A BARREN SESSON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1751, 27 September 1905, Page 15

A BARREN SESSON.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, August 11. The London “Times” devotes close upon four columns of cold type to the Parliamentary session which closed today- It forms a tale concerning “things undone which we ought to have done” for the session leaves behind it a record of futile debates and) disappointing achievement hard to match in parliamentary annals. Only two measures of first-class importance have been passed, namely, the ‘Unemployed Workmen’s Bill” and the “Aliens Bill” (both of very doubtful value in their present form). For the rest it has been a slaughter of the innocents. With the progress of age the Commons appears to become more and more of a “Babble Shop” and less of a legislative machine, and even the talking that is done deteriorates in quality day by day. Only very occasionally indeed does a debate rise above dull commonplace, and as a rule time is frittered away in the asking and answering of trivial questions, and more or less vulgar recrimination, with, now and again, an outbreak of Parliamentary hooliganism that would not disgrace the Austrian Chamber, or the New South Wales assembly in its palmy days.

The Government cannot claim to he absolved from- blame for the barrenness of the session. Had- Mr Balfour been quite sure in his mind what he really meant to do and had shown a little more decision in doing it there might have been a better record of achievement than can be shown to-day. Both the Premier and his ministers, however, have lacked backbone. Of course there have been peculiar difficulties confronting the P'rime Minister and l his colleagues ; among them the Tariff Reform proposals of Mr Chamberlain have not been the least. The conditions under which those proposals have been placed before the country •renderedl unusual caution on Mr Balfour’s part necessary if he desired! to keep his party together. Then, again, Mr Balfour has had cause of complaint against his followers. They have not hacked him up as they might have done. Adverse byelections, indeed, slackened! the bonds of Party discipline to an alarming extent, and the Opposition has taken advantage of every opportunity to waste time in a scandalous fashion. Yotes of censure have been moved again and again on the most flimsy pretext, and speech has followed speech with an absolute disregard for the value of public time. The Irish Nationalist element in the House avowedly design to make the Commons impotent for legislation and with the cordial aid of the Opposition they have met ivith a very considerable measure of success during the session just ended. But the blame for that success rests as much with the “ins” as with the “outs.” It is the Opposition’s duty to oppose and it is equally the duty of the Government to legislate. If for any reason a Government finds

the measures it has made mam platform it has one duty to perro«**v a nd that is to “oret out” andl go to tbh--oou™.rry. Mr Balfour and his friends evidently feax to put their fortunes to the touch of a 'General Election. They fear the loaves and fishes of office will be taken from them and prefer to sit at the banqueting table toying with the fragments of their long official feast rather than to risk having their seats “jumped” by their political rivals.