THE GOVENOR-GENERALSHIPS

Thames Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 18384, 4 July 1917, Page 6

THE GOVENOR-GENERALSHIPS

AN EMPTY TITLE.

PRESS COMMENTS,

. The Wellington, Post says:—• Ihe change of the title of the King's representative in this country from "Governor of New Zealand" to that, of "Governor-General of New Zealand" is not a thing to make a fuss about. It is, we aa^e told, "in recogfliit'ion of the .services rendered by New '.Zealand' since the outbreak of war" that ibe change has been made. It would have been far better to give no reason at all than such a (reason as this. If New Zealand requires any a^eoognitdon at I'll for her services in a war in which •her own liber ties and her own inde-. pendence wem just as muoh at stake as those of aoiy other pairt of the Empire, it should • surely take a shape at once more substantial and more .relevant than this. In> every othier case but that of New Zealand the term has a real meaning. The dictionary defines "Governor-Gener-al' ' as "a Governor who lias undar him deputy or lieutenant-governors."

In 1774 Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of India. — a position which, was properly distin.g;uisbedi by its special title 'rom the Governorship of Bengal which he 'had previously held. Canada has a 'Governor-General, whose authority over the whole Dominion is thus dis'tingtiished from that of ihe Lienteniant-Govemora Who hold office in the component Provances. In Australia there is the same distinction 'between the Governor-General of the Commonwealth andi the Governors of the different States; and South Africa, which represents the latest product of the unifying sentiment within the British Empire, has under her new Constitution a Gov-ernor-General with subordinate Administrators for each of the >'r<ovinoes. In all these cases the term "Governor-General" has a real meaning, but, New Zealand's Gov-ernor-General will remain a Governor without deputies or lieutenants, a sort of General without an army. •

1 Tlie New .Zealand Times ■ inalces .the following comment:— "In. recognition, of the services rendered by New '^ealand in the war, and to mark the status of the Dominion, a. signal mark of Royal favour has been ex-

tended," etc. The mark miay be signal, but it is certainly singular. The Governor who is made a' GovernorGeneral .is not a Goiyemor-Generai , now any more than h© was when the Grown declared him one. What is more, he can never be a GovernorGeneral until the Dominion is cut VP into Provinces, each ruled by a subordinate representative of the King in matters involving! autonomy. Are Are we really going to set up such a. system? A Governor-General is a. ■ Governor over Governors. He of India rules the India which if divided 1 into Presidencies, ruled locally by the Governors of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. He of Canada rules the Dominion of which the Provinces are ruled by LieutenantGovevnors. He of Australia rules the/ Commonwealth which is divided into States, each ruled by a Governor. He of South. Africa rules over the Union, which'consists of Provinces presided' over by Administrators —who are practically Governors. To make a Governor a Gov-ernor-General you must give !mu Provinces and the governor! ntr ! Provinces and the governing ma :niI nery thereof. But without these you cannot make him a Governor-General any more than you can turn a 1 haunch of mutton into a lobster ma.yonna.ise by Royal decree. Nominal without real change is absurd, , and if New Zealand wanted! to I© rewarded! for patriotism she does not . care to be rewarded by being made t to look absurdl.

'■ The Dunedin Eveningl News' says : (It is gratifying to receive marks of His Majesty's approving! recognition of the magnificent services rendered ! by New Zealand in the gjreait cause. IWe could have wished, however, that the recognition, had taken i another direction.

I Just wha<t does it mean this transformation of our Governor into a j Governor-General? In the first place, j where are the subordinate Governors over whom -he is chief. If there are none —and we certainly do not ! know of them —what sober reason :is there for doing violence to the i English language by calling Gov- | ernor-General a man who has only | the functions of a Governor 1 It is ! time our Responsible Ministers realised 1 that the people of this part of the Empire aire .not. childrejn to be i dazzled with the tinselled toys of ' titles that mean no ©nlargment of i function. New Zealand bias jiot a. j political position, analogius to that :of Australia or Canada or India. All these countries are federations of . States that formerly were independent political! units, and still retain a measure of local governj men*. Not a sane man in this J Dominion ever complained 1 that New Zealand had a Governor while the ! Commonwealth* had a Governm--I General.. >

!But we aa'e apprehensive that the people of this country will have to 1 pay dearly for the* ostentatious <ie- : signation of their Governor. It may be taken as certain thati Parliament will one day be asked to raise the emolument to suit the ntew dignity. I At'present the Governor receives £7,000 a year. In order to fill our mouths with a grandiose title which Bi«r»ifies nothing the country is likely rto be called uipon to dip its hands jin its pockets for a few extra j thousands. V