THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14432, 24 July 1907, Page 6

THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

RiKMEarBEKiXG tie extreme, difficulty of .his task wo think that Mr Massey may ho fairly congratulated upon the speech, -with which he opened the financial debate in the House of Representatives last night. It was tame and spiritless, of course, compared with many of his platform addresses, but it is much easier, as everyone knows, to he bright and entertaining j when speaking to a friendly audience. ! than when presenting a poor case to an | assembly of critics that has already ! discovered ita weakness. It is Mr 'Mdesey'e misfortune that he is unable to take a broad, patriotic view of tho public affairs of the colony. His political horizon never seems to extend beyond the expediencies of to-day. He is fond of accusing hi.v opponents of being opportunists and time-servers, but an amLablo disposition, to trim his political sails to oatch every passing breeze is really his own besetting sin. Evor since ho assumed the leadership of the Opposition ho lias been striving to obtain for himself and his party the credit for all the Liberal measures and reforms of the past decade. The old habit was too strong for him last night. He claimed that the restoration of the audit system, the revival of sinking funds, the amendment of the land laws ,and the suggestion of national annuities were all duo to tho labour of tho party ho was leading. It has always been so. Mr Massey has persistently refused to propound a policy for himself, but whatever is successful in the policy of his opponents he claims as his own. Fourteen or fifteen years ago ho expressed warm approval of tho Elective Executive proposal and we have no doubt that when it is accepted by Parliament fourteen or fifteen years henco he will be found pesing before tho country as ita author. But the habit is, after all, harmless enough. No one takes tho leader of the Opposition seriously when he sets out to recite his legislative achievements, and j the records of Parliament will always I be availablo for the. guidance of tho future .historian. Last night Mr Massey appears to have directed his most seirious criticism against the endowment proposals of the Government. Endowments in the past, he said, had been a Tank failure and in the future would

prove a rank failure again. We should have thought that the schedule attached to the Endowment Bill, showing that his own province has frittered practically the whole of its land away, would have saved him from this rash assertion, but apparently he has no more knowledge of what endowments havo done for Canterbury and Otago than he has care for what they might do for tho whole of the oolc,iry. Future generations havo no.votes and they do not enter into the Opposition's calculations:. Mr Massey entirely ignored his first- rejoicings over the Government's land proposals and proceeded to denounce thorn root and branch as the conceptions of Socialists, Single-baxers and the rest of the unholy brood that nestles under the wing of Liberalism. Wo are a little curious to see how the Conservative newspapers which so rashly joined in his jubilation last week will adjust themselves to the new position. They have had time now for sober reflection, and must find the records of their exultation extremely embarrassing. We have the satisfaction ourselves of having warned them that their rejoicing was a little premature, but we are afraid this will not make their recantation any the easier. Mr Massey reserved his criticism of the Land BUI for the second reading of tho measure, in order, wo presume, to give a little more breathing space to his friends:; and left the demolition of tne Government's finance to the "future Treasurers " on his own side of politics, so that we yet have to learn the nature and direction of his attack. Wo are still disposed, however, to congratulate him upon having opened the debate without having made a greater revelation of the weakness of his case.