CURRENT TOPICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1249, 6 February 1896, Page 34

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE CHRISTCHTJRCH ELECTION. There is nothing unusxial in the Conservative press accusing the Government of holding back the Christehureh "election in the interests of the Liberal Party. It is amusing, but at the same time painful, to find that pressmen of the Colony, who claim to hold good positions, should so prostitute those positions as to lead others who understand the law to come to the conclusion that, blinded by malice and in sheer desperation, they had written that which was contrary to fact and absolutely farcical. Speaking plainly, we assert it is either one of two things ; it was either done through malice, and with a knowledge at the time the article was written that the statements made were contrary to fact, or else it was done through ignorance and stupidity, for the veriest tyro, in respect to the laws relating to elections and. representation, must know that the law will not permit an election to take place until after certain things hare been done. What is the first assertion? That Mr Reeves must have resigned his seat some days before leaving the Colony, because, forsooth, he had resigned his j>ortfolios. Ergo, a Minister cannot be a Minister without a portfolio, and that with the portfolio must go the position as Minister. This is absurd. Any person in the Colony can be a member of the Executive and need not necessarily be a member of the General Assembly. In other words, our contemporary, at the time the Seddon Ministry was being formed, asserted that any New Zealander, the man in the street in fact, could be made a member of the Executive Council and hold the position as Premier. The writer of that article knew the law, and he was quite correct as to the legal phase of the question ; as to the policy of doing such a thing, we demurred. But we never denied that it could be done. Mr Reeves held a position as Cabinet Ministeruntil the day he left the Colony, and not sooner did he resign his seat as a member of the Ministry and also as a member of the House of Representatives. So that there can be no mistake about it, that was on the 10 th day of January, 1896. There is a want of memory on the part of our contemporary and the Conservative press, for they chronicled the fact that the Hon Mr Reeves sat for the last time as a Cabinet Minister on the 10th day of January, 1896. Yet in the face of this fact, with an audacious effrontery and with a barefacedness that would bring a crimson flush to the cheek of an Old Bailey lawyer, they contend that his resignation as a Minister and member must have been tendered some days previously. As usual with everything else, the unfortunate Disqualification Act is brought into play. A short time ago we advised our contemporary, if bent upon a disqualification hunt and an evasion of the law, to look to that side of the House which it supports, and that it would be much more likely to succeed than by repeatedly charging Ministers and members of the Government !side with violating the law. The latest assertion is that a member of the House cannot hold the office of AgentGeneral and be a member of the House at the same time. This discovery on the part of our contemporary entitles it to the first certificate of merit recently approved by the Government. Mr Reeves' appointment commences after his arrival in London, so there will be a fairly long gap between the 10th of January and the date of his appointment. Exactly the same course which was followed in the case of MiReeves was followed in the case of other Agents - General, who, like Mr Reeves, were members of the Legislature. We will now go back to the charge of holding back the election for party purposes. We have said that Mr Reeves resigned his seat on the 10th January. His Excellency the Governor was then on his way to Lyttelton. He arrived in Lyttelton on the 13th January, 1896, and on that day the resignation of Mr Reeves was accepted. His Excellency, as provided by section 136 of the Electoral Act, 1893, was advised and directed the publication in the New Zealand Gazette of a notification of such vacancy, the Speaker of the House being absent from the Colony, and the resignation appeared in the first possible Gazette after the return of the papers to Wellington. The neit step required by law is that His Excellency the Governor must, after being advised that the notice as required under section 135 of the Electoral Act, 1593, has been gazetted, sign and return a warrant directing the Clerk of Writs to issue a writ, and on the receipt of that warrant the writ is issued accordingly. To show that the Government in no way impeded, but rather facilitated the issue of the writ, the warrant was forwarded to His Excellency some days prior to the issuing of the Gazette notice. After the Gazette notice was issued, His Excellency was advised by telegram that the notice had been gazetted, and to sign and return the warrant directing the Clerk of Writs to issue a writ for the Christehureh seat, and that warrant is on its way from the South Island as we pen this article. Our contemporary's next contention will be that at every by-election the Governor must come to Wellington and remain there to do all the work, otherwise there will be an injustice to the Conservative candidate. As it is our contemporary has done a grave injustice to the Governor. Another matter in connection with this, and in all probability a much blacker crime to bo laid at the door of the Government, is the fact that when there is an election there should be a sufficient number of electoral rolls, or, if no new roll is necessary, of supplementary rolls, for the use of candidates and electors. Previous to the resignation of Mr Reeves, the Registrar was asked if, in his opinion, new rolls would be required. His ans'wer was in the negative. Subsequently, Mr Lewis, the Conservative

