"LIBERAL" FIGURES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14886, 28 January 1914, Page 8

"LIBERAL" FIGURES.

Last week we pointod out that by continuing to restrict themselves to insincere and unfair attacks upon the Government's finance, tho Opposition critics are doing no good for themselves (which is unimportant), and no good for the country, which is of considerable consequence. Our small hint has been so little regarded that our friends have actually returned to the circulation of the incorrect figures with which they sought to mislead the public some sis months or so ago, and which they actually sought to defend even after our exposure of them. The public has probably not forgotten that last August tho present Government was accused of having increased tho public debt by £5JG6,550 between its assumption of office and March 31st, 1913. This sum, as we promptly pointed out, included all that addition to the public debt for which the Mackenzie Government was responsible. Now the, same fiction is repeated in another form, and is supported by a very uncandid selection from the records of Wardist finance, and all this is done in order, so it is explained, to show dull people like ourselves the real point of "Liberal ,, criticism. "In " the last year of the Liberal Adminis"tration," we are told, "the public "debt increased by £2,569,G7-1, and in " the first year of Reform Administration by £5,203,811.'' This is simply untrue. The increase of £2,869,674 was, as tho Year Book shows, on page 787/ tho increase in tho net debt between Marc!) 31st, 1911, and March 31st, 1912. But the "last year of tho I "'Liberal • Administration was from July 6th. 11)11, to July Gth, 1912, and between March 31st and July 6th in 1012, the "Liberals" raised a loan of £4,500X00. But this loan, iv respect of its addition to the public debt, is calmly attributed to Mr Allen. The £0,2(33,811 mentioned in our quotation is tho addition to the net dobt from March 31st, 1912, to Ma:ch 31st, 1913, and includes the addition, amounting to some millions, for which the Mackenzie Government was responsible. If anything could aggravate the offence of the "Liberal" critics' perversion of

tho figures, it would be the fact that no mention was made of the plain fact that Sir J. G. Ward, in his last five years of office—March 31st. 1907, to March 31st, 1012 —increased the public debt by over twenty millions sterling. In precisely tho same way the increase in expenditure "in tho first year of '"the Reform Administration,'' is given as £741.070. whereas this is the increase for the year for which. the ■'Liberals'' made the commitments and did over three months of tho spending. "The Reformers," it is explained, " seom to have missed the point of tho " criticism that is being directed ' against their finance." Nobody, be he a Reformer or anyone else, can miss the point of such criticism as we have quoted. It requires no adjectives to make it plain, and wo shall content ourselves with suggesting that if it is tho best of which the Liberal critics aro capable, they would do better for themselves if they said nothing at all.

