The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MRRCURY. (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1909.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 51

The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPO RATED THE SOUTHERN MRRCURY. (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1909.) THE WEEK.

" Nunqnam aliud natur,i. ulind aapientia dixit." — JVTBXAt.. " Good nature and gojJ sense mu-t eret join." — t»rm. Coleridge lias said that the three ends j which a statesman ought j The to propose to himself in the Composition go\ eminent of a nation j or the Cabinet, are — (1) Security to posses- , sors. (2) facility to acquirers, and (3) hope to all. Tried by these three test*, the composition ot the Cabinet which Sir Joseph Ward's belated appbintments have created will, we tear, be found sadly wanting. For it has to be remembered that the present Government is virtually a new Administration, so little likeness does it bear to the Ministry which the late Mr Seddon bequeathed to Sir Joseph Ward. Of the last Seddon Ministry only two members remain in the new Cabinet— namely. Sir Joseph Ward himself and the Hon. J. Carroll. A comparison between the two CabTiiets will peihaps be^t mable the people of Ota^o to appreciate the perceptible depreciation in mental and moral fibre which has been proceeding for some years in the matter of New Zealand's administrators. When the late Mr Seddon ruled the roost it was a matter of common complaint that liis associates in the Cabinet Were not — to put it mildly — too strongly individualistic; but in some respects that was atoned for in the extraordinarily j powerful personality of the then Premier. Now Mr Seddon is replaced by Sir Joseph Ward, and whatever may j I be said in favour of Sir Joseph's many I qualities, no one can justly claim that he possesses the same strength of character as Mr Seddon. In the new Cabinet Mr Millar", as Minister of Railways, takes the place held under Mr Seddon by Sir I Joseph Ward. Mr Millar is> a strong

man — in some respects stronger than the 'Prime Minister himself — indeed, responsibility has done much to bring out his latent qualities. But it remains to be seen whether as administrator of the railways of the Dominion he will prove as successful as Sir Joseph Ward. In the place of Mr Hall-Jones — a man of undoubted talent and intense conscientiousness in all his Government work — we have in the new Cabinet Mr Roderick M'Kenzie ; and without saying anything derogatory to the new Minister it will be admitted that there is absolutely no comparison between the two men. It certaisly is to be hoped that, as in the case of Mr Millar, responsibility will steady Mr R. M'Kenzie, for there is surely some room for improvement er-?-an ideal Minister of Public Works can be evolved. Mr M'Gowan, as Minister of Justice, is replaced by Dr Findlay, who also carries the positions of Attorneygeneral and Minister in charge of the Crown Law Department. And while a good deal can be said in favour of putting all the law business in the Cabinet uncter one hat, yet there will be considerable inconvenience and much room for discontent in the fact of the Minister of Justice occupying a seat in the Upper House. In place of Mr Mills, as Minister of Customs, we have in the Ward Cabinet Mr Hogg, the Revolutionary Socialist from Masterton ; and although Mr Mills was no genius, yet it m*y be doubted whether the Dominion will gain appreciably in the fact of a man of Mr Hogg's* opinions being promoted to Cabinet rank. The shuffling "of the portfolios prevent! any further individual comparisons being made, but, generally speaking, in th« place of Messrs Duncan and Pitt the Ward Cabinet possesses Messrs Fowlds and Buddo. with Mr T. Mackenzie as an extra 'nan without honorarium. Considered as a whole, the new Cabinet presents an extraordinary The bundle of contradictions, in Cintvaaictions so far as the individual of the Cabinet, opinions of the component j parts are concerned, in ret gard to many important questions of ' policy. The first contradiction is seen i in the fact that although Sir Joseph Ward deems the increase of administrative work sufficient to the appointment of an extra Minister, yet he voluntarily saddles himself with the responsibility of the Department of Lands and Agriculture in addition to .the heavy burdens ha is already carrying as Prime Minister, Colonial Treasurer, and Minister of Defence. The idea at first current — that 1 this was but a temporary arrangement I pending the provision of an honorarium for Mr Mackenzie by special act of Par- ! 1 iament — has been negatived by the semi- ! official rumour that it is not intended to j ask Parliament to provide a Minister's I salary for the member for the Taien. Probably the real reason for the Prime Minister's action is to be found in the astounding fact that in regard to its land policy the Cabinet is hopelessly divided. Mr Fowlds is a single-taxer by conviction; Mr Hogg, as befits his Socialistic ideas, is an arrant land nationaliser ; Mr j Buddo, in so far as he has any pronounced ' opinions at all. leans to the leasehold j system ; while Mr Thomas Mackenzie and lMr R. M'Kenzie are pronounced freei holders. Is it any wonder that the Prime Minister should think it the wiser course to take the land policy of the Government under his own wing in the vain hope of being able to evolve a compromise which wilt satisfy the Cabinet as a whole. The Prime Minister has expressed the opinion that in the distribution of portfolios an effort has been made to appoint to the various positions the men most capable of filling them; and if this be accepted as a true statement of the case anrt there is no reason to doubt the Prime Minister's bona fides— then the composition of the new Cabinet only goes to confirm the impression previously held as to the general inefficiency and below-the-average ability of the supporters of I the Government. There can be little doubt that the coming session of Parliament will give opportunity to the Opposition—now fortunately reinforced and strengthened in debating power — of tehino- attacks upon both the personnel and policy of the Government such as have not been found for many years past. Ai« thinss considered, there is perhaps good ground for the conclusions of Mr Massey when he remarked that he could not imagine how a Cabinet composed of so many conflicting element* could possibly, ! work together, and that time would furnish proof of the old saying that a house divided against itself cannot stand. As a consequence Mr Massey confidently anticipates the near approach of the time when aiv appeal to the country mky be necessary/ and this before the term of the present Parliament has expired. It is hardly a happy augury that within the first w«ek of its creaTlie tion the new Cabinet Convulsions should stand charged with of the Cabinet, so great an error of judgment as is contained in the Premier's message to the Reef ton minors respecting the existing deadlock under the Workers'. Compensation Act. The previous attitude of the Government in regard to the difficulty which has presented! itself under Clause 10 of the new act wa? that the matter concerned employers aid - employed alone, and that the Government* could 'not see its way to interfere. Then, suddenly — apparently to some extent at least influenced by the' prospect of » general paralysis of the industry and commerce of the Dominion, should the uDions generally decide to widen the scope of the conflict — the Premier advised the miners that the Government were prepared to indemnify the Accident Insurance depart" ment in regard to insuring minei*s without examination. This idea of promoting an I immediate settlement was upon the under- | standing that the indemnity has only a j temporary arrangement pending the ; ameiidment oi. the Act as soon, as Parlia-

