THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1912. THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12393, 1 July 1902, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1912. THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

The session which will be opened this afternoon is the last of the fourteenth Parliament of the colony. Our past experience of the closing sessions of a Parliament does not encourage us to look for very largo or very important results from this year's meeting.of the Legislature. The recent speech of the Acting-Premier at Winton dees not even suggest that much will be attempted. The,list.of Bills which the Government proposes to introduce contains nothing to inspire enthusiasm in the Ministerial party or to recommend itself strongly to tHo country. Almost, if not entirely, without exception tho list is composed of measures that have already been before Parliament and been dropped at that period of the session when the Government reducea the Order Paper by removing from it all the proposals which it has ilo serious desire to see carried. There is hardly a single Bill in the whole catalogue that was enumerated by Sir Joseph Ward for which there can be said to be any demand on the part of the public or to which the supporters of the Government in Parliament have hitherto given a moro than half-hearted support. Consequently the prospect of the passage of,'at any rate, the majority of the measures which constitute the Ministerial programme for the year may be regarded as somewhat remote. But if the suasion will in all likelihood be rather barren of legislative results there'ls no reason to apprehend that it will not be, ao the final sessions of a Parliament usually are, exceedingly frailfuf of discussion. One of om- Wellington cohtemporarioa has suggested that the consideration of grievancen arising out of the administration of the Defence Department will occupy a- largo amount of time. Then* grievances arc of a twofold character. Thoy relate to the alleged neglect of volunteering by the departmental officials'flhd to the jobbing of coirmiosions in the contingents. So far, however, as the latter count of the indictment against tho Government to concerned, it is difficult lo seo how in tho absence in England of the Defence Minister, upon whom the oofe responsibility rests for any improper or iiljudicious appointments.that weto made, the question can bo adequately discussed. Nor, in view of the postponement of the Coronation of tho King, don« it seem at all pvobable now that Mr Seddon will bo back'in the colony before the end of the session. But (hero are numerous other subjects upon which members will, upon the evo of tho general election, desire to express their opiuions at some length. Ouo is the preferential trade question, in regard to .which the Native Minister, in a speech at Gisbornc last week, pub the. intentions of the Government in ah entirely different light from that in which iho Premier has exhibited them. Mr Seddon, so recently as at tho Not Zealand banquet in London ;t few days 'ago, declared that there' was nothing sordid in his proposals, and that he was asking for nothing from the Mother Country. If, however, that was really the "case Mr Seddon need not have been disappointed, ao

he has confessed lie is, over the repudiation by tho Chancellor of the Exchequer, on behalf of tho Imperial Government, of any sympathy with tho suggestion that Great Britain should introduce a measure of protection. For lif Mr Seddon aotuaily wants nothing from Great Britain in exchange for the preference which the colonies should, in terns of his proposals, accord to British goods, then, as his vigilant Australian critic, tho Sydney Daily Telegraph, points out, there is nothing to prevent him, provided that he expresses the feeling of the colony, from giving effect in Now Zealand to the system of preference he desires. The Native Minister, however, does not pretend that the colonies arc not asking anything from the Mother Country, in return for tho proffered preference at this end. Ho clearly indicates that a tariff prefer- j" ence for colonial produce at Home is, desired. He puts his argument in favour of this course on a. rather low footing. The patriotism of tiie colony is Ho be utilised for commercial ends, i He pointed .to the love of the Mother Country that was disclosed in the organisation, for the Empire's sake of between 6000 and 7000 meiij ready , to tight in a distant land under the British flag, and argued that, as a growing country like this, with her wonderful natural resources, depended on the markets of (he Old Country to take her produce, Great Britain "should return the assistance given by the colonies, and there should not he that consideration given to foreign relationship in face of the filial love which moved the breasts of the young colonies towards the Motherland." Thi3 f it must be acknowledged, comes perilously' close to that sordidness j t which Mr Seddon deprecates. Mr; Carroll's line of argument is about as unfortunate as his assumption that the statesmen of the Mother Country are effete old fogeys, fettered by the traditions, forms, and conservative ideas which, according to the Nativo Minister, seem to fasten on to tho 1 British mind, is arrogant and impertinent. While the truo inwardness o f . the preferential trade proposals may possibly be revealed to Parliament, certain of. the members will also have something to say. concerning tho bungling, of tho South African direct steam service project by the Govern- 1 went. Seven long, weary months •have passed since Mr Seddon made the emphatic declaration to the repre- j sentativo 'deputation whidh waited! upon, him in Dunedin on tho subject that "it was ail absolute necessity that immediate action should be taken in getting .for our producers the opportunity in South Africa from which they had been debarred." But hardly a single step forward has been made

in all this time. A tender for tho supply of a subsidised service has, it is true, been accepted,, but tho con-1 tractor is a gentleman who possesses no vessels and whose chief concern apparently, from all we can learn, is at tile present time to form a company to fulfil his engagements with the colony. When: the subsidised 1 service may commence is'a- subject upon whiclv fiveryljody - i n tlio. colony, Mills-' ters included, is in a state of 1 the most,. blissful ignorance. Meanwhile, it is, - instinctive to leam that the Argen-j tine Government is by no means so! ifidifferent to the interests of that ■ country's producars. Imperial trans- j , ports are actually being utilised to snip produce from the River Plato to! South Africa. " The first transport," j we read in a recent number of "The | Review of .the River Plate," "will soon j bo leaving, and the Government has! promised to resbrvc space on same for | the shipment of the prize animals tak- \ ilig part in the approaching cattle, show of the Rural Society. This is n> very good idea," the Review continues, ' .as it will show the South Africans what we can do in the live slpck line. South' Africa has to restock,' as tlio war has created great havoc amongst lie? flocks and herds, and fresh'blood is required. Australia is out of the running as, on account of the prolonged drought, her grazing grounds are in a very bad condition. New Zealand can enter that field, but not' nearly so well as we can," The comparative table of freights, which, as published in "The Review of the River Plate," appears in our commercial columns this morning, shows that the New Zealand producers will, even when the subsidised service on the lines laid down by the Government has been started, be placed at a fcerious disadvantage in competition with tlio Argentine fanners; and the handicap is increased every week the initiation of tho service is delayed. Upon this point the Government may expect to hear some plain speaking during the session. Its financial methods are also, as we have frequently observed, open _ to severe criticism, which they are riot likely to escape.