' candidate, communicated with the Government, informing the Premier that rolls were not procurable, and asking that rolls might be available, or otherwise an injustice would follow. The Premier communicated with the Registrar and found that at that time a few rolls were still available, but, not considering the number sufficient for the requirements of a hotly contested election, he asked what w T ould be the shortest time in which to get new rolls ready, and was informed from eight to ten. days. New rolls were then ordered to be put in hand forthwith, and to facilitate the work the printing was distributed. Probably the wiseacres of the Conservative press do not require to be told that after the issue of the *vrit the rolls cannot be interfered with. Had the Government not done this there would have been flaming articles, and the usual dry.hash about the Government tampering with the elections, and preventing a fair and free expression of public opinion. In conclusion, we say it is a very great pity that our contemporary, and other writers of that ilk, should not read the law and make themselves acquainted with the facts of the case, for had they done so, they would not have been placed in the humiliating and unenviable position of either having written in malice or in ignorance. Probably the newly-elected of Christehureh will be the means of proving this ignorance or malice by asking that the papers in connection with the Christehureh election should be laid upon the table of the House. That done, our Conservative contemporaries will then tender an abject apology to His Excellency the Governor and the Government. The extraordinary statement has been made that the issue of a writ in certain cases requires no Gazette notice at all. The words of the Act are : " Whenever during- a recess of the House, whether by prorogation or adjournment, it appears to the Speaker that a vacancy exists, he shall cause a notification of the same, and

of the cause thereof, to be inserted in the Gazette.

" When such vacancy has arisen from any cause other than death or resignation, then as soon as conveniently may be alter the expiration of ten days after such notification has appeared in the Gazette the Speaker, on its being established to his satisfaction that a vacancy docs exist, shall issue his warrant to the Clerk of Writs, directing him to is.sue a wit to supply the vacancy. " When such vacancy shall arise from death or resignation, the Speaker shall issue his warrant to the Clerk of the Writs forthwith, directing him to issue a writ to supply the vacancy. - '

Now the first of these three sections governs the practice, by requiring a Gazette notice in any case when a vacancy has arisen. In certain cases after such notification there must be a delay of 10 days ; in certain other cases (of vacancy by death or resignation) the writ must issue as soon as possible, without waiting the 10 days. Gazetting is necessary in every case before the issue of the writ, and in some cases must be delayed 10 days. The argument that becauso delay is provided after gazetting in certain cases therefore there must be no gazetting in others is absurd. So is the deduction that our statement of the facts was a reflection on the Governor. The Governor has a right to travel, and no one has a right to insist that.he must return to Wellington for the sake oi. issuing the writ in the Speaker's absence. It is equally absurd to expect a special Gazette. Everything has been done as fast as possible under the circumstances as the law directs, and no harm has been done to anyone. As to the rolls, let us stick to the truth. No suggestion was made that the writ was kept back for the sake of the rolls. The explanation was that every care was taken before the Gazette notice that there should be no delay of the new rolls, and that when it was found that new rolls would be required, the utmost care was taken to have them ready without any chance of delaying the writ. It is true that the unavoidable delay that has arisen may have given more time for the printing of the rolls, as asked for by the Conservative candidate. The assertion that the said delay was due to the

