NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 689, 14 December 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

_It is a matter' for regret that' thePrime Minister should not have seen ms way to adopt our suggestion regardmg_ the conduct of business for the remainder of • tho session. ■' . Instead of agreeing to the selection of a reasonable amount of business to occupy the attention of members-for the few days remaining. Sir-Joseph Ward'not only declined to state the business to be proceeded with, but wished to force membors to push on" more strenuously than ever. It seems quite useless to .make a proposition of any sort to the Leader of the House in ms present frame of mind. ■ Tq every reasonable person it must be apparent that members at the end of a session cannot sit in the House from 10 o'clock each morning until the early hours of the following, morning and give that close attention to tho business before them that is necessary in the -public interest.'' Apart ■from the longth of the sittings, the temperature of the chamber of. the House of Representatives, duringthe hot weather recently experienced, has been almost unboarable, and the empty state' of ; the • chamber for a large portion of the time is evidence; enough in itself, .that the business pf the : House is not receiving the attention it deserves.\ The objectionable feature of tho' situation seems id us to bo that Sin Joseph Ward, ■ to all appearances, has-not the remotest idea that he should study any ,other interest' than that of the Government. He does not :seem to realise, that if Biljs are to be forced' through at express, speed just to suit the wishes, of Ministers, -Parliament might as-well bo done away with altogether as.:a. legislative machine,'- 'and Cabinet-itself do all,the legislating.- Does the public wish this ? Wo think not, arid yet.every member of the-House .knows ■that -this;-is practically what happens in the closing: hours ; of. the session. ... Although ; the session is timed to orid on December 22—only seven sitting days away—the Prime Minister j-es'terday re-, fused.- to '.tell .members, the business, he intends to. press through.: Ho will te}l them,.he says, on Thursday next.' A local, cbntomporary remarked last evening that it had grown weary of protesting against this grossly improper method of rushing business through at the end of each sessiori. Truly, protests and appeals alike appear' to be .quite useless'to influence Ministers to adopt .sane and reasonable methods: at the stage of the session now reached. Tho '"forcing" habit has grown :too. strong for. them "to^shake off. '.The .only, cure is for members to assert themselves and refuse, to permit .the. , business of , tho country-.to be scamped in a -way. that ho other' public 1 body; in 'the country wqiild dare to even think;of, ;:It is not a party issue) but a platter of pub•lio, duty; and members should force the Government to'recognise this; The public; we are confident, would strongly apr prove a. resolute effort bn'thq'jiirt of'this House to that the business of Parliament shall conducted; on ,I;, proper lines, and tho evils * whiclranevitably. accompany ; the 'end-of-the-EeVsion- scramblo swept 'away.;'.:■■;.■■■:•:■;.:■■.-■■•.■ ;," :■:;;;■ ■:■/■/'■' .; • The issues before tho; British people arc: put. very, plainly.. in the . A'squith speech and Balfour manifesto that wero. summarised yesterday "in our cablo messages., Tho position of tho; Unionists is quite:clear: it is urged'that , j;ho Peer's have merely exercised\ their supreme •function of referring a doubtful proposal to. the final arbiters, the people. people," says Mu. Balfour,' "will refuse to consider; themselves .insulted by; being asked their opinion on the Budget." Wo aro bound to say- that this, is- the view' which will be hold by most cobl-headed , people at this end:of the world; and it is a view that can be held irrespective of the merits, of the Budget itself or pf the goodness or badness of the present constitution of: the Upper House.: The , Govornment, it is plain,' intends to hopes on 'a general policy, of upheaval. It says practically nothing, for, Free-trado .ai a counter cry .to Tariff: Beforniy'.wliich is, again, named as the first plank : : of the Unionist policy. ■ What 'it' seeks, ."accord-' ing. to tho Primp Minister, is some thing much more tjjan.a-mandate in.'favour of. the Budget—somothing.much'more, even, than the destruction ,of the ; Peers' independence of the Commons.. /Mr. AsQOITH is throwing into the scale , not only the constitutional .issue and the > policies rejected by tho Lords, but: Home' Rule, Women's Sμ!?! and 'a Written Constitution. There must be of thousands of voters /who' will bo. alarmed - by one' or..' other or all : of these; proposals; and it is-.''possible''' that Mil.., Asquith's courageous policy of throwing''everything into tho melting-pot may. turn , out; to bo the worst possible;policy-to submit at a' time'when tho friends of social and financial safety and stability, already ajarmed, are looking for .re-assurance. ~.:..; "'

. The Legislative Cpupoilplid"an. un- , usual thing yesterday. ; ,It Actually presumed, when- ■ the' '-■ Land.• • Settlement Finance Bill came on for its third read, ing, to express/ some opinions upon this important,' measure. -: Uufortunatcly;/ it incurred .the serious displeasure of' the Attorney-General. Dr. Findlay long ago placed himself on record as the origin-, atbr of the handy theory that the.Council cannot bo expected to master, every BilL that comes before it and i should therefore take largely on : trust the measures sent up , frpm the House. OSe expressed .the hope, yesterday,' "that in future members would limit debate to the eecond reading. , - Councillors aro.expected, no doubt, to receive this observation as a hirjt so'.'to')'order' themselves; as not to placo the Attorne.y r Goneral under the necessity of ourtailing their present privilege. _In Britain the ; idea is to nreyent the revising Chamber from mutilating orrojecting Bills! Heri we have' a, suggestion for a step in advance: the, idea to curtail the Lords' power of speech. It is a little unkind 'of Dr. Pindlay :to' charge' the Council with wasting time. That is the very last charge, that ought tp be brought against, a Chamber which, whatovor:. its imporfoctioris, has not of lato years shown any strong inclination to ho unduly talkative.. '.■■..

In tho Ooniraonwoalth Pnrlidmcht last week . 'Senntar.'. Best, in reply,, to Senator Riifsbll, said , . negotiation's .had '. beeil.. ' with Nct/ Zealand. in resard ta imoro' favourablß terms of adniission for Aiistralian wines nnil so forth. It had been.hoped sufficient prbpross woiild be made to ouablo {ho Subject to be dealt with this tession, but unfortunatcW tho.'Gbvernnient. : liad'.nol. yet rewived a sufficiently satisfactory reply, from the New Zenlaud GoTArnpenk. ;; : ~ . . ....:.