NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

"Liberalism" camc up for definition in the-House last week in the course of the debate on. the Hospitals and Charitable. Institutions Bill,, :Onthvs whole; the now school of Radicals had rather, the worst' of it. - Mr. M'Lakkn, fretting under the_ absence of a Right to Work Act, and pained no doubt by the existence of private enterprise, sent forth a bitter cry. r He did. not. Delicve there 1 was any such thing as Liberalism in the conntry. „ We certainly do not think there is very much . Liberalism in the quarters which claim a ■ monopoly of it, but Mr. M'Laeen's idea of Liberalism—an. idea he shares with Me. L'.URBNSON 'andMß. Hoqg andMii. T. E. Taylor—rather differs from the idea; of Mr. Gladstone, which we- noted; on Tuesday last.: Mt differs also from the' ideas of. the, original Liberals. . BENTHAMiand Mill, as Mb, M'LAr.EN : will find if he. looks up .our article, ,of September 21, would be reluctantly, compelled to dis-' agree - with him. What Mn. M'Laren misses is / full-blown . Socialism. Mr.' Laueenson has an idea of liife own. He !' "considered ■ that Liberalism consisted iri .. giving the people the right to express their opinions, v which is very wise and ! very true; but he on to-make his real meaning clear in | his next sentence: "What the people asked for they, should ; get." , Just Sir Joseph. Ward's idea: "We, find '. out, what, the, people want, and • then give it .. to them." In other words: "What offers! <Bid up, gentlemen.Mr. Baume, - '.who has lately, u'een saying some <& the best things in the House, put the . matter j in a nutenell when he said "there was rip particular Liberalism -in,v shouting V trust' 'the people.'..'' He had in mind, of course, the obvious fact that the Laurenbonian 1 doetrine, against which the doctrine of ' Gladstone and the .carlior. Liberals.has ;to ': fight,' is equivalent to i the doctrine that you.are not acting the part, of A wise ' parent if you attempt to interfere with ' the whims and appetites 6f your child. The whole discussion was very instructive ■ for its illustration of the boldness of the 1 Socialists in calmly, telling tho people who i hold Liberal ■ principles- that ; they; ■ are | thereby not Liberals! I The newspaper opinions ;which we pub- • lish this morning bearing on the question i of Government advertising will, we think, I prove of interest to all who aro concerned with the. proper conduct 'of public af : fairs.: Those who followed tho reports of tho discussion'of ;fche : proceedings in the • House of 'Representatives on Friday af-. ! ternoon and!oyeriing>ill have noted that • while the Government party Voted against the principle that, .Ministers should only'administer the funds of the ; people so as to securo the best return therefrom, arid'': regardless' of;; political J party considerations, they 1 made no , at-' ! tempt to defend; this openly-expressed ' contompt for clean arid Bound governmoot. This- is really a; matter of- much greater importance > than' the boycotting ', of a newspaper by the Government at the J public okpetise. • In the one case a viciouß ! principle which strikes at tho root of "• honest, government was ; affirmed by the vote of 36 members of Parliament. The other is ■ merely an application of ; the principle—the: proprietors and , readers of _ a newspaper : are penalised, and a ber- . tain sum of public money wasted in im- • proper expenditure,' influenced by, political 'considerations., : Wo have expressed our very .fully upon this mis-spend- ? ing 61- the 'taxpayers!' money, and it" lias ! been gratifying to us'to find that no ;re- ■ ply has, or can be,'made to our challenge ;■ to test tho accuracy of our contention ». that The^Dominion'sCirculation.offers so f much greater a return to advertisers than ' that of any other morning journal in s Wellington, city or province. We havo 1 t been abused in general terms, but no \ specific evidence naß, or can be,'adduced to Bupport the allegations made, and our; ' challoiigo tb the Government "and 1 to our contemporaries concerned remains unanswored. We have this m6rning,.as a .mat-; ter. of public concern, placed on record . tho names .of the 36 members of I'arliamerit who voted against the motion, affirmf ing the principle that the public's inoney' !• in the matter of advertising must be spent by: the Government in; thO interests of the people 'only, and regardless of ' party interests. That there can bo no 0 dispute as to the"effect;of the motion, we repeat it below,:' 1 f"fhftt in. the opinion :of this HousO. Government advertisements should be supplied to uew63 papers regardless of their politiciil convictions, " ami with a view only to securing tho bost return - to the taxpayers for the money so expended." The 36 members of Parliament'concerned, whatever excuse they may make for boycotting The Dominion, can offer no excuse to; their constituents \ for voting ' against a general motion which morely affirms what every man and woman in New Zealand- must know is - in the interests of, in fact absolutely essential to, the futuro , well-being of this country. ' It, is truly ' amazing'to find the Parliament of any i country; placing; on permanent record in g this way its disapproval of the' view that l tho funds of the country should be ada niinistertd ouly in the interests of the i people as a" whole, and not in the interests of a political party. In their attempt ' to mjuro this papor,' tho members, of ; the Government party have been led into a , course of action—thoughtlessly, we trust— which must • do: far: mori, in j u'ry to the ' country with the outside world than all v the. criticism that has been heaped upoh ®- the.maladministration of this -or/any previous Government. , It is indeed a sorry advertisement for New Zealand, and a sorry day for its people, when its 8 Parliament is : so -lacking in ; its" sense l of duty to the public that it openly refuses j to affirm the principle that public fundß i should be expended only in the', public inj, terest. . ,-' v J ■ A'otkioos and interesting circular has been issued 'by'the, French Minister ,of Finance,' M. Cocitext, who appears to be : anxious to do something to reduce the oph' pressive cost of tho State Departments, e The circular, which has been issued'to all t grades' of Government; servants; invites !•' them to suggest' whateverVmeans may ap-

pear to' them of d. practical nature with the object of reducing expenses whilfet ensuring increased efficiency in the Departments. So an intention as this could riot be received otherwise than with favour, by the public and the press; (jut it Eeoms that .no great hopes ar.o entertained as to any • notablo ' results.. _M. Cochery has probably, offered the initiative to the Civil Servants through an unwillingness on the part'of ■ the Government to do the work itself. "The question," it has been noted; "is whether Gov-, ornmenfc servants. will care to take _ tho initiative in pointing out in what direction' economy _ could be practised, which prejudicially affect. their _ own or thoir colloagues' interests. For'instance, it, has been pointed out again and again, of recent years that the; French BubPrefect, who receives a substantial salary, is by .no means an official whose, services are needed. But whenever the question of : suppressing So us I'refef s has been raised in tho Chamber, deputies have contrived to defer the solution thereof Out of due regard;, for their own electioneering interests." Bureaucracy evidently works to the same ends' everywhere. Our own '"State''service" owes its costliness—it is five times as costly, proportionally, as "Stato service" in France—almost a 8 much to uneconomical methods as. to Overmanning