necessity of printing these rolls is absolutely false. Then as to the AgentGeneral • let us again have the truth. There are not two Agents-General. At the present moment Sir W. Perceval is Agent-General of New Zealand; Mr Reeves is not. Mr Reeves is on his way to assume the position to which he has been appointed and has not yet taken up. That course, a very proper course, and a very obviously necessary course, is the course that has been adopted in the case of every Agent-General who has gone from Parliament to Westminster Chambers. The new thing, and the stupid thing, is that somebody has found fault with the arrangement, and pronounced it to be contrary to the Disqualification Act. The plain answer is that Sir Westby Perceval is still Agent-General. The proper course for the Post would have been to withdraw and apologise. It has preferred to raise a bunch of mare's nests. We leave the public to draw their own conclusion.

THE FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA. What is to become of the South African Chartered Company ? The question, we observe from the Capetown newspapers, was being asked immediately the surrender of "Dr Jim" was known, and being answered in one way. Cecil Rhodes, it was explained in a newspaper (Gape Times) friendly to him, had resigned, not because he owned that he had done wrong, but because he had at the outset of his Premiership given a pledge to resign whenever his interest, as head of the Chartered Company, should clash with his duties as Premier of the colony. But the plea did not appear to be making headway. The opinion generally held about the position of the Chartered Company was, at any rate, in no way modified by it. The opinion was that the Chartered Company, having violated the conditions of its charter, should be deprived of its charter. The condition violated was said to be the condition which bound the Company to make no war upon anyone without the

consent of Her Majesty. But, it was in many quarters urged, the Company had not only made war without the required consent, but had made it against a friendly Power. Had the raid been successful, it would have produced a revolution, and nothing succeeds like success. But it was a failure, owing not to want of pluck on the part of the Uitlanders—as was supposed in the first flush of angry disappointment—but to divided counsels at their headquarters, the millionaire interest at the head being sharply divided. It was a case, as one paper put it, of Robinson versus Rhodes, and Robinson won. Be that as it may, the prevailing idea is that the Company's charter must be revoked. The idea is strengthened by the general opinion that the Matabele have not been subdued to anything like the extent generally supposed, and that they are ripe for a rising at any moment. As an awkward movement has arrived, half the military force of the Company having been destroyed and deported from Africa, with the best part of the Company's artillery, it is thought in Africa that the time has come for Her Majesty to take over the conquests of the Company, hold them with troops, and administer the territory as a colony. This gives African affairs a special interest in the eyes of the Empire. The developments-*? the next few weeks will bo watched with considerable closeness. THE TELEPHONE SERVICE. The only conclusion open to anyone who reads the description of the Exchange which we publish elsewhere is that the present system has reached its utmost limit of expansion. The population is growing fast, the popularity of so useful an adjunct of civilisation as the telephone is growing faster, but the telephone system cannot grow any more under present circumstances. The fact that it keeps pace with the daily demands for its use is the most marvellous thing which belongs to the system. Every operator does the possible maximum of work on her section, and does it under circumstances of <

