The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1910. OUR NEW GOVERNOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 849, 22 June 1910, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1910. OUR NEW GOVERNOR.

♦ Towards the end of Lord Plunket's farowell tour of New Zealand, so it was reported, the spokesman of a back-blocks reception committee more than once addressed him as "Lord Ranfurly." Not much thought is necessary to find in this little slip a very agreeable comment upon the depth of the impression which our Governors make upon the public mind. It was not that Lord Plunket had not become an interesting and pleasant reality to everybody in tho Dominion: the fact was only that Lord Ranfurly had not been forgotten; and we shall not be surprised if Baron Islington fails to escape being addressed as "Lord Plunket" when making his farewell tour. His arrival to-day makes it convenient to say a word or two upon the Gubernatorial office. Our new Governor has this advantage, as a newcomer, over his immediate predecessors: that, apart from the publicity given to his- public utterances since his appointment, he has been well known as an active politician for some years. He may find his new position less full of opportunities for vigorous work than he would like, but that he will carry on the excellent tradition of tacfcfillness we all feel certain, while that he will make a genial and attractive representative of the Crown we have abundant assurances from good British sources. His speeches do not suggest that he comes to us with any misgivings, as, without discredit cither to himself or to ourselves, might easily bo the case; but ho may feel quite sure that his new country is one 'which still has the warmest regard for tho office which he takes up. Now and then a noisy minority here and in Australia manages to catch the public car with a complaint against' the maintenance of the Gubernatorial office, with a second string in tho shapa of a complaint against the practice of "importing" our Governors. It sometimes appears as if tho spirit of this small and negligible section of the public is likely to spread as a slow pestilence through the nation, but that it actually will so spread is not our belief. The public as a whole is firmly attached to the existing sys. tern, although we dare say, since his attitude is a matter of instinct rather than of political reasoning, that tho avorage man would not easily bo able to give reasons for his opinion. These reasons were finely expounded by Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the Canadian House of Commons last month in moving an address offarewelL to tho departing Gover-nor-Goneral,; Earl Grey. We give Sir Wilfrid's own words: From time to time in recent years paragraphs havo appeared in tho press to the effect that at: the present stage.a Canadian should 1m tho representative of. his Majesty. In this we may find an expression of a laudable, but to my mind a misguided, expression of natural pride. The system which has been in operation since the Confederation, of his Majesty's appointing to bo his representative in this country some one of tho great names in Great Britain, has worked harmoniously and satisfactorily, and any change in that system would not, I am sure, be productive of good results, but perhaps on the contrary might jeopardise something wo hold very dear. The first effect of tho system of having some high statesman of Great Britain to represent his Majesty has been to strengthen, if possible, the ties that bind us 'to tho Motherland and to keep it constantly before tho hearts of tho people. Tho next effect is to place at tho head of oilr Administration ono who is not connected with our party or political differences, and who is therefore more apt to keep an even balance between all contending parties. Another value of tho system is to ensure tho presence at the head of the political Administration of one who, from his early youth, has had tho advantage and experience of Constitutional Government in a country where Constitutional Government originated and where it is best understood. The great weight of each of these three considerations may not be so easily appreciated in a country that has for nearly twenty years seen no change of Government as in a country where normal,conditions make changes more frequent. But statesmanship nevor leaves possibilities out of account, or frames a permanent policy upon the conditions of the moment. It may not be long before the soundness of Sir Wilfrid :Laurier's statements becomos visible, through a change in the political situation in this country, even to those who cannot-at present quite realise it. There is one fact wc cannot forbear -from emphasising, namely, the fact that tho regard of New Zealand for the Gubernatorial office comes less from the pride of Empire than from affection for the British Crown. In lato years there has been a tendency to exalt the Empire above the Crown, a tendency to speak and even to act as if it were more important that New Zealand should be Imperialist rather than British, more important that wc should have a voice and vote in Imperial councils than that the Mother Country should proclaim and assert her relationship to us. Our people, that is to say, have been in some danger of going astray. The death of King Edward lias gone far towards correcting this error. It has had the effect—and the c/fcot is unlikely to pass away—of showing the .people of the Empire, through the clarifying influence of emotion, that the Crown is not an ornament, but tho keystone of the Imperial sti-uo ; ture.