The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1911.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10960, 28 December 1911, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1911.

The leading feature of the situation for the Opposition is that The Situation, as 37 arc not a majority of SO they cannot be said to have a majority. In this respect the answer of the constituencies at the polls is doubtful. The main question arising is who has a majority, and one answer already settled is that the Opposition has not. Another is that the Government has not either. Then it follows that the Labor men and the Independents hold the balance of power. It is possible that these may throw their weight into the scale with the Government, and it is equally possible that they may throw it on the side of the Opposition. Obviously then they must be permitted to declare what their intention is in the matter. The opportunity desired is the calling together of Parliament. But if the majority can bo decisively established without the intervention of Parliament there seems to be no earthly reason why such a course should not be followed —no reason constitutional or practical, or of any sort. Time is required for the arrangement of matters, and therefore the tacit expectation on the part of the Government that time will be reasonably extended for this purpose is well founded. Certain Opposition writers are workingexcitement to tatters in the endeavor to drive the Government from this reasonable attitude. They declare with acerbity that the Government is seeking some advantage in an occult way, of which they speak with bated breath and furious invective without condescending to details of any kind in the direction of verisimilitude. As they carry their complaint on to the occupation of the Ministerial houses, mentioning with acrid point that the Minister so-and-so still continues to occupy the official residence, one is tempted to the conclusion almost that these harpies of journalism have developed a desire to get into these mansions themselves, for there really is no constitutional reason why anyone should be in a hurry to go out of any Ministerial house just now. It is useless to harp on the precedent of •iOO, because the Government of that year got what the Government of 1911 did not get—a clear answer from the electors in tho shape, not of a total of 37 out of 80, but of a minority of 13 all sure and certain. Moreover, the less we hear about the precedent of 1890 from the men who, after crushing defeat at the polls, thrust a batch of nominees on the Legislative Council for the term of their natural lives, the better. Parliament stands prorogued to January 10th, which implies that by Jhat date tho situation will be better understood all round. What more can anyono want in reason?