The "Otago Daily Times," whose opinions, for all that it supports the Reform Party, our ''Liberal" friends often find a little consoling, has once more a grain of comfort for the Opposition. After pointing out tho obvious enough fact that the dividing line in politics hero will be that which distinguishes sane- Liberalism from Socialism, it says that maybe the Social Democratic Party will not .be 6trcng enough at the next general election to force this division. Indeed, it says: "We are inclined to think it will not be. From some points of view this will be unfortunate." This is to misunderstand the position entirely, nor is it at all correct to call tho Social Democrats, as our contemporary calls them, "the disturbing factor." As we said last week, using just that phrase, it is the "Liberal" Party which will be a disturbing factor, but, we added, it will be no more than that. The strength of the Social Democrats is certainly not great, although in the only constituencies in winch it has .been tested, it has bean found to be greater than that of tho "Liberal" Party. But it is not tho Social Democrats who are forcing the new political re-arrangement: it is tho "Liberal" Party itself. A little reflection will show that it is not Mr Semple and the "Professor" from Milwaukee, but the custodians ot official "Liberalism," that we must thank for bringing to a definite issue a development towards which events have been moving for years. The former supporters of the Ward Administration realise that if they nre to continno to support official "Liberalism" they must be prepared to accept, as the local organ of the party indicated, nine-tenths of the policy of the Red Fed.-Social Democrat organisation. Naturally, a great many—at Lyttelton a majority —ol thorn do not like that at all. To give Mr Semple and tho "Professor" the real governance strikes them as rather too stiff a price to pay for the pleasure of seeing the "Liberals" nominally in charge once more. Of course, there is no other counsel than this which official "Liberalism's" guides can give. If they were to advise the former supporters of tho Ward Government to stick to « principles and vote for sane and Liberal progress, they woulS simply be recruiting for Mr Massey. Whatever the Social Democrats may do, no matter what their strength may be, the "Liberal" "strategists have drawn tho line quite clearly. The position in respect of the by-, election for Cork City has taken a roost interesting turn. Mr 'William O'Brien resigned, it will be reraenv bc-red, and offered himself for re-elec-tion as n challenge to Mr Redmond to prctve that tho policy of "full ste*im nhead" i§ more keenly desired by the Irish Nationalists than the O'Brienite policy of conciliation and conference. Mr Redmond has lacked the cournge to accept the challenge. A Redmondite offered himself, but his leader exclaimed that a contest would be a scandal, and to-day we nre told that tho Redmondites have decided not to oppo™ Mr O'Brien. It is not surprising that Mr O'Brien and his friends are jubilant, for they could have no stronger proof of tho unsoundness of Mr Redmond's contention that Ireland favours the Redmond policy. A victory for Mr O'Brien may, perhaps, not justify Mr Asquith in repudiating any bargain he may have made with Mr Redmond, but if, as Mr Asquith and Mr Redmond have both asserted, there has been no bargain, tho Government will be entitled to hold that it may be allowed, and is indeed obliged, to pause in its advancement of tho Homo Rule Bill. Mr O'Brien has for many years been a staunch and vehement advocate of conciliation as the effective line for Irish Nationalism to take. The value of conference and compromise was made very clear to him by the success which attended the "round table" conference in 1002. The Balfour Government was then in office, and was anxious to promote the prosperity of Ireland by extending the land purchase spetem. Mr Wyndham succeeded in arranging a conference of all parties. Lord Diinraven presided, and amongst the other members were Mr Redmond and Mr O'Brien. Tho result was the splendid Act of 1903, which in six years converted hundreds of thousands of poor tenants; into happy masters of their own Holdings. This Act has done more for tho real happiness of Ireland than all the activities of all tho Nationalist orators since tho Union was established. The hostility of Mr Dillon, who largely coatioLs Mr lied mend, to Mr O'Brien is due to the success of that Act and to its testimony to the value of friendly dealing. Tho last week in January has sad memories for Englishmen. In January. ISSS, the force sent into the Sudan to relieve Khartoum was pushing its way slowly southward. Abu Kiea had been fought, and tho death ol Sir Herbert Stewart at Metammeh had placed Sir Charles "Wilson in command. Gordon had cent steamers down tho Nile from Khartoum, and on -January 24th Sir Charles Wilson set out tor Khartoum in the two largest of tb&se, with twenty men of the? Sussex regiment and 190 Sudanese soldiers. After overcoming many diuiculties, ard running the gauntlet of the MahJist fire, the vessels neared Khartoum on tho 2Sth, only to find that there was no flag over the town. Khartoum had falieii. and the only tiling to be done was to turn back.

Tho enemy were in great strength on tho banks, 'and it was amid a shower of bullets and shells that tho steamc retired. "Looking; out over the stormy scene," said Sir Charles afterwards, "it seemed almost impossible that wo should escape. , ' Afterwards the little band found that they had been two days late. Khartoum had fallen on the 26th, and from the knowledge now in our possession it is an astonishing thing that it managed to hold out for so long. Mr Bacon, the English artist whose death has just been announced, was commissioned to paint the official picture of the Coronation of King George and Queen Mary. The commission was accepted by him after it had been declined by a greater artist, the lato Mr Edwin Abbey. King Edward chose Mr Abbey as tho artist for hie Coronation, and Mr Abbey did the work, but found certain parts of the task so irksome and inconvenient that he made up his mind not to accent another commission of the same kind. In a picture of a Coronation portraits havo to be painted of all tho officials grouped round the Sovereign, which means that the artist must arranae to sketch a largo number of people at private sittings. Poor Mr Abbey's time was wasted and his temper spoiled by tho high and mighty attitude displayed by some of these people towards a more artist. They kept or did not keep engagements, just as it pleased them, unmindful that Mr Abbey's time was much more valuable than their own. King Edward and Queen Alexandra, we may be sure, showed him every consideration. Being an American. Mr Abbey could afford to refuse what most English artists would regard as a command, and give his time to work better suited to his genius.