ADVICE TO MINISTERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143787, 10 May 1912, Page 2

ADVICE TO MINISTERS.

A few days ago wo ventured to suggest that the.country is tired of hearing of tho sins of the Reform 1 arty, or of tho repeated references to _thc campaign of calumny.” At Stratford .on Wednesday night ,tho Hon. C«. Lanronson -devoted much of his speech to repetition of the charges wo have so often hoard with reference to the last election. Lot us commend to his notice and to that of other Ministers the following from a friendly paper, tho Dunedin Star, which says:—“Wo are constrained to add that tho Prime Minister might bother himself less about some other kinds of criticism, granting that Air. Massey keeps up the old factious game with provoking persistency, and that it is difficult for the perfervid Mackenzie temperament to exercise restraint when the enemy blasphemes; still, we are convinced that thp now Prime Minister would do well to ignore the jejune strictures of the Opposition and devote the time (no great l space) that remains before the reopening of Parliament to the task of preparing his policy. T hold my tongue and spake nothing; I kept silence, hut it was pam and grief to me.’ it will bo pain and grief to Air. Mackenzie to bridle Ins tongue while the busily critical are in his sight, but if ho takes the Psalmist s advice ho may bo glad afterwards, lie concluded his speech on Saturday with some ‘appropriate words’ from a oncefamous poem (who reads ‘Fcstus’ nowadays t) —-‘wo live in deeds, not years, etc.' Well, wo told him three or four days ago that ho and his colleagues, if their tenure of the Ministerial benches was not to tic of the shortest, must live in deeds, not words. Words, words, words about old controversies —the fivemillion loan, and so forth —the country is sick of tho whole business; sick alike of tho Opposition attack and of the Government defence.”