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Otago Daily Times, Issue 18673, 30 September 1922, Page 7

Ha Massey is not the first statesman who has protested playfully but, at the same time, more or less cogently, against the practice of citing old speeches with a view to establishing a charge of inconsistency. In fact, Mr Sidey, as he must have known, since he is an “old parliamentary hand,’’ has been playing a time-honoured game. The history of politics is rich in instances of this kind of tactics, but it may be questioned whether the effect has, as a rule, been permanently telling. It must be sixty years ago, or thereabouts, since Gladstone, as the new Liberal leader, was taunted in the House of Commons regarding the undeniable change in his political convictions. “It is quite true,’’ he replied, “ that I have abandoned many views which I honestly entertained when I first became a member of this House. If the honourable gentleman derives pleasure from that fac>, he is welcome to it. And, if he is in need of further illustrations, let him look to the front bench on his own side of the House.” Of course, the allusion was to Disraeli, who himself, in his passage, opposite to Gladstone’s, from Radicalism to Toryism, stigmatised “these cheap charges of inconsistency” .as' “the last resort of bankrupt partisanship.” We forget who said that the man who never changed his mind had no mind to change ; but it was Burke, tne perennial master of political philosophy, who declared that “no limit must be set to the development of conscientious opinion.” Perhaps we are making too much of the little encounter between the Prime Minister and the respected politician who, in the absence of a restless leader, sometimes discharges the duties of the leadership of the so-called Liberal party. After all, there has been no great change in Mr Massey’s political view’s since he entered Parliament or assumed office. Hansard-hunting opponents will find no rich quarry in his ancient speeches.

The intimation that Mr James Craigie, member for Timaru, will not seek re-elec-tion to the House of Representatives will be received in his constituency with feelings of disappointment as well as of surprise. Political life is plainly less attractive to Mr Craigie than 't is to most of those who enter it. The explanation is doubtless to be found in the fact that the party system has never appealed to him. An exceedingly public-spirited man, to whom his town is greatly indebted for the services which ho rendered to it while he held office as its Mayor, he believed that it might be within his power in the sphere of general politics to render not less valuable service to the country as a whole. But from the first the bonds imposed upon him by the party system seem to have chafed him, and in the past Parliament he definitely asserted his independence. In politics, however, independence entails a certain amount of isolation and otherwise hampers the individual who clings to it. Nevertheless, Mr Craigie's sturdy Imperialism, his strong sense of patriotism, and his sober progressiveness should have carried him further than they did in the Parliament of the country. His attributes are of a kind that would be usefully employed in the Legislative Council, now that he is abandoning what we should judge to be a safe seat in the Lower House.

For international yachting v hat is known as the Six-metro .Class, is proving its allround suitability. The second series of contests for the British-American Cup, held during this month at Oyster Bay, Long Island, must have been even more closely fought than the initial series, held on the Solent last year. The conditions provide for team-racing. This means the selection of four boats on each side, which are then pitted against each other in six races, points being awarded each, in accordance with position, in each race. The Cup goes to the side securing the highest aggregate. ' Last year the British boats carried off the honours against the American visitors, winning by 117 points to 88. Racing in American waters, they have not been quite so successful, the Americans winning, as a cable message last week indicated, by 111 points to 104 More even racing could surely not have been desired. The honours of the meeting, it is satisfactory to note, really seem to have been carried off by one of the British competitors, the Coila 111, which made the highest individual score, and finished first in two races. The owner of this boat, Mr F. J. Stephen, who is also her designer, will, as the result of three successive wins against the defending craft, have also the satisfaction of taking to England the trophy, famous among American yachtsmen at least as tho Seawanhaka Cup. Who knows but what one of these days sixmetre yachts will be found xacing for the America Cup ? After all, they are much more sensible craft than those great and unspeakably costly racing machines which never compete under altogether satisfactory conditions and so speedily finish up on the scrap-heap. The Six-metre Class is the antithesis of the one-design type which is doomed to disappoint its protagonists in New Zealand. It may be said that an object of the international rule is to produce diversity of type. All that is required of the designer is that he should so adjust the sail area and hull measurements that the total will comply with the class requirements. Thus a wide variation of type is produced, and withal close and interesting racing.