The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1909. THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 630, 6 October 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1909. THE SESSION.

The session which begins to-morrow has been awaited, and will be followed by the public, with far more interest and .curiosity than any l session, for a good many years past. Although tho Government during tho election campaign last year discovered the importance of "a legislative rest," it has contrived to scrapo • together a small collection of new proposals, ; which,' added to some of the familiar old Mils, will make a fair show of legislative activity. The main interest of the session does, not, however, attach to. these proposals, .■ but ■ to : the treatment which, may be given to the problem ,of defence, and in equaldegree to tho attack which is certain to be made on the Government's land policy and tho general administration of the public Departments. Were it not that thcro. is very little prospect of any , result, in the matter of naval defence, beyond tho, ratification of the arrangement ad referendum agreed upon by "tho Dc- | fence Conference, wo might look forward to defence debates of a really useful character. There will be no excuse, bowever, for perfunctoriness in the treatment of. the defence problem. While it is important that there should be no hesitation on any.mpmber's ,part about sharply cri•ticising the . Prime MiKisTEii's, proposal where;, disagreement with, it.exists, -the. discussion, wo hope, will be kept free from party:heat. This is advice which appears to bo needed by tho Prime MinISIER himself as much as anybody else, %x there have already been signs of a tendcncy ; to treat honest criticism of his proposal as-party, spleen. By. the time the matter comes up for discussion, wo' trust that both parties will have realised that to adopt this attitude is not only very improper,' but in the long run unwise. Ono grotesque fallacy, at anyrate, must be firmly attacked by tho friends of true progress in naval defence—namely, the idea, which the Pjume Minister has been: striving to .encourage, that if Zealand attempts to do anything more :than is proposed she' will .be separating Kors'elf from the British Navy.' Stated in" this'plain form,tlie absurdity of this talk' about what: constitutes "attachment" to the British.Navy.becomes porfeptly clear. Nobody, unfortunately, knows just what are the.'.Governmcnt'si.proposals'- respect-: ing land.dofcnco.: Tne Prime ; Minister's statement to'the ■• Manchester- Guardian was a'model of vagueness.' Therc'will be at least one very suitable occasion during the session for tho introduction of a motion affirming the desirableness of establishing .'a'system 1 of compulsory, training, and; the country expects to < seo this ocCa-.sion;takcn'-'advantage.of. ;:7 . ' ' ,' : '.", Although wb have placed deforico first amongst tho matters to'be-dealt with, the' sharpest fighting, and the keenest attention of tho public, will bo centred in the impending attack upon the .Government's land policy. Notwithstanding that every newspaper . in , the , country has ..been . discussing . tho ...Govern-, mont's ;.■■/■ position in- regard' 'to '. land tenure,' not a word has been said by Hinis.ters.to suggest.'that the only policy in the Government's possession is to bo defended. Ministers havo been unusually talkative, but on the question'of land tenure , they havo ' been., practically'.' dumb. Thoy have .allowed to pass unchallenged every prediction that they will surrender to the freeholders; they have left uncomforted those of their friends who have been entreating, them fib' say' that they have not utterly abandoned, their .principles.' "After tho tricking of the freeholders by the appointment of tho Land Commission, and the passage of the 1907 legislation with the connivance of many of the. members pledged to the freehold, the rural districts aro not in a humour oither to see the' settlement of the question postponed or to see the freeholders in the Houso voting with tho Government if, undor any protcxt, l the tenure issue is made a direct party issue. There has been jugglery enough already. Few people really believe that the Government has decided upon a definite and satisfactory method of dealing with the Native lands, or will evor do anything satisfactory so long as Ms. Carroll stands' in the way. The position -as been summed up very • exactly by.'the''Leader- of the Eeforra party, both.in-respect of the Government's methods and of the public's irritation. "This country," he said, "wanted settlement, not empty explanations by Ministers who didn't know the:fir6t principle of land settlement. , The Government'was apparently content- to go on trying to blind the people as to the actual facts of the lockinj-up of the Crown lands, and leaving the Native land problem to tho Hon. Mr. Carroll, .who in sixteen years had accomplished nothing." It is very extraordinary that some of thoso who profess an anxiety to have the Native wastes brought into a stato of productiveness aro at this late hour placing obstacles in tho way of this urgentlyneeded roform by just that sentimental nonsenso about "tho holpless Native" which lias kept tho lands idle and unproductive for so many years.. ■'./ Of the general measures which will be brought down by the Government, : somo arc very old friends. We cannot recall .my promise of tho Local Government Bill that Ims been promised every year for wc know not how long; but it will dqubtlcss figure in the Speech to-morrow. The National Annuities Bill and the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill will prob-" ftbly. bo' amongst tho missing when the session closes. So fa*, as can bo seen af

present ths most contentious measures will be tho Death Duties Bill, and Mr, Herman's proposal to establish a' Public Sorvico. Board. If Parliament were to .decide, upon dealing thoroughly only with tho, really urgent .and important matters, it would confino itself to tho questions of defence, land tenure, financo, and the administration of the public Departments. But Parliament, wo fear, will not bo so sensible and businesslike as this would require. , Yet it will be guilty of' a serious breach of its trust if it fails to examine very closely the recent changes in the Public Service and to scrutinise tho public expenditure with more care than has been customary. Unfortunately tho session begins jiist about the time when, ordinarily their privato concerns, and the oncoming, of summer, call members very loudly to cease work arid go home. Moreover, the coming of the hot weather will by itself havo a discouraging effect upon even the energetic-and attentive members of the House. Since it was to suit the Government's convenience that the normal arrangements j have been so seriously dislocated,;it is the plain duty of the Government to circulate all its' Bills without delay. Wo were promised that the recess would be- usefully employed by Ministers in preparing for the; session; and the Government must keep its promise.. If it does so, and the House wastes no time, much can yet bo done to prevent the postponement of the session, from being seriously harmful. .„