pressure which have only to be seen to be realised ; and, what is very important to understand, does it as well as it can be done. The pliiin truth is that the system in use has reached its limit. For a small subscription list it is, though confusing and subjecting its operators to unnecessary pressure, fairly well adapted. When it was set up the idea evidently was that the system would only be"availed of by a few. A few merchants, bankers, shipping offices, the various public institutions, and that would be the extent of patronage, which for very many years could very easily be coped with. The estimate has beeu largely falsified by the event. The telephone has been rushed by the business people, and the general public not only has been quick to appreciate its advantages,but is getting generally much more so. For orders to the tradespeople, for making appointments, for enquiries, congratulations, condolences, greetings and gossip the private telephones are in constant use, and have been found to supply a leal want. Thus every tradesman, every lady with a visiting list, every professional man who wants to keep in touch with his office, all have come to believe that the telephone is a necessary of life. Its vise, therefore, is on the increase, and the department has enlarged its facilities greatly by affiliating it to the Telegraph Department for the transmission of telegrams. The public will learn with pleasure that a system is to be substituted which will enable the growing use of the telephone by the growing population of the city to be easily provided, for; The present system has decidedly reached its end. It is struggling amidst noise and hurry which have reached the maximum bearable, and, what is the same thing, workable limit. The unforeseen and unexpected has happened ; the requirements of the public have to be provided for. The multiplex system which has been selected admits of endless development. The first instalment, say for 2000 subscribers, is complete in itself. When that is nearly overtaken by the demand another instalment equally conrplete in itself can be added, and the process can go on for a century. It is a mere matter of providing a fresh section of annunciators, and supplying it with a board for the extension connections, and adding to the other extension boards, the operator having access like all the others to every number in the whole installation; and of adding to the other extension boards, room being left for the purpose. The economy of the early days has served its purpose, the time has come for adopting the methods in use in more populous cities. It is satisfactory to find the department equal to the occasion. For the period that the old system has still to serve, we recommend the public to use their telephones with patience, and we advise the department to increase its usefulness by distributing the busy wires more evenly among the sections in the Exchange. THE VOLUNTEER DISPLAY. From the spectacular point of view it was nothing. Therefore in the eyes of a public that cares only for the pomp and circumstance of war the thing is probably a dismal failure. But in the eyes of those who took part there was, in spite of the rain, a distinct success. The main defence of the harbour is the collection of forts and mine fields. Ozi the side of the sea the guns can take very good care of themselves, and the mines are simply unassailable so long as the guns are holding their own. The vulnerable point is on the shore. A force thrown on the beach could, if allowed uninterrupted access, take the forts in rear and play havoc with the mine stores. It is therefore absolutely necessary to have a force in the field to meet such attacks. That in fact is the raison d'etre of the various Volunteer corps. The Japanese have shown in the late war that forts are not taken by bombardment from a powerful navy on the sea front. An army is landed at some distant point, and takes the forts in the rear, while the fleet waits for opportunities to sustain the attack. By such combined attack were taken both the strongholds of Port Arthur and Wai-hei-wai. The business of the defence at every port is to be ready for such combination. While the mine fields bar the marine way, and the forts sweep the passage, there are troops ready to dispute the progress of the attacking shore columns. No authority dreams of suspecting the landing of a large force. A small

force, therefore, is all that is necessary for defending- the integrity of the forts. The battle for Empire will be fought elsewhere, probably in the English Channel. If the .British fleets are there defeated heaven only knows what will happen. The strong probability is that we should have to enforce a general levy by means of the Militia Act. We should have, in fact, to do what was frequently done during the Maori wars. But with the command of the sea in the hands of the British fleet small forces must be sufficient for the support of our coast defences. That force, however, must be efficient, it must know its duties, and it 7imst be familiar with the ground it has to defend. That, we take it, was the object of the manoeuvres at the end of last week. The rain spoilt the conclusion. But there are many points for congratulation nevertheless. First, there is the excellent spirit which animated all ranks. The rifle companies, the navals, the mounted infantry and the artillery turned out in good strength. Secondly, the force got some training in outpost duty, and in all the things required to enable them to hold a position properly. Thirdly, they became familiar with the ground on which their services would be required in case of a hostile attack. Every man realised the importance of the commanding position of Mount Crawford, and got an understanding of the various expedients which would be required in a supporting operation: where cover could best be taken, where

guns can best be posted) the best site for a camp, and all the necessary details of aii extended defensive operation. What went on inside the forts and in connection with the mine fields has not been made public, and very properly so for obvious reasons. But we know that this part of the duty of defence has been diligently practised, and that the men are quite familiar with it, and quite competent to discharge it-. It is possible that in case of War the force will have td be substantially increased. Should that be so, the various corps will form an admirable nucleus for a very substantial increasei which will be efficient at a very short notice. We cau only express a hope that the practice of last Saturday and Sunday may be repeated under better conditions, and that the repetition may be frequent until all ranks are thoroughly familiar with their duty. The turn-out has shown exactly the best kind of practice for the defensive forces, and that together with the admirable alacrity displayed by all ranks makes the first display a remarkable success.