The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1915. THE SECRET DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

Southland Times, Issue 17482, 24 July 1915, Page 5

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro . SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1915. THE SECRET DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

While the National Government scheme has not been definitely abandoned and negotiations are still in progress between the party leaders, the gossip of the Lobbies indicates that the prospects of a coalition are considered to be slight by those who are in the way of hearing what is going on. We trust that unfavourable predictions will not be fulfilled, and that the two parties will succeed in reaching an agreement. The situation which now exists, calls urgently for unity among the people and unity in the Legislature, and in view Of the equality of parties in the country and in the House, unity can best be attained by forming an executive representative of the country as a whole, and capable of acting in the name of Parliament as a whole. If the coalition proposals fail the reasons for the failure will have to oe fully explained i to the country, and the country will not be easily satisfied in the matter. The reasons will have to be sound and adequate or the country will not hesitate to lay the blame where it i should fall. If. however, the scheme ; should ultimately fall through it seems I to be almost certain that the powers of the Secret Defence Committee will be extended, and that all war questions will be dealt with by the Committee with a view to avoiding party warfare. On the principle that half a loaf is better than no bread this proposal has much to commend it, but the Secret Defence Committee will certainly fail to produce that unity which is the end in view, unless the spirit which was shown in conciliation with the War Pensions Bill is banished from the House and from the press. What happened in connection with v l that Bill has been unpardonable distorted for party purposes. When the Hill was first introduced Sir Joseph Ward explained that it had been unanimously approved by the Secret Defence Committee, and congratulated the Government upon the scale of pensions provided. Mr G. W. Russell and Dr McNab. both prominent members of the Opposition, and both mem- , bars of the Secret Defence Committee, strongly approved the Bill, and gave reasons why the scale of pensions . should not be increased without very , serious consideration. Under pres- , sure from both sides of the House, _ however, the Minister agreed to refer \ the schedules back to the Committee, \ and the Committee decided upon cer- \ tain increases, the principal increase \ being an addition of 10/- to a private's \ pension, raising it from 25/- to 25/-. ; When members suggested that the \ scale might be made still more liberal, \ Sir Joseph Ward found it necessary ( to make it clear that as a member of < the Secret Defence Committee, he re- . garded these further criticisms as an ; expression of want of confidence in j the Committee, and he told one mem- , her bluntly that he had either failed x to ascertain what an increase in the j pensions would mean to the country, or if he had got the figures he had .] failed to understans them. That was pretty plain speaking, but the rebuke { was fully deserved. Party writers t have suggested, however, the Sir £ Joseph Ward and his Opposition col- t. leagues on the Committee are really i in favour of further increases, but ! that certain ideas of loyalty to other j members of the Committee have induced them to support the Bill. This i suggestion is wholly unwarranted by £ the facts, for nothing could be clearer \ than that Sir Joseph Ward, Dir Rus- c sell. Dr McNab, Dir Myers and Mr c Hindmarsh (chairman of the Labour ( Party), supported the Bill as it was t first introduced because they believed j that the scale of pensions was liberal, c

as Indeed it wa* In comparison with the provision made in >other parts of the Empire. It is ridiculous to ask sensible people to believe that Sir Joseph Ward, secretly believing that the pensions were not liberal enough, would have congratulated the Government on the Bill and warmly commended it to the House; or that Mr G. W. Russell, suppressing his personal feeling that the pensions should be increased, would go to the trouble of preparing figures showing how careful the House must be not to overload the country with war burdens. And when the Committee, against its own judgment, conceded the increases asked for by members, the suggestion that the Opposition members of the Committee were fin favour of further increases, but supported the Bill out of loyalty to the Committee became still more ridiculous. Indeed, it became dishonest. This kind of party chicanery will destroy the usefulness of the Secret Defence Committee. If that Committee is to serve the useful and patriotic purpose for which it was set up, it must be supported loyally, both in the House and in the country. On no other condition can it carry on; on no other condition is its existence worth while. If the Secret Defence Committee, with extended powers, is to act for both parties on war questions in order to obtain unity of effort and purpose, it will do great service for the dominion, but if it is to succeed its recommendations will have to meet with a different reception in the House from that accorded to the War Pensions Bill.