The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1910. BREACH OF FAITH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 852, 25 June 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1910. BREACH OF FAITH.

The Prime Minister must be feeling a little vexed at tho .bluntness and ivant of caution in the Hon. T. Mackenzie's references to the. dairy school project in liis speech at Palmerston North oil Thursday. night. The speech is worth notice, not only because the dairy school question is of importance to Parliament, but also because there is a very unpleasant suggestion underlying it that the school is to be again used as an attempt to bribe the electors of tho Manawatu district. Mb. Bcick had stated that the establishment of a dairy school had been definitely promised by the Government, and tho Minister considered it necessary to assure his audience that the dairy school would not be established. Tho history of tliis dairy school question is a very interesting one. In the early part of 1008, Mr. M'Nab, the then Minister for Agriculture, made inquiries as to the most desirable site for. the dairy school, and he came, in the course of his wanderings, to Feilding, where he made a speech oil February 10. "It was very pleasing," so he said, "to himself and the other members of the Government to see the great 'interest that had been taken in the school, because it showed how much the importance of the proposed step was recognised." After referring to the grea.l benefits that would follow 'the establishment of the school, which the Government had definitely decided upon, he said that "the question was not a party one, and the Government intended to do what was best for the State. He felt perfectly confident that wherever the school was placed it would mean an immense gain to the dairying industry." On March 17 it was publicly announced that Palmcrston North had been selected.as tho locality suitable for the school, and on the same day the Manawatu A. and P. Association resolved "that the Minister for Agriculture be written to, expressing satisfaction that the dairy schoul is to be erected in Palmerston North, and stating that the Association will be pleased to facilitate the movement." A- hearty vote of thanks, it is worth noting, was also accordcd to Mb. W. T. Wood, who af> that time represented Palmerston in Parliament.

Nothing was done, however, during that year. At the first ballot in the general election Mr. Buick headed the poll, but just failed to obtam an absolute majority. Somo special effort was considered necessary by tho Government to retain tho seat, and the electors of Palmerston North were on November 19 told in unmistakable language by tho local Ministerialist journal that the town would not get the dairy school unless Mr. Wood were elected at tho second ballot. Most people still remember this disgraceful attempt to bludgeon the electors into voting for the Government's nominee, which caused such intense indignation in the Palmcrstoh district. Mr. Buick's return to Parliament was probably assisted by the resentment of the public on that occasion. The speech of Mr. Mackenzie on-Thursday makes it clear that tho threat issued before the second ballot was not idly intended, and that tho Government has not llic smallest scruple about repudiating its pledge. _ It has only itself to blamo if this breach of faith is interpreted as being an attempt to penalise the constituency that dared to return an Opposition member to Parliament. "You talk," said Mr. Mackenzie, "about a dairy school for Palmerston. What do you want a dairy school for ? . . . He could not say what might be done later, but, so long as he had more important work to do with the funds at his disposal, he was emphatic that there would bo no dairy school at Palmerston." There arc probably very few people who will not see in these words a plain threat that Palmerston will, not get the dairy school unless at the next election it returns Mr. -R. M'Nab to Parliament. It will be time enough next year to set forth the reasons why Palmerston need not have tho, smallest fear about axcrcisiug ita ckoicc freely

and without regard to tho Government, which for the present is safe in the possession of a majority. It is sufficient here to place the facts on record, and to expose the Government's readiness to break its pledges and shirk its duty as its political necessities dictate.