aunt meets. But despite this unfortunate Talte-face or the part of the Government. a, settlement aopears as fa., oft as ever. The" employers- ars reluctant to take advantage of th-e Government's proposal '.ntil they are acquainted with the amend''aients in the law which the Premier is HJ prepared to recommend : whilst according to the Premiar's statement the Cabinet has Tiot yet considered what the amendments shall be. The mine-owners fear that tha settlement may only prove BJ a temporary one, since there is a probability of the whole matter being reopened H' in six months' time, which would be an Hj exceedingly unsatisfactory ariangeniciit. H Before falling in with the Premier's pros' posal they ask for a guarantee that the B employers' liability on account of H- pneumoconiosis shall be deleted from the H act altogether — a guarantee which the FreH> mier is not at present prepared to give. I' Another cogent objection is that the GoH vernment's proposed indemnity only B-* covers the Government office : whereas, to ■ be effectual and just, it should be ex- ■ tended to all insurance offices carrying m accident risks in the Dominion. Ihus, ■ whilst the Premier's action has been I- prompted by a desire to avoid the spread I of the existing deadlock on the West I Coast to other districts and industries, the. m^ effect has been to convey an idea of weakI ness on the part of the Administration. I- Rightly or wrongly the Cabinet stands lr charged with pandering to the miners ; m- whereas had the Premier remained firm I' ' to his previous attitude, there was the I • possibility that the men might have given fe- way and submitted to the medical exar mination required. Altogether the inI, cident does not promise well either for F the future of the Government or for the I course of events between labour and [' capital during the year just entered. f- Not alone in the Dominion, but taking a t wider outlook, signs are *' A Gleomy not wanting of a coming * ■ New Yew* conflict between militant Ontlo«k. labour and capital on its defence. The disturbances at Broken Hill are symptomatic of the II times in which we live, and the tendency r t to disorder and illegal methods is strongly in evidence. The arrest of Tom Mann and a number of his fellow-agitators will doubtless have a moral effect, but it is easy to see that much feeling has been aroused, and that unless wisdom is exercised on both sides the consequences are likely to be serious. On every hand may be seen evidences of a desire on the part of labour to abandon the peaceful methods of conciliation and arbitration in order to revert to the more barbaric weapons of force. And how far these methods may unfortunately be extended is seen in the outrages committed by the night-riders in America. In all industrial war there is ever the danger that the spirit of lawlessness may spread, and with men's passions strongly aroused deeds may be committed for which a life-fong repentance makes but slight atonement. It is for this reason that both employer and employed in our Dominion should act very wisely, and endeavour to exhaust every possible prospect of settlement before proceeding to anything which may savour of extreme measures. After so long and so happy a period of industrial peace it would be a thousand pities it anything were allowed to fan the spark of discontent into the flame of actual rebellion and war. This is where the power of a strong Government is at once felt. If the men at the head of affairs evince a disposition to do the right, and " — ' insl3f""upon justice being meted out to all parties, this in itself is a strong argument for the conclusion of peace. But it, on the other hand, authority wavers and falters and attempts a compromise at the expense of justice, the policy of expediency will in the long run precipitate the very cri6is which it seeks to evade. Thus •in more respects than one the Ward Government is upon its trial. It is to be hoped, for the welfare of the Dominion at large and in the interests of the people of New Zealand as a whole, that Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues may emerge triumphant from the perplexing position in which they find themselves by the force of circumstances.