N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 46, 7 February 1912, Page 5

N.Z. PARLIAMENT.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR OPENING NEXT MEEK’S PROCEEDINGS. [BY TF.I.EC RAPH - SPECIAL. ] (Own Correspondent). • Wellington. Feb. (5. The opening of Parliament on Thursday week will be the moat interesting meeting of the Legislature for the past twenty-one years. The Government and Opposition hieing about equal in st length and the balance of power being held by a small number of independents and labour members, tin 1 test division which will decide the Premiership will be awaited with keen interest throughout the country. Parliament will be opened in tb.e Legislative Council by commission on Thursday, 15th inst., at 2.30 p.m. The members of the House, of Repiesentatives will then return to their chamber,) and the clerk (Mr. 11. Otterson). will read the Commission authorising him to administer the oath to members; which, being done and members having subscribed the oath, the House will proceed to elect its Speaker.

His Excellency the Governor will deliver his opening speech at 2.30 p.m. cn Friday, the 16th insl. The Governor will be escorted from Government House to the Parliamentary Buildings by the Wellington squadron of the sixth regiment. The permanent artillery will form the Guard of Honour, and will fire the usual salute.

The speech will, it is anticipated, be a short one. simply announcing that the general- election, having taken place His Excellency’s advisers deem it necessary that hav. tg regard to the uncertainty of the strength of parties. Parliament should be celled together at the } earliest possible moment. Formal ■bu-.ine s will then be taken in both j Hou- e -. and notice of an Address in = Reply to the Governor’s speech will Ibe given by a member of the Government party.

} Mr. Massey, Leader cf the Opposii tion. will then, it is expected, give I notice of an amendment to add the following words to the address in [reply:— “ln conclusion we deem it I our duty to represent to your Excellency that your Excellency's advisers I do not possess the confidence or this House.*’ The House will then adjourn till the following Tuesday, when the debate on the no-confidence motion will begin. It is net expected tnat the debate wiil.be a ■ long one, and will probably be hrnited to the Leaders of the two parties and to the Independents and Labour members, | who will naturally wish to explain the reason for the way in-which they j will east their votes.. IN THE EVENT OF DEFEAT. If the Government defeats the noconfidenc? motion. Parliament will be piorogued till the usual time of meeting at the end of June. ! In the event of Mr. Massey's am- ! endment lining carried, the resignartion of the Government will fellow. Mr. Massey will be “sent fci” by the Governor, and if he ••ueceeds in forming a Government they will meet the House, and Parliament will be prorogued till June to enable the new Ministr-, to prepare their policy. I In the event, however, cf Sir I Joseph Ward -and the Government I having resigned before tlie session begins. Mr. Massev will meet the I House as Leader of the Government I which he will have formed, and it will be for the new -Opposition to bring forward a- no-confidence- ino- | tion and in such terms as it thinks fit.

THE SITUATION. AS VIEWED AT HOME. The last mail from Home hicnght British newspapers in which comments on the result of the New Zealand elections appeared. The ’Morning Post” is of opinion I that there will be another earlv appeal to the electors, but thinks Sir Joseph Ward will be able to patch up a majority for the time being, ft adds: — Mr. Massev, the Leader cf the Opposition, is described as a man cf sound and model ate vitws. sc that in the not improbable event of his succeeding to the Premiership in the near future there need be no fear, of “revohiticnai v ’ legislation forming any part of his policy. It is because of this confidence in his political moderation that the Labour members may give the Ward Ministry a temporary, if grudging, support. On the whole, the comment of the Home papers on the result cf the election is not particularly illuminating. and much of it is unfavourable to Sir Joseph Ward. Perhaps the [ most biuer attack on him is that I contained irr a brief note in the Tni vestors" Review,’ a journal which, i since its inception, lias found fault [with practically everything New i Zealand's Government have done ! financially and otherwise. The Re|view’ is sorrowful, because that (though at last "the Conserv.itlves ! in New Zealand, seem to have been ’ able to place Sir Joseph Ward's supipciteis in a minority.” his defeat I was not so crushing as to place the ; victors in a position io “reverse the , pelicv of debt aceunndatic.n-and un- : restiained indulgence in which for the last 20 years. first by Mr. Sedi don. a.id latter more unscrunulously ■ still, if possible, bv S’r-Joseph Ward, j has laid a burden on the community whi<h it will take generations to i in-ercome. if it is ever surmounted. The Manchester ’ Despatch's ' eoruspondent. on the strength cf con11ersaticns with a New Zealander ’ “foimerly oc'ap'.ed with m i ties, 'declares that the downfall cf Sir ■Joseph was due "mainly io reaction i against semt-Se.i mlmm. which Ims ; recently assumed the form of vote- ■ catching promises. The Dundee ‘ Advertiser ' remarks ; tl at " the rebuff to Sir Joseph Ward was much more severe then enner (h - opponents hoped tor or his Ifrhmd.' feared." and suggests that

jin the second ballot the " Laborists [carried out their threat and voted with the Conservatives, not because they had any sympathy with their polities, but because they desired to humiliate tlie Government. The ' Western Morning News ' (Phmoutl.) opine- that ' the serious statesmanship of the Premier did not appeal to New Zealanders like the bluff geniality of his predecessor, and Sir Joseph Ward and the Labour party became estranged.” It is also of opinion that " Communism and Socialism hold such sway in the Dominion that it is doubtful whether a change of Government will mean a change of policy.” The ’ Yorkshire Post ’ finds in the result of the election " a striking object lesson in,the inevitable reaction which must follow the attempt of any Government to do for the people, out of the pockets of the taxpayer, all sorts of things which the people are competent to do for themselves." It also informs its readers that the people of New Zealand are looking at Mr. Massey to “ restore quieter days to the Dominion, and to correct the growing fendenc.v towards corruption in the Public Service.”

The ’ Western Daily Press ’ (Bristol) can find nothing better to say about tlie election than that “ the defeat cf Sir Joseph Ward will make little or no difference in the relations between the two countries” No one here ever expected that it would.

For the rest, the Press comment has been chiefly composed of inanities and autobiographical details concerning the career of Sir Joseph Ward, rpiced with little bits of gossip, flattering or cthoiwise, according to the •political colour of the paper in which they appear.