The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1913. THE WORK OF PARLIAMENT

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 15120, 14 August 1913, Page 6

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1913. THE WORK OF PARLIAMENT

It is certainly the height of inconsistency that after Opposition critics have condemned the Financial Statement with one voice, on the ground that there was next to nothing in it, members on both sides of the House should be predicting "a long and bitter debate " upon the Statement. Yet that is the prediction made by them, according to the Parliamentary correspondents, and it is expected that the Budget debate which began last night, will * e dragged out into a third we?k. When the debate on the Go v?rnor's Speech was spun out day after day, as if the whole vocation of a majority of the Hoiise was endless iteration, the consolation could be entertained that the discharge of floods of verbiage at the beginning of the session would leave members free to devote themselves with application afterwards to serious work of legislation. But it has not had that and there is every prospect that two weeks if not more will be wasted in criticism by the > Opposition of a Budget which it has already stated to be barren, and replies to such unnatural criticism. It is very probable that the otitlines of projected measures were made as brief as possible in the Budget in the hope that this debate would be proportionately short, and that members would reserve their critioism of intended legislation until 1 they had the Bills before them—a far more practicable time for criticising them. Everybody knows that whatever may be said against the Budget by the Government's opponents, it really foreshadows more than enough new Bills to keep the House very husily employed considering?and improving them for a longer middle session than has been usual for many years. It is seven weeks now since the session was begun, and not one measure has been passed through both Chambers. Yet, while the House might be considering useful Bills, we find its time wasted,by such contradictory and foolish criti • cism as that with which Mr MacDonald, one' of the Opposition members, opened the debate last evening- Mr Mac Donald was so hard put to it for reasonable objections to the Budget that he had to accuse the Hon. James Allen of "juggling with figures in such a way that they were past all understanding," though all the Opposition papers that have said anything upon the subject have congratulated Mr Allen' on the unique fullness and clarity with which his figures were set forth. Then we find Mr Mac Donald condemning the Government for not spending enough last year on roads, bridges, and railways, and in the same breath upbraiding it for proposing to spend more this year. The Hon. had no difficulty in replying to such criticism, but it is difficult to see why he should have wasted time in replying to it at all. The Opposition naturally sets the pace in a Financial Debate, but. since the present Budget, on its own plea, affords s;> little to discuss, it would be in the nature of consistency on the Opposition's part, and there would be less need of ! long sittings and hard driving afterwards to despatch the solid business of the session, if the -parties could agree to limit its discussion to half-a-dozen speakers chosen from each side.

chusetts, at the end of June,.with rites, or absence of rites, which caused the event to be telegraphed at considerable length to British papers. In a garden by the sea side, in the presence of a magistrate, and wearing picnic garb, the brave innovators briefly pledged themselves to take each other as a lawful wife and husband. The magistrate who performed the ceremony "asked the bride and bridegroom whether they had obtained a medical assurance that they were fitted for the high calling of -oarenthood," and they replied "we are so assured." That was all, and the wise couple _ left to spend their honeymoon in ISTew Zealand. The poet's granddaughter- should revive his description of maidenhood '' Standing, with reluctant feet, Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet."

If Sir Joseph Ward has formed any political plans for the future he did not breathe a word of them at the reception given him when he passed through Timaru yesterday. IsTo one knows yet whether he will agree to be the leader of the Opposition or not. But in the fact that, in the Mayor's words, he has returned "in the best of health and spirits to take up his duties as a member of Parliament," people of all shades of politics can find not a little cause for satisfaction. The Opposition badly needs a leader, and the bungling violence and flounderings of its principal members who have tried to fill the role suggest that unless Sir Joseph Ward will take the office, it is not likely to be filled with satisfaction either to the Opposition or the country. Sir Joseph Ward as leader would prevent the Opposition leaping blindly into every foolish ditch of criticism, as it has been doing lately. His counsels and control would make it play the useful part it should do in.the Constitution. If he does not become its official leader, which might mean mortgaging his well-earned ease and liberty for many years to come, his experience and abilities must still make him its chief adviser, and the Opposition has shown a great need for advice.

"Reassuring" is the description given by pur cables to Sir Edward Grey's speech on the Balkan settlement—or suspension of hostilities- Reassuring it is in the largest sense, since the danger of a European war is now averted, but reassuring for the Balkans it is not. We gather that the Great Powers are so tired of Turkey and its hornet enemies that they are not going to be responsible for them any longer. The Turks can stay in Adrianople and keep a fair extent of Thrace if they dare to take the risk—a grave one—that some individual Power j .acting for, t its. owil advantage, - may expel 'them and make their last plight worse than the second. The Balkan States are warned to be good boys, and they will have reason to be peaceful for a time. In Sir Edward Grey's words, the war of liberation had become first a war of conquest, then a war of extermination." The conflagration has now burned itself out. Everything consumable has been consumed." But the exhortation of King Eerdinand of Bulgaria to his resentful, disappointed people is still "Bide the time!" The Concert of Europe has cut but a sorry figure in ti>e influence it has been able to exert upon the combatants. The upshot seems to be that Germany and Austria have lost a prospective.■"owerful ally by the defeat of Turkey, and Slavdom, as a new power in the Balkans, will be of less use, to Russia than seemed likely a few weeks ago.

_ The attack made by 1000 Der vislies on a force of 150 camel constabulary, under British officers, sent to nut clown inter-tribal looting in the protectorate of British Somaliland, is a reminder that there are still places where the Pax Britannica is enforced at constant hazard- British forces have often been so cut off, in the wilder regions of the earth, and found the Gatling—in this case it was the Maxim—jam when mosl required. The camel corps seems to have behaved with great gallantry in the circumstances, though the loss of 50 men, out of a total force of 150, was a heavy price to pay for the repulse of their opponents. The protection of'the east coast towns of British Somaliland is entrusted to small garrisons of Indian troons, supplemented by a native police force under British officers. British posts were withdrawn about three years ago from the interior, and administration is confined, normally, to the coastal towns.