NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 660, 10 November 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

■':," 'You. will.be asked," members pf Parliament: .were told -in; the Speech at- the opening o£ the.session, "to consider. tfier, , . land legislation' devised, among other .thinga, to.i)iake:'rurc,( life" nipre at ;|: ; r.active v to', pneourage 'fiottlement','and., tb more... effectively -prevent undesirable ag.gregation. 'of-: hbldings!" . Nobody, . we should , ' say,-■ desires, a' finer land policy than: that, but we Ijaye all' thpu'ght that this ba bpttercd by cx- . pansibn , , ..TpTdjiy t.l}^: Financial ptafement :'will be delivered, and the question naturr ■ ally■arises: Gpygrnrnept give us thß>..details-,pf; ; the excellent but sketchy scheme fiiferred , .to in'the- formula we have fjuptedf The nbn-jippea.rancp' pf'a definite policy will mean pither that the ; Govern : ment, after nearly a year's reflection, cannot, make up its .mind; or that ■■ it does not injicnd , to , jgiye effect to the will , of the people as,expressed.at the.GeneraJ Election. 1 ■ It" is inconcciyajjle tljat the Govr: ernraent.sb.puld still ba in'doubt as to theproper policy, or oven as tp the policy .which, politically, is the most prudent. Itisnot ipcpnceiyable, Ijut it is very im> probable, that. the Government intends to : evp4e :t)jfl popular manda.te/' In the'lJud.'■get. of 19G7 v ',the land prpposals were'set forth clearly and concisely. • The country is expecting Hie Gpyernnienttp fojldw the _ss,(i}e epurse to-day,- and it is- feeling no little curiosity > as to whaf; w|ll be prp: posed. /Ministers _haye been , -strangely, silent on the question of tenure; the only Minister yvhp'has "madea aefjnite state--1 jnerit' ha.s bpen Mr. 'T. 'Mackeijzie, :, ■ who sppke put bqldly a,Va'frceliofder'. ■ The as: Biiranpe fet Qiie of the objects of the'nsw legislatipn. will, be ''fo''make,.rural life nigra attractivej' may refe.r tp' some rura) cquivajepfe of Dr ; fikpuy's dream" of State theatres for.tire.d jpilers. Dn the pthei l hand it may ppntajn, the, promise pf the freehold, for, as. Mb. EjDEfj Haggard p§ys. in his book' ou Ajnerican Salyatiprj Army pploniesj "the maji. wjui starts put to wprk.a piece of w.ould; like ,'to knpwthat a time jmist'cpme when lie will be able tip pall it his very .own.. It; is be: cause; this is , irnpossible that thpusan'cls pi thp§c whp af'o pniplpyed' ii)".Epg|ish; agriculturp are'npw.ijfiserting t(j,e the- towns. VWithoi)t ; ''the . pr.osp.ect: o.f ownership, 'or at the,, least pf'becoming farmers on their own account, they will n'pfc Bt.a'j; 'lip'ijji thc'Jnjid." , }Yp sliajjjfnpw more of the-.Guvernment's .intentions : ,tp.,day, U H high tirni; %ii j\\i Ministerial sjlcnog was ;' / v ;-

