The Dominion. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1909. A MENACE TO GOOD GOVERNMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 702, 30 December 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1909. A MENACE TO GOOD GOVERNMENT.

The protest made by the Reform party against tho action c* the Pbijie Minister in refusing to accopt tho decision of Parliament on the question of retaining the services of a financial adviser in London will havo tho support of all who recognise tho constitutional relations which should exist between tho Houso of Representatives and the Executive. Wo aro not very much conccrnod with the actual ontebme of the protest made'so far as it affects the particular matter under roviow. What is of much greater importance, and what the Reform party probably had in view in taking up the stand it did, is tho effect the course adopted must have in forcing on tho notice of the people of Now Zealand the dangerous dominance which tho Executive has secured over the Parliament of tho country. From whatever point of view the position is regarded it must cause grave concern to all truo friends of good government It was only to bo expected that attempts would bq made to confuse tho issues involved in the struggle which haß just ended, so far ae the present session of Parliament is concerned. Even a' Government with the powerful majority possessed by the Ward Administration would not dare to openly flout Parliament and tho country. It had to frad some oxcuse, however flimsy, and the protext advanced on this occasion was that a liability had been incurred and had, to bo met in tho way adopted. Tho hollowness of this excuse was very completely exposed whon tho Leador-of the Opposition offered to withdraw all "objection to the voto if the Prime Minister would insert the word "liability" against it. This would have mado it clear that tho sum of £400 asked for was to meet a liability incurred, and not to meet a payment for a continuing office. But the Prime Ministeb refused to accept this sugfestion, and his refusal condemned im. ■:/. 7 /' : ':H i.

: Other pretexts^,for.; the course adopted were' put, forward, but th6y were equally; insincere. -The plain outstanding fact,was that the PiiMS Minister refused to bow to the will of •Parliament; ]; ho ; relied] on his power 'to intimidate ; , the ; required number of his own followers, and to force them either" to] change their votes;or\to';absent themselves. He' in effect proclaimed the right of the Prime -Minister to] act as. the master of Parliament j and he h'as.shown the country that it must bow tohis] wishes so long as it returns; to P arliament a;sufficient number of men weak enough to. subordinate their views to the demands of.] the head of the Government. When the House of' Representatives on. December 3 .by' 35 votes to 25 decided to; strike out ; the vote of £400 for a financial adviser; to tho_ Government in London, the decision] mct : ;with general approval.'] The division-was hot a catch 0h0.',; The matter was debated, the Prime ] Minister said all; that could bo] said in favour of■ tho vote, but the .majority felt that the. expendituro;,was not justified. Why should .this annual bonus be : given to a highly-salaried 'gentleman who .had'"severed his connection with; the Dominion in ]ordor to .furthor• his own interests, whon]scores : of poorlypaid Civil Servants were being retrenched on the grounds of economy ? In addition to this extravagance, the vote for the High' Commissioner's Department in London—a departmoht which should do all that tho gentleman appointed as financial adviser could do—had been materially] increased. In 1908-09 tho ,vote,' ; including the High Commissioner's salary of £2000, was £8731, uus year it is £9904, an increase; of nearly£l2oo. Whilo retrenchment is; going on] in New Zealand, : ' oxpenso is being heapod up in London. No doubt this' consideration.; assisted to 'influence members on'& sidos' ia deciding 1 to do away; with

tho luxury of a financial figurehead. Their decision was a perfectly proper ono—it was also a wise one and in the interests of the country. But it did hot suit the Pbime Minister. In -defianco 'of tho expressed .will of Parliament, ho reinstated the vote on the Supplementary Estimates, and attempted to force it through in the closing hours of the session, when nearly half the members of the House had loft for their; homes. Right up to the last tho House was kept in ignorance of his intention, and no doubt he hoped to smuggle the voto through, or even if it wore noticed ho probably calculated on the desire of members to get home for Christmas to further his ends The public know how he was disappointed. Tho protest made by the members of the Opposition, at considerable personal sacrifice, has brought home to the whole country the state of things that has grown up in our political hfo under the Waud Administration What possible chance is there of sound and honest government when one man, through his dominance over a subservient following, can defy the expressed will of Parliament 1 Could anything be more disquieting than, to find in the Parliament of tho country men voting today on a plain issue as their judgment dictates; and a few days later reversing their rotes or absentinf? themselves at the dictation of a political leader? Could any stronger evidence bo afforded of our repeated contention that tho government of Now Zealand has passed out of tho hands of the representatives of ihe people into the lontrol of a small body of men who do practically what they please?