The Dominion. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1910. BY SIX VOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 881, 29 July 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1910. BY SIX VOTES.

The life of the Ward Administration was saved last evening by six votes. Had six country members of the Government following, in addition to the -five who kept their pledges to their constituents, voted for. the freehold and move rapid opening-up of Native lands, Sir Joseph Ward would have suffered defeat on a direct issue which he had voluntarily chosen as a test of confidence in his .Administration. The advocates of Reform are to be congratulated on this evidence of the successful progress of the campaign winch they have for so long conducted in the interests of land settlement and the true welfare of the Dominion. The debate on Mb. Massey's no-confidence motion has not been so productive of illuminating argument on the important issues involved as was anticipated. The Government, wisely no doubt from their point of view, shirked debate. It could only have added to the embarrassment of the freehold section of the Ministerial following to have forced, them to speak. It was much easier for them to vote against their pledges in silence than to rise and place their views in Hansard and then record their votes in the contrary direction. _• The division list which we publish in our news columns will be scrutinised with much interest throughout the country, and those constituencies whose representatives absented themselves, or recorded their votes in antagonism to their election pledges, will no doubt take care to note the breach of trust.. The five members of the Government following who placed principle . and the public interest before party were •Messrs. Dillon, Field, Ross, J. C. Thomson', and Jennings—all country members who thoroughly recognise' that the cry of the farming community for the option of. the freehold, and for the. more rapid opening-up of the vast areas of idle Native lauds, is backed by a deep and earnest belief that the best interests of the country ■ in the way of land settlement will be served thereby. Than the five members in question the Government probably has no stauncher supporters, and that they should be ready to vote against their party on a want-of-confidence motion affords the strongest proof possible of the vital importance to the, country constituencies of the issues involved.

As to the effect of the division on the • Government it cannot fail to prove embarrassing. In. one respect it may assist them. It will enable Ministers to estimate .more accurately than heretofore the , extent to which they can rely on the freehold section of their following to break their pledges to their constituents should occasion demand it. This should prove useful when they seriously face the task of again readjusting their land proposals to submit to Parliament. The militant leasehold section, headed by Mn. Taylor and Me. Hogg, will no doubt rejoice at the situation into which the Government has been driven. They have reason. They have been the cause of at least six' Government freeholders imperilling their scats by voting against, thcir < pledges, and they have forced Ministers to cast a definite vote against"-the freehold. 'In the circumstances the leaseholders probably feel almost as well pleased with the result of the voting as the Eoform party, itself. The most gratifying feature' of the whole business, however, is tho evidence it affords of the growing weakness of the Government, the result in the present instance of its shuffling and cowardice on the land question.! It has chopped and changed continuously—pledged itself one session to the leasehold and recanted tbe next, and changed again to something different the session following—until it has provoked thtj ridicule and contempt even of those who have supported it. To-day no one knows what its policy on the question is, and no one can even hope to guess with any degree of accuracy what its proposals will be. Is it surprising, therefore, that with leaders so lacking in courage; so destitute of principles and,so indifferent to tho public interest; and indeed to all else save an overmastering de,sire,to cling to the fruits of officeis it surprising in. these circumstances that members should throw off the shackles of party and act as their judgment dictates and as the interests of their individual con-

stjtuents _ demand ? The country will realise to-day' how weak the Ward Administration, despite its majority in Parliament, really is. The advocates of lleform will bo encouraged to press on with the task of educating the electorates to the evils which must inevitably accompany an .Administration unhampered by political principles or any consideration other than the determination to cling, at all costs, to the Treasury benches.