POLITICAL POINTS

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17192, 12 June 1916, Page 5

POLITICAL POINTS

—«. — NOTES FROM THE LOBBY. KITCHENER AND THE CABINET. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, June 10. One of the tributes to the greatness of Kitchener's name iu British ears was paid by Sir Joseph Ward when he reminded Parliament of the magnificent response of five million men to the call of the brilliant military organising gonius. Kitchener had a strong, stern way with him—a steel-like temperament which prevented even high-placed individuals from being familiar. When he visited New Zealand in February, 1010, to inspect and adviso us upon defence matters from the Imperial aspect, a Cabinet meeting was held in Wellington to consult with him. Ministers, it is said, were somewhat solemn and overawed by the strong personality of "K. of K," and the proceedings took a stiff, formal course until one of their number, who gloried in his sturdy democracy and heartily believed in the saying that a cat can look at a king, broke through the ice with soino straight, pertinent questions, at which his fellow-Ministers gasped. Kitchener's answers were also straight and definite, and ho got more staggering questions for his pains. These, too, ho dealt with incisively, and the cross-ex-amination broke the ceremonial ice, Cabinet discovering that " K. of K." liked straight talk without " frill." The conference then became highly interesting and tremendously educative to the Ministers, who heartily repented their original impression of the colleague who had dared to argue with one of the greatest military authorities then living. l COMPULSION. The Government's decision to go right on with work, without an adjournment out of respect to Lord Kitchener's memory, was absolutely typical of the way in 'which the Empire took its great and sudden blow. It stiffened everyone's determination, to do tho utmost iu winning the war. Labourites abandoned their obstructive tactics, and committee work on the Military Service Bill, which would have taken a fortnight, was put through in three long sittings, leaving Friday for tho third reading debate. The measure has to be passed by the Legislative Coyne.l before becoming law. As it emerged from tho committee stage, the historic Bill was little changed from the original shape. No vital point of policy had oeen reversed by .the House, though many useful amendments were inserted to onsure smooth and effective working. The toils around the shirker have, been drawn tighter, but tho heavy maximum punishment * of five years' hard labour for offences under the Bill lias been reduced to three years. The House declined to recognise any kind of claim for exemption on conscientious or religious grounds, most members agreeing with a colleague's adaptation of a scriptural phra?e to these days of test and trial: " If a man work not for the State, neither shall he eat." SIR FREDERIC LANG. It is recognised that if a Speaker fills bis important office for a fr.w years lie will receive gracious recognition from his Majesty, and the knighthood bestowed upon the member for Manukau puts the seal upon successful occupancy of the chair. Sir Frederic Lang's characteristic gentleness and moderation are curiously unfamiliar in an assemblage where loud, aggressive enterprise is supposed to secure the highest marks. But Mr Speaker's successful career is the notable exception to a fairly wellestablished rule. Ho has filled his office well, and his quiet qualities have not encouraged anyone to take liberties. If tho latter experiment were tried, the result might be disastrous, because Mr Speaker has surprising powers, capable of instant use. Quite,recently Sir Freclerio Lang quoted an ancient Standing Order everyone else had forgotten. Ho mentioned in his mild manner that if a 'certain member continued disorderly interruptions he would be ordered out of the House for the sitting. We have had "'naming?'' and censures of members during the last few years, but this process of treating a disorderly mora--1 ber like a naughty child, sendi?tg him out of the room, is infinitely more effective and humiliating than the portentous process of " naming " by solemn resolution. We have had " runnings " before, and very futile affairs they proved to be. An English commoner onco asked a famous Speaker what would happen if a. member was " named.'>, '-'Heaven only knows!" was the candid answer. THE SPEAKER'S CAREER. Our speaker has been twenty-two rears in Parliament with only a year's break. He belongs to a well-known English family, and would in tho ordinary course have entered die Church or the Army, but for a sudden personal derision to try this spacious, adventurous life of tho colonies. When ho said " Good-bye " to his English friends iorty-live years ago they felt that it w.ng not " an revoir,'' for the otvlv colonist was indeed a pioneer who went to the ends of the earth. Sir Frederic chose Auckland as his home, and since 1893 he has represented cither a Waikato or Auckland constituency. Ho

has lived through a very well marked phaso of our parliamentary life, the vogno of the "road and bridge member." What did it matter to tho early settlers daily facing the problem of road access and unbridged creeks, whother their Parliamentary representative was a Tory or a Liberal. His mission was to squeeze from the cctopus general government every possible penny for rdads and bridges. Nothing elso counted in assessing political values. Sir Frederic must have had a determined character behind a gentle exterior to have maintained a place in Parliament throughout tho " read and bridge" period. His year's absence from Parliament was due to a sudden fear that if the constituency sent an Oppositionist to Parliament' any more, a particularly dosirablo bridge would not be built out of Government money. The district directly affected went over solidly to Lang's opponent, and he lost by seventy votes. No New Zealand Speaker has had to presido over Parliament during such stirring times. For many years wo had been accustomed to a small minority in the House. Then the party balance became more even, and it was during this difficult and delicate stage that Sir Frederic Lang succeeded to tho chair. Tho excitement of close party divisions was succeeded by the stress of tho waterside strike, when Parliament reflected the passions of the warring interests outside. This happily ended, there was a brief period of comparative calm, and then tho epoch-making event of August, 1911. The consequence is that new precedents have been piled up rapidly, and one notes in them a tendency to reduce opportunities for deliberate obstruction which the Standing Orders have hitherto allowed out of extreme tenderness for the feelings of minorities. THE HANSARD SUPPLY. Though the Government printer is on his "last legs so far as the supply of '' Hansard" paper is concerned, there are members who will not relax one whit their expensive privilege ot being fully adveitised in this dull publication. Quito a chorus of sympathetic murmurs encouraged the member for Waitemata in complaining to the Government, about his inability to get more than one copy ot "Hansard" from tho Parliamentary Bill Office. The. Hon G. W. Russell, who has Ministerial charge 01 theprinting office, reminded memoers that they got their usual seventy-live ropies. "Yes but they are sent away, protested the member. "You can get more by paying for them at the printing office." quoth Mr Rhodes ot Thames, who figures quite modestly in tho debates. It occurred to nobody to surest that the postal " tree list could be cut down by a few hundreds so as to eke out the vanishing pSpei supplies. mmmm .