The Ensign. SATURDAY, JULY 4, 1914. WANT OF CONFIDENCE.

Mataura Ensign, 4 July 1914, Page 4

The Ensign. SATURDAY, JULY 4, 1914. WANT OF CONFIDENCE.

The motion of want of confidence in the Government proposed ,bv. the Leiuler of tho Opposition .has given rise to an interesting if profitless debate. The opening speakers gave the cue to those • \yh» followed, and as a consequence .the lighting was vigorous. Sir Joseph Ward had' intended to spring a surprise upon ' the Government, but in this he was not 'successful as Hon.. J. Allen's (Minister for Finance) reply- met the attack at all points, which .was. an evidence that he had knowledge of the intentions of the Opposition leader Seldom has a more forcible reply bee® heard- in the New Zealand Parliament than: that with which the Minister for Finance and De'f'ence met the criticisms of Sir Joseph Ward. On many platforms during the .recess jSir Joseph has ridiculed .what he calls Mr Allen's "toy. navy," and dur- ' ing his speech'this "weelv he repeated ' -many of his previous statements. Mr Allen oh this occasion had the advan- ; tage of hearing his policy criticised, and ' after having defended .it he compared ' it with that of Sir Joseph as propounded at the Defenece Conference in I*9ll. It will be remembered that on'that occasion that Sir Josiph 'Ward made a proposition to - tar the whole of. the white population of tho Empire 10s poi head in order to build a huge-fleet of Dreadnoughts. It lias been affirmed l many times ovei'by supporters of the. . iG'Ovy.'nnienit that, the object of. its ; naval policy is to provide an addition , to the strength of the Imperial. Navy by training men, 'building (i"f necessary) one or r two cruisers, and; while thus as- ; si,sting in tho defence of. the, Empire keep as much as possible of the money -spent upon it within the country's .'borders. Everyone knows that the £100,00'" , contributed by the Dominion to the cost of 'the Imperial .Navy, is a; mere cipher compared with the huge total needed'to' maintain it. One of the purposes of the Government in proposing an altera- • tion iri the. direction of this fund is to encoui'iige ail' Imperial spairt among the population, and to afford a new opening for those of our young people who desire to take up the Navy as a profession. Mr Allen made it clear that the Government does not wish to sever the Dominion's connection, with tho Imperial Navy. He has on many occasions explained t'hjs intention, and merely emphasised it again. Both speeches were delivered wiitji. great vigor. Mr Wilford (Hutt) attacked the Governmnt mainly through the Public Service Commissioners, asking a number of questions which boro evidence of having been supplied by disgruntled public servants. Even, however, if every one of his-questions had to be .answered favorably to his purpose it would not undermine the soundness of the Department. It would merely indicate that it is' callable of improvement. Every person who regards aw efficient Public Service as'a -newssity to the State must admit that this can only be obtained when freed from politics and placed under the control of competent business men. Mr Myers (who was Finance and Defence Minister in the Mackenzie Cabinet) is first and- foremost a man of business. ' Therefore his criticism of the Government's finance was more to the point 1 than that, of any of the previous Opposition speakers, and he maintained a per- 1 fectly courteous- demeanor. He en- 1 doised the Government's naval policy to a large extent, as he has a wide Imperial outlook. The object of the Opposition in moving the amendment has not .yet been disclosed. In all probabi]■ity its purpose is to force every member to take a side in order that the people ,§ may know where each candidate is at j the election. Incidentally, however, it c will serve to waste a certain amount I of time and thereby prevent the Gov- t eminent proceeding with its policy and p other measures as speedily as was in- C tended. I