Recent del)atcs ip t|)e Hoiipe pf Rcnrp. : Eojitatiyes have started sp.sc'ulatio.'n i atopt once more as to the.chant'es'Of 'member's who are guspccted of' iispirinjf; tp.'tho •vacant porj;foli(),;in -'fclao- 'Cabinet; •-."..The of 'Mr.; T_.. E. 'Tayip'r, , .- fpr'.'ifi-, stance, have syrprised,Ta' grgafy'inany pepple who renwniber his past fittit«4 e t° W PiilifE Minister. . It, is- geperally 'con? peded, hgweyer;- tjiat'it would b<s,ji.very r-isjry. thing, tqr. .sui Josppp to. p'asc PYpV his 'faithfiil, but'less.'brilhant,-.;fp.l? lowers lii'.favour of his latest adjierent;. tinguishing him'sejf ' b'y"hi«'.ouJßg l pfennegs.. f iji-'thc past.has'bie.^. ! a to "office,on thajypne ai}d Mr.. Batjue might have adopted a woree. means of.- furthering -.liis'- causa.' ' His stpeciches, notary, big .repukp .of .Mr, j/pf!) with 7 reference to' jt,Jia.t gentleman's characteristic outjiurst •'; concerning fcho ''man on the. land," ; " have been:, a .good deal above the average. The third mem? ber who'wpuld, seem , to have been>talking With: arj eye to. .future ppssibllit4.es is thq .niombar for Lytteltfln, [.This gentleman .very , gp.od, debater, ' and although hjs.manner "ign'ot pjeas.ingi. |io,would strengthen^"the;.debating pQ>yerof tlve. is singularly;-iveajj ifi this respect;, l ij.orepver', ,'AIr. _ SON is a leisehojde'r; and his chpipe yDujd probably proye , pleasing to the Socialistic element'ihsjdie and cut of the' House . ,; The "elaimg'' ■. of. .' the '' member fgr'. Lyjitelto,fl. have jjeeri passed over pji.'pro'yious occasions, find it ..WAs"gepera.llv; tlipugh.t; that -this was due .to his Socialistic ideas, and the fapt tljat.he is not .what; is known as a popular member. ■■ It Eeems douhtftil that CJIR. Joseph WAjirj; wpuld; veiituro' to strepgt|ien : the Socialistic"element,:which already' exists ji the pabinet/ !No doubt Mr. Latoenson's.'chances will : depend somewhat.on whether the Government is prepared to press on with its ; leasehold land policy. Outside of the three members men)tiop.e4 and. j;he, ! Mr. .GuifiNESS, the; choice : would: be a, difficult one frorn of view of meriti for there■ is so' Very "littlfl to cliopsp- between the' candidates ayailable. .yvWc.'have re- , jnafke.d on ,a. previous pecasipn , tliajj .we dp iip£ think' the 'Brote Miniver'will make selection whiJeiParhaincnt', Jβ in session. It- will assjsl; to keep: jthe Qov.grnfnenji'fpllpwing ii) order so long as the •yacaj}cy..renia,ins.'iiriiilled.. .'': : ;; ' ... ..

■The list of Birthday Hpnpurs,, cabled frpm Lon'dp.n-tp-day, is/ fpr fjig fact that the p.nly, : Ne\y Zedanders jwp'gen"tlejj)e,n whq jiayfj P.epn i Jpngl asspciateii .with' ; tlje , jpuridirji', j growth and development of this country's | greatest maritime : entprprise-r-the. Union Bteain: Ship' Cpmpany..'•; BiE ; James Mills, &.0.M.G.,' who had been ; previ-' pjisly ' hflßQuredj .graduated ffprji' tjie| ■ranks pf .jijie proplpynes of'the company to i the head of,the directorate,;ajjd' during his connection \yitli it also served in the Parliament .of the cpjjntry as $ member pf the : House "g( l|ppreEenj;,a,tiyfis.' :"gig. (JEQKGg. M'JjßAif,' Jsl.B'. , was also -fpf ,a great .niany ; ~',/cars ■ a difgetpr and chairman pf directprs pf the company,' and lie also, has pjayed a part in the _ politics p| the country." He. is, one of the: life jiieinJjpjrs. pf.. tjje pcgisjjitiye Cpunpil, _an,d ,althoijgji ..he |]as. not been a. partieularly active participa.tpr in the ppfitipal etrife pf: the past.few: years, he yas ; fov ■ long prior to that time a strong influenced in the.Upper Chamber, and an acth'e inemjjef pf'lhe House, pf ltepresentatiyes. lii.cluded.in.his political 'distinptjons wcro pj>rtfoHps'. Ik- .'lJfiefent .Cabinets.: Bpth Siu James Miu.B and Sin VGeokqj! LJ''IjEAN are widely- known t!}roug()out' .NeW ; ?joaland, 1 and they, will be heartily cohgratufated on being single.d oiit for ..■;:;-.; •. ; . ■;