The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1926. TRUST THE PEOPLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 19 March 1926, Page 8

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1926. TRUST THE PEOPLE.

Significant, secrecy is associated with the London visit of the Attorney-General of New South Wales. No- one outside, the solemn conclave of the Labour Party appears to. know why Air AloTiernan has been despatched to the Home. Country. All' Lang’s bull-ai-the-gate methods, havingfailed, in spite of the incredible good fortune he had with the Governor, w;ho accepted his original advice and Hooded the Legislative Council with Labour’s puppets pledged to thrust, a dagger into the. heart of the Council, the Premier of New South Wales has turned hie attention to. the Dominion Office. It is all tremendously undignified, but why all the secrecy •_ about, the Attorney-General’s visit to. London? In Parliament Air Lang steadfastly refused to answer any questions about it. In his own caucus meeting- lie pleaded that the time was not ripe for disclosure of the awful secret. He almost got. to the point of denying the project wholly. Then, when Parliament has been prorogued, he holds a six-hour chat with his Cabinet about it. The Labour Premier, however, demands King Charles’ _ head —in other wdrds, the abolition of the Legislative Council, and lie hoped to force the Governor to bow at his call. But here is a matter of vital importance to the people of New South Wales, • whom Air Lang despises, hidden away behind a camouflage of platitudes alternating- with abuse. Asked whether it was true that the Governor had refused to appoint more members of the Legislative Council, Air Lang replied, concisely : “It may be true, or it may not be true.” Naturally. Why hide it? Everybody knows it is ti-ue. Can it be that Air Lang adds vanity to his other fine qualities ? Conceived in the lowest kind of party intrigue and born in huger-mugger, how can Air lung’s assault, upon the. Legislative Council succeed? The one manfy, honest course has not been taken. It is the course which, no doubt, the Governor advised when asked for a second batch of appointments. It is the course which the Dominions Office will advise when Air AloTieman materialises on the inhospitable doorstep of the office in London, . only to come to himself and realise that. Labour’s bluff Las been” called and the voice, of the- people of New South Wales must be given an opportunity to make itself heard. It is the course which the people of New South AVales demand. Whatever the stupidities of the people, from the Lang point of view, they are not so. stupid that they cannot appraise the issue at its worth. They do not endorse the Legislative Council with any great enthusiasm, but they do feel that a Premier who is so obviously determined not to trust them must have a very had case to put before them.

' NEW IN THE JOB. Prominent New Zealanders in London have not disguised their well-founded opinion that it is regrettable that a situation will arise when. Air Coates visits London later in the year to attend his first Imperial Conference! that he will not have the assistance and mature advice of an experienced High Commissioner. Quite a lively discussion followed the announcement of Sir James Allen’s retirement. The position would be, it is pointed out, that a new Prime Minister of the Dominion would arrive in London shortly after Ihe new High Commissioner bad taken over bis work at New Zealand House. Commenting on ibis cuestion, “The British Australian and New Zealander” savs:

If Mr - Coates had attended an Imperial Conference before, it would not be so bad, but for the resident representative and the visiting representative to be both new to their work would make tilings very difficult for the Prime Minister. Before the sitting of an Imperial Conference, High Commissioners of the various Dominions keep their Prime Ministers well infonnod regarding the questions to be discussed, and during the Conference itself they arc in the best position to advise their chiefs. It would be of the greatest advantage to Mr Coates to have the mature advice of Sir James Allen during the former’s stay in Loudon, and all those who have considered the question are of opinion that the Government of Now Zealand would be following a wise course if they extended Sir James Allen’s term of office for another year. There are other reasons why the High Commissioner should remain for another year. . . . No doubt. Sir James Allen would welcome a much-deserved rest after his eleven years of almost incessant work, hut if the Government were to invite him to remain on as High Commissioner for another year, and ho found himself able to do so, it would in many ways he advantageous to New Zealand. It is rather unfortunate. flint ;u. the forthcoming Imperial Co micron ee —probably the most important. of recent, years—that. Air Coates, who is new to Imperial aft'an-s, should not ho in a position to call upon the extensive experience and wcll-infoimed judgment of a representative cf Sir James Allen’s calibre .and prestige. _ As it, is, bdh 1 lie Prime AHnis-ler and th * High Commissioner will be without previous experience of Imperial Conferences. Doubt-Lss the Prime Minister foresaw these p< s«ible disabilities and may have decided that the. present, head of the Prime Minister's Department, Ah Thomson, whose experience in Imperial Conferences is unrivalled as far as New Zealand’s part is concerned, will lie able to initiate the new- Prime Alinister into- the intricacies of Em pile diplomacy and workings of conferences cf Imperial statesmen.