NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 912, 3 September 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

In the course.-of his entertaining little speech in the House last night, Me. Kaihau quite unwittingly supplied one of the very strongest arguments against.the retention of the present system of separate representation in Parliament for the Native race. Much, indeed most, of , what he said in condemnation \of the Native, policies, of the past twenty years was perfectly just, and it is not unnatural that he should be feeling heartily tired of everything and everybody. .He hinted that.he was weary of supporting the Government, and he laid down wha , t ho thinks ought to be the principle upon which the Maori membors should act. They should sit between the two main parties, and support the Government or the; Opposition according as the one ■or the other offered the best terms to the Maoris. That is the vice of all separate or sectional representation. Not only does it, in. some circumstances, . place the-government of the country in the hands of the group; it also operates very evilly, upon the general work of government by encouraging the dominant parties , to sacrifico principles for necessary votes. To be sure,.the present Government does not need Mb. Kaihau aDd his friends to educate it in this aft; but the principle is a bad one. The Maori representatives have been a solid little block of votes for the Government, not because they have got very much from it, but because if they did not support the party in power their people would be treated with all tho harshness that "Liberalism" reserves for independence of thought. Parliament would be a less pleasant place • without tho rare speeches of Me. Kaihau, but the country would benefit from the removal of those distinctions which enable him to sit in the House.

There is not much- calling for comment in tho revenue figures for the five months of the current fiscal year, which the Prime. Minister presented'to the House yesterday. It is certainly satisfactory that the revenue is keeping up, although,the fact that tho v'ieo 'iu tho Customs

revenue has been at the rate of over £300,000 per annum affords the strongest reason for the removal of the extra burdens which the Government, on the false pretence that the money was wanted for defence, laid_ upon the taxpayers last year. • Following his usual practice, the Prime Minister refused to give, the details of expenditure; and, as bitter experience has taught the public, the expenditure is become a more important matter than the revenue. He had a fresh excuse for his ornis-' sion. "His purpose for the moment," he said, was to . give the revenue ■figures as a measure of the progress of the country. ■ But the public is less concerned to know how • the country is getting on than to know how the 'Government is managing their affairs.!' And it is tho'expenditure that is the measure of this. The Prime Minister, however, is always anxious to keep that side of the ledger dark as long as possible. 'He has performed this threadbare little ■trick so often that we do not think there, is a single soul in the Dominion who is at all impressed by its repetition". Indeed,! the announce"-: ment .of- big revenue figures usually produces thoughts of correspondingly big expenditure figures to come later on. We trust that ,Sir Joseph ;Ward will have something better, to show in this respect on the present occasion than we. have been accustomed to during his extravagant regime. . Some months ago a great deal,; ofinterest'was aroused by the success ■ of the. Socialists in capturing, the government' of the city "of Milwaukee. There was to be a. new era. : The anti-Socialists .were:.to be af-. forded a lesson in pure government, free from, the abuses that arise out of .the '"selfishness" of those who do not accept the Socialist doctrine.. The,anti-Socialists were ■ polite, and quite' prepared to applaud any good results, although' they did not doubt that;the citizens under tne new regime would show; themselves to. be possessed' of. the normal amount of the old human; nature. : And this' belief hasibeeir justified, for the San Francisco ".Chronicle of July 30 prints the following dispatch from Milwaukee: . .-■• ■,; ;■ >. It is said the v Socialist administration now proposes to override' the merit, sys-' tern, which has made for. good government and efficiency in public office, and fill all municipal berths with' strict partisans of the cause. . There is an insistent demand from the' , , brotherhood for a chanco at the'public trough, and it must be heeded if the' Socialists. are to remain in control. 'Appointments to'positions in the ,city clerk's and publio works offices can be made regardless of civil laws, according to City Attorney . Hoan, because'the heads of these deoartments give bonds'for themselves'"iis well as appointees. The. opinion was given at 'the request, of Commissioner 'Briggs, yrho has been having trouble with the Civil: Ser T vice- Commission over 'appointments to positions which have not been created: recently. '■; ■'■''■' ."■"". ,l ''■'" '■'■' ■' : ■'■■ Milwaukee will be cured of Socialism' very, quickly. *.'■ But we siippose a, few people will go', on thinking" that human nature can be, changed by changing the ideas of thVgovern-ing-party. ~-■./ '~:.; 'y. '■;,■"■' '■■;■.