.llir pvfi. d. Will PlUmiilT

,io thi- ’ No! ite i Because I.tberali*tn as it i* known io-day could not stand a week without the *uppot t ~f its traditions. It is not what Liberalism is doing to-day or the invsterious forecast of what it may possibly do in the future wliii-Ji establishes its claim upon the country. but rather what it has done in the past. Knowing- this full well Sir Jo.-eph would be wise* to see the danger of Ills scheme of limitation. Indeed. it appears plain enough that while the present provides the opponents of Government with ample subject for criticism, it is the achievements of the past upon which the Premier relies to appease the discontent of the people. -Ministerial journals teem with nauseating repetitions of the resplendent virtues of the Lands for Settlement Act, whereby the land monopolist was forced to give up his acres to the people, the humanitarianism ol the .Advances to Settiers whereby the workers of the s.-.i”! were sticeotirt <l from the clutches of the money lender; the generosity of the Old Age Pension Act by which old age was robbed of its carking care; the Labour legislation which got fair play and fair pay for the workers : banking legislation which saved the country from financial disaster; universal suffrage which gave women a voice in governing the country ; all these and many other -Act* are quoted to show the wisdom .and beneficence of Government. But Busy and all as lie has been Sir Joseph Ward did not crowd these Libi tai tre-asures into his five years <J” office. They were the work of Mr. Seddon. Why. then, does Sir Joseph and liis followers wish to take credit ■'or these mea'ures, when they were passed before he was responsible for the Government of the country ? .According to his principle of limitation lie had nothing to do with this legislation. Roiibi’d of these "star” pi< ecs what has distinguished Sir Joseph’s administration ! He has tinkerid with the measures already passed into Law am! made a few improvements here and there. He La* made a piti-iblv nirncrous attempt to settle th.* land question and failed absolutely ; lie passed nvei* a dreadnought, got. a title, piayed with gambling legislation, increased ta:-;.'it ion to a’ooul £5 S - per head, and last, but not least, he has borrow< d is! millions in five'r ears. It took Mr. Seddon thirteen years to borrow ,£"23.i)<tii.oot>. but Sir Joseph Ward’s Liberalism moves more quickly. Unless the Premier relies wholly on what lias been done in the past he will find his only claim on the electors will be based upon his reputation as the biggest financial piling! r the count)!* lias yet seen. Sir Joseph had better withdraw his limitation proposition and lei the shade of Seddon do a bit of work for him.