THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1909. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14699, 6 December 1909, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1909. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

The political situation in tiio country has imauesticnably, as our parliamentary correspondent says, become interesting in a degree that has not been approached at any time within the last du7.cn years or so. The Government nominally commands the support of some liity members, including the Ministers the-mss'tves, in the representative House oi eighty members. But j if one of the most important of its policy measures is fo be passed it can only be through tfe aid of the Opposition. And even though history may repeat itself and this measure, heralded by a lengthy exposition of its features in the Financial Statement, should be dropped for the year, it con only he through the exhibition of unexampled forbearance on the part of the Opposition that the measures which will provide the Government with the financo that is held by it to be necessary to enable it to carry out its programme will ho passed before the session is brought to it close unless—a, course that will certainly not find favour in die House—an adjournment is to be made over the holiday season and the work of the interrupted session is to be resumed early in the -year. The electors havo only to consider the volume and tiro nature .of the business that must be transacted in order to realise that this is the case. Of the measures that embody tho proposals of the Government for providing funds for giving effect to the defence scheme to which the Prime Minister committed the country at tho conference in London in August last one only, the Death] Duties Bill, has been under discussion I in the House. This Bill has only to be passod through the final stages, and tlrere may or may not bo a further debate on it. But the Naval Agreement itself has not been before the House at all. Since it involves a now and vital departure on the part of tiie Dominion, clearly it should not be expected of Parliament that it should accept it without being afforded an opportunity for the frankest expression of opinion regarding it. That opportunity will be offered en the discussion of the Naval Defence Bill, of which the second reading has not yet been proposed. So also with tho Internal Defence Bill, a measure of the. utmost importance, proposing as it does to remodel the wholo system of domestic defence: it has to bo passed through all i te stage, exccpt tha( . of tiie pure formality of its introduction. Tho Customs Duties Bill has not even been circulated. Neither lias the Bill that proposes to levy taxation on racin«l»bs. Nor has that which will pro! j ndc for increasing the taxation of the i banking institutions. Nor lias that to

give an extra turn of the screw to the graduations of the income tux. These arc all measures, which, whatever else is sibandonod, must, bo parsed this session if tin; Government is to be supplied with tlio finance which it says it requires. In ordinary circumstances a full month would not bo regarded as morn than sufficient time to admit of their receiving adequate consideration. But, if the session is to be closed on the 22nd inst,, fourteen sitting days, Saturdays and Mondays included, are. ■ill that Parliament has ;l t its disposal. And there aro the General Estimates I'liat must he passed and the Public Works Statement that must be delivered and the Public Works Estimate that must bo passed. \\'a say nothing

of the fact that tl\o Government hus promised members that they shall bo afforded ;i chance of discussing reports of Pioval Commissions. We |. lv ]lf) stress, either, on the probability that Parliament may insist upon' linvimr something to say about the strike at the State mine at Point Elizabeth, or on the circumstance that the investigation of the affairs of the Taxation Department seems to have placed the Government in an awkward dilemma. The Land Bill we regard.as moribund, the Licensing Bill as .stillborn, and some of the other Government measures as in imminent danger of being strangled. Not only must the Opposition lie uncommonly forbearing if the Government is to be enabled to complete by Christmas Day its programme of absolutely necessary legislation. To ensure this result the Ministerialists must display greater loyalty to their party than they have boon, doing lately. But the fact is that the Prime Minister has lost to a large extent his grip on his party. It is a heterogeneous collection of members of all sorts and shades of opinion, and it would demand all the skill and tact of a masterful politician to hold it compactly and firmly together. Sir Joseph. Ward Iras striven manfully during the session to accomplish this difficult feat. He- Ins received little assistance from his colleagues in the Cabinet. It would, indeed, have been unwise on his part to have depended upon some, cf them, for their very presence in the Ministry is a daily offence to different sections of his supporters. But no self-respecting Government can continue in office if it is to be subjected week after week to the risk of the humiliation of defeat 'through the defection on one poinTi or another of members of its own party. In its own interests the Ministry will probably conceive it to be desirable that it should bring the session to an end as speediiy as possible. In order to accomplish this it must- abandon a good deal of its ambitious programme. Its prestige, however, is suffering at the present time.