The Dominion. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1909. THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 632, 8 October 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1909. THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH.

The Speech'put into the mouth of his Excellency tho Governor by Ministers for tho opening of Parliament yesterday was in the main a fairly complete review of the outstanding events of tho past few months, and foreshadowed a somewhat formidable budget of business for the session ahead. After careful perusal the reader will probably arrive at tho conclusion that there is nothing startlingly new in tho Speech, but a good deal that affords food for speculation. Practically tho whole of tho legislative proposals it contains have been hinted at or directly promised by Ministers. Native Lands Legislation; Bankruptcy Law Amendment; National Annuities; Special Land Settlement Finance Bill; Rating of Nativo Lands; Shipping and Seamen's Act Amendment, are all important measures, "*rad there are a host of others, some dealing with subjects of a very debatablo nature. In addition to these there must of courso be legislation relating to defenco matters, • and-the much neglected hir.il services are promised attention. Moreover, we have the question of Civil Service retrenchments to bo investigated and discussed. The programme indeed is hopelessly large for one short session, and chief interest will centro in speculation as to which of thd many proposals mentioned the Governraont really intends to persovere with this year, i Ono of tho foremost questions is that of the- mail .services. In this connection it is a little surprising to find that the Prime Minister, after carrying consternation into'the camp of our.Auckland friendsl by appear: ing to abandon all hopo fori tho present or a. renewal of the' San'.Francisco service, revives the question in the Governor's Speech. At Auckland he'said: ,"Tho matter [the San Francisco service] up to the present is not within the rango of practical possibility. .. . ." _ And ho proceeded to givo' his reasons for holding this view. "Thorefore," ho added later, "we must turn our attention ■to the advantages of tho Vancouver sorvice." In his Excellency's Speech it is stated that :'_ . .'. .'. negotiations, .arc proceeding ■with a view to giving 'a' ; closer connection via* Vancouver, arid, also endeavouring to .obtain improved mc,il sorvico.via San Francisco." The • prpbablo explanation of these seemingly conflicting,.views lies 'iu tho ifact that.the Piume Minister is •anxious to soften the blow to those in Auckland.who are.so clamorous for a renowal of the San Francisco service. This statement of tho position made at Auckland is no doubt the sound one, and.our .best-hope of .-an improvement in .. tho Home mail services, lies throughtho Vancouver service or by means of a better communication between Australia and New Zealand to. secure tho full advantages of the Australian ocean mail ser- ■ A'iccs. .' , . ''

It is not our purpose to review his Excellency's Speech in detail. We have ;dealt very "fully with the naval defence question, and there is no occasion to comment at length on the mannoif in which ",lhe position is stated in the Speech, Sin Joseph Ward'has again been a little unfortunate in his mode of expressing the attitude which he adopted at the! Naval Conference "In the case of New/Zealand,", the Speech reads, "Sir Joseph .Ward, following what he believed to be best for her interests and most in accord with the sentiments of her people and Parliament, preferred the policy of strengthening the Imperial Navy, etc." There is a direct/implication hero that the course followed by Australia and Canada, which is referred to in the paragraphs preceding,'did not mean a "policy o': strengthening the Imperial Navy." The Prime Minister, m putting these words into his : Excellency's mouth, may rot have jneant to convey this meaning, but they certainly imply that the action of the sister Dominions has hot strengthened the' Imperial Navy, which is, of course, quite contrary to fact. On the subject of land, settlement thero is a somewhat 'mysterious passage, which '■ may mean a good deal, or- it may be merely ar empty formula dragged in to satisfy the demands of custom or expediency. "You .will,": it reads, "bo asked to consider land legislation, devised, among other,<thing3, to make rural life moro attractive, to encourage settlement, and to.' more effectively prevent undesirablo aggregation of holdings." There is a whole World of promise in this paragraph. Unfortunately for the country and tho country settlor, it is very much easier, and apparently/a more congenial task, to Ministers to proparo >■ pleasing paragraphs of: this nature than to carry the m to tho stage of performance. ~ The sentiments expressed recall ■ the flowing oratory of the Native, Minister, whose sonorous eloquence has for years past.disguised the. hollowncss of the Government's professions in regard to the settlement of Native lands. t The timo, however, has arrived when promises must givo way to porformanco, both in regard to tho Nativo land question and respecting land settlement generally,. The, freehold, with limitation of area issuo, will certainly be tested during the coming session in one way or another, and Ministors must make ut. their minds as to whether they aro going to stand or fall by their principles, or whether they will haul down altogether the leasehold flag and surrender to thc ; demand for the freehold. On tho. whole, wo must compliment the Government on the Speech. It may not bo an illuminating one, but it covors a wide range of ground,: and-if-oven one half of thi larger questions raised in it arc dis.po.sed of m?mber» will:have performed a very fair session's-work,