NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 797, 21 April 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

ONE of the features of interest in connection with the success of the Labour party at the Federal elections is the fact that it means Government by Caucus. This is how the Sydney Daily Telegraph sums up the situation:— .

The olectors took each Labour representative with a clear understanding of the limitations which the solidarity pledge put upon his freedom of action, so nothing remains to be said about that. The freedom of the Caucus man is to vote as he thinks fit in the secrecy of the Caucus, and use his best endeavours to kflneoco its decisions, bat -whether he succeeds in doing so or not he must obey them all tho same. What he says openly in Parliament may be what he thinks in his own mind ought to he said, or it may bo what the Caucus has ordered him to say, irrespective of how he thinks. The formation of a Ministry under, these conditions is quito a different Srocess from that followed when an prinary party leader is entrusted with that work. To.begin with, he has to take tho men that the Caucus selects for him. And under similar direction tho Government, when so formed, has to shapo its legislative and administrative coarse.. When ordered ;to 'bout ship it miist do so, no matter whether it thinks the order justified or not, for each of its members is bound by tho same pledge as any other Caucus man. A Government leading a party not so pledged is under obligation to resign when- the majority of its supporters go a different way, whereas a Caucus Government is bound to turn round and follow them, while the reason for the change is kept from the public, who are not allowed to know what transpires in the secret room where these questions are discussed. It will be interesting to watch how this novel system of Parliamentary . government, will work.

Tho Telegraph supported the Liberal party at the recent elections, but its' summary of the position is reasonable enough. If . the Labour leaders can control the Caucus Labour may come through the ordeal of office with some success. Its danger, as we have already pointed out, lies in the inability .of the leaders to control the rank and file.

; Die ForUchriMe des DeutscJien Schiffbaus, or, in other words, ''The Progress of German Shipbuilding,'" is tne title of a publication, of impressive , dimensions which ■ has reached us from' Messes. Castendyke and Focke, the local agents of the ; Norddeutscher-Lloyd Snipping Company. The hook alfords a really very .fine illustration of the perfection to which the art of printing has been developed in Berlin, and commands attention if from that viewpoint alone. It, however, is a most interesting work, as showing the tremendous development of German naval architecture, and its effect on the industries associated with building. The preface to the book explains that the contents are not confined merely to the, work of the shipyards and the interior decora: tion and appointment of modern .ocean-going steamers,' 1 but also show 'the evolution of the many other industries that supply either to " the shipyards or the shipowners, and which have, constantly improved their technical appliances in order to be able to contribute to the: progress of naval architecture. An additional purpose is to show how the increasing size and speed of ships have necessitated extensive improvements in the arrangements of the harbours and the docks, and in the facilities for loading and discharging. The subjects treated. cover an immense range of ground, and demonstrate very clearly the strides shipbuilding in Germany has made, especial attention being given to the enterprise and development of the Norddeutscher-Lloyd line. As an example of how the value of vessels has risen, it is mentioned that the cost of construction of a modern express steamer is about; the same as the cost of 100 large wooden sailing ships. At present the prosperity of German shipbuilding yards is mainly dependent on the development of home shipping. The building- for foreign account only amounted to 15.5 per cent, of the whblo tonnage delivered in the year 1907. With a motto of ."Full steam ahead," however, it is hoped that industry and skill will overcome obstacles which at present retard German shipbuilders in their competition with foreign'rivals.-;. ■ . . y

The Hon. J. A. Millar, it seems, has been greatly cheered fo discover that the- Sew South Wales Railway Commissioners are often'sharply criticised for defects in their handling of the traffic. "There are probably good reasons for any deficiencies," he is kind enough to observe, "but the point I'm making," he adds, "is that Commissioners' management has no monopoly of perfection." If Mr. Millae thinks, the point is worth making, by all means let him make it. If it i& any comfort to bim to know that, if the system of Ministerial control is a failure, yet the Commissioner'system is not absolutely perfect, no one will grudge him his crumb of consolation. Me. Millar will agree, we suppose, that the Ward Ministry "has no monopoly of perfection." Yet that has never struck us as being an intelligent charge to bring against the Wakd Ministry: we have no monopoly of perfection ourselves. "You're not perfect yourself" is an argument excusable in the nursery or in a bar-parlour; but outside the nursery and the bar-parlour it is generally not used. As a matter of fact, tho faults in traffic handling which call forth tho complaints that have been sweet music to Mr. Millar's oars arc to be found in the management of our own railways. Mb. Millar has himself had to listen to similar complaints as loud and as numerous as those directed against the New South Wales Commissioners. But did Me. Millae find in New South Wales any outcry against the Commissioners like the outcry against his own foolish time-table? Did he find any complaint concerning a huge annual loss due to administrative- rottenness ? Did he not, on the contrary, find that there is a large annual surplus? Did he not find that the public and the press arc satisfied that in.spite of-inevitable defects tho Commissioner system is the only sane system of management? Did he not discover that nobody dreams of reverting to tho system of Ministerial control? Can he quote a ;• single person or newspaper who desires the restoration of that system? Did he not find that 20 years of non-politi-cal control has settled the question for ever so far as New South Wales is concerned I And, finally did he

ever hear anybody claim that the Commissioner system has "a monoEoly of perfection" 1 The most that as been claimed is that it is at anyrate infinitely better than Ministerial control.