WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 5 June 1909, Page 3

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

Cj£SA«ISM. ~ SHU it this be so, he has chosen but' poor colleagues. We believe that Mr Anllai is quite capable- of looking after Parlia ment m Sir Joseph Ward's absence, and .Billing the part which Sir Joseph Ward nimself took .when the late Mr Seddon attended the previous Conference. Thu is obviously the common-sense solutioc ■of- the difficulty. New Zealand cannot stand too big" a dose of Cresarism.— "Wairarapa Times." ;THE PEOPLE' FOOD. ; ; It is a singular thing that, whilo cooperation is making considerable head way:in typically conservative countries, ■it has not commen3ed itself in New Zea land,, which prides itself on its advanced ideas in other directions. The palliative for all evils nowadays is to lean upon the .Government, but what the community really 'wants is self-reliance and selfhelp. The State cannot be the fostermother and pap-dispenser to the wlnh population.' It is no use expressing (*."sapprobation of the methods of the mil lew and the bakers who have got brains and combination unless protestants are prepared to exert, brains and combin ition iop. If the law is impotent to prevsit ■speculators gambling in the people's food if should be amended ; but the real ieinedy lies in competition — the compel tion of op:n markets and open ports. — Wellington "Times." THE EMPIRE'S CALL. Tt is idle to argue that at the momrit domestic affairs arc in such a condition that it is imperative that Parliament should proceed with the business of the country at once. The Dominion will not suffer in the very slightest by a delay of three months, and its interests in any event are wrapped up first of all in the interests of the Empire. There has not been a solitary reason of any weight whatever advanced to justify the opposition to a short and early session and an adjournment until September. There is ample precedent for such an action, ample justification for it, and ample reason for it. We. believe that Sir Joseph Ward will carry his point, but it' is the bounden duty of the House to see that he does so without unpleasantness and with a due recognition of itE own dignity. — Christchurch "Star. MR GUINNESS. It seems to us that on Mr Guinness' own sfiowing he has entirely misconveived the duties of the Chair, and that, as we have already said, by publicly attacking the Government and by discarding that attitudue of judicial impartiality which the Speaker should always preserve, he has absolutely disqualified iimself from re-election. The Premier and the House must replace him by a Speaker able and willing to sustain the dignity of the Chair, and to control the deliberations of Parliament without feeling irresistibly impelled to rush into the political fray as a violent partisan, arid we repeat that, in our opinion, the -Hbufie, as at present constituted will •not be able to find anyone better fitted t« support the responsibilities of this distinguished office than Mr F. JE. Baume. — Auckland "Star." COMPULSORY SERVICE. - . The question of compulsory and univ'ersaF military service is really one to be' settled by a plebiscite 'of young men of soldier age. If all ranks and conditions of our youth' will say "Yes" to the proposal, they may be reasonably challenged by the rest of the population to make good their declaration. Otherwise compulsory military, training would produce, a state of very unstable equilibrium in' our. military and political systems.' !■'; The ■ democratic Frankenstein would 1 in- time probably be devoured by -the ' monster it created. — "Tuapeka Times.'' i :-; : •THE DEFENCE . CONFERENCE. :It is' suggested that Mr Massey should be appointed delegate to the Imperial Defence Conference in conjunction with Sir . Joseph Ward. We commend the- suggestion strongly to the consideration- of the. Government, not merely because Mr Massey is a. representative and trusted citizen, whose loyalty is beyond question, but also because it would emphasise the absence of party feeling in this ••Dominion upon Imperial questions.' Upon questions of -such... a.-. delicate ; chafacter.it is unadvisabje to be unduly pressing,' lest mharmonius notes should, be introduced, where the utmost cordiality should exist, but if Sir Joseph Ward could arrange that Mr Massey, as Leader of a loyal Opposition, should accompany him to it would be a graceful recogni;tion of the non-partisanship' of our Im perial poEtics, and the delegation would be wholly representative of the people of the Dominion.— Auckland "Herald. '_!_