NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 17 February 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

We are not permitted to discuss tho recent libel. action, Hassey v. •Ycii> Zealand Times, the matter being i«6 judicc until the appeal of tho plaintiff against the decision recorded is decided. .There was, however, an observation made during tho address of counsel for the defence which does not touch on the facts or tho merits of the case, which is of general interest, and which is, perhaps, worth noting. Mr. Solomon remarked on the extent to which politicians these days attack one another, and ho referred particularly to tho descent in the tono of debates in Parliament. Wo have ourselves commented on these. changed conditions on many occasions, and our. readers have no doubt seen for themselves from tho reports of the proceedings 'j of Parliament tho dopths to.which tho Legislature has sunk.' It is doubtful, nowever, if the public fully realise the evils of tho position.' The change has taken place gradually, and the deterioration'has in consequence not attracted so much attention as would have been' tho case in tho event of a sudden change. As a matter of fact very few' people concern themselves overmuch about the manners of'Parliament—thoy are a great deal moro anxious about its actions. "It is inevitable that where a small set of men are permitted to govern a country over a long period of years that abuses will grow up and misgovernmcnt prevail. It is inevitable for a great many.reasons; but mainly bccauso tho persons in office, emboldened by.their repeated sivccesscs at the polls, reach out for greater powers of patroriago, and aspire to an un-

curbed authority which will permit thoin to deal with the affairs of the country in ft manner to suit the interests of themselves and their party, instead of studying tho interests of the people genorally.'That, however, is an aspcct'of the politics of the Dominion which we do, not propose to discuss-in;:'detail oh. tho present occasion. .We'' merely, mention it

bccauso it'is really at tho foundation of tho deeadenco in manners in our politics. The long .rcign,of tho present Government has produced' a typo of politicians of a coarser fibre than used to find favour with the electorates. A Government member in thcsA times.has to endure so much from his party leaders that he requires a very thick skin and dulled sensibilities to live through a session with any degree of comfort. There arc notable exceptions, of course, but on tho whole the members of the present Parliament thoroughly well deserve the strictures passed on. them by the learned counsel from Duncdin. Still, members arc only following the example set them from the Treasury benches.

The Auckland Harbour Board has lost no timo. in taking advantage of' that provision -in tho Harbour Amendment Act of last year which authorises a Board to voto . "allowance" to the chairman up to £200 a year. Tho principal argument used in Great Britain against tho proposal to pay members of Parliament is the inevitability of the extension of tho principle to all public bodies. .. Logically tnerc' is just as much reason for the payment of the members, as well as the chairman, of Harbour. Boards—or of Road Boards, Education Boards, County Councils, and other public bodies— as for the payment of members of Parliament. In due course, unless public opinion takes the diroction of prudence and -decency, this logic will so far prevail that Now Zealand will at . last bo able to boast that there is not a patriot in the land who docs not reoeive cash for his services. Where is the thing to endl When it was urged, in New Zealand, as it is being urijed in Britain just now, that jpublic spirit is really a commodity like coal, to be sold, at a price, or withheld at will, it was pointed out that the result would bo tho gradual extension of tho principle from Parliamentary service to public scrvico of all kinds. Tho clause in the Harbours Act is therefore a valuablo document in proof of tho soundness of what was onco in New Zealand, and which is at present" in / Britain, a "mere theory." 'While, .therefore, wc ought not to complain of tho beautiful illustration of the soundness of theory which the Auckland Harbour Board has furnished, wo may be permitted to havo some views, which' tho public will certainly share, upon the haste of. the Board to introduce tho payment system.. Wo can see in the future a Members of Public Bodies' Union; fattening on their patriotism, and making it hot for the "scabs" 'and "blacklegs" who will. be. willing to render a little public servico for nothing. _ i

The comments which we passed on tho action of tho Postal authorities in using tho Postal laws as ' a means of suppressing illegal betting seems to have had a.curious sequel. Tho our remarks was an announcement; " in*; i, tho'/•'Government" Gazette 'of Hhtf' OtH ;( iiiHant" to the effect that 'tho''Postmaster-General of tho Dominion of Now Zealand "having reasonable ground for supposing that tho porson whose name ,and addross aro shawn/in the sched,ulc heroundor ,is engaged in receiving money as the- consideration for an. assuranco or - agrceipont jraplied to pay money on evcnts' rclating to horse races, it is hereby ordered under Section 28a of the Post and Telegraph. Act, .1008, t that .no. monoyorder Mh' favour of the said peTsoii shall b6'issued, and that' no postal ipackct' addressed to the said person (either by His own-or any fictitious or assumed name)," shall, ho either registered,- forwarded, or delivered by the' Post Oflico of New Zealand." Tho person whose name appeared in tlie schedule was'J. Stelmn, and the order was published on February 9. In the. PrtTcf<c,isSuecJ ,](ist, night the above order 'was 1 tescih'ded' in' the'' following terms:- ,

, The Postmnstoi'iGcneral. of (ho .Dominion of New Zealand, being satisfied that the person whose names and addresses aro shown in the schedule hereunder is no longer engaged- in, receiving, money as tho consideration for an assufanco or agreement implied to pay money on events relating to horse races, ■ hereby rescinds, under Section 28 .of the Post .and Telegraph Aoti 1009, the order made on the 3rd day of November, 1910, and published in the New Zealand Gazotte of tho same date, and the order made on the Ist day of February. 1911, and published in tho New Zealand Gazette of tho 9th day of February, 1911; forbidding that any moneyorder in favour of such person shall bo issued, and that any postal packet addressed to such person shall bo, either registered, forwarded, or delivered by the Post .Office of New Zealand, and orders that such money-orders shall be, issued, and that such postal packets shall be registered, ferwardid. and delivered in th« iisuitl course.

This notification, dated the' 14th instant, as also thei'previous one, is signed by Dr. Findlay "for the Postmaster-General.''. It is a - little curious that Dr. Findlay should be conducting the business o! tho Prime Minister's Department'. while Slr Joseph Ward is in Wellington, and the-factiwill no,doubt the seized on by thoso who porsist in suggesting that it is Dr. Findlay, andnofc Sir Joseph Ward, who .is running tho Government. But it is fortunate in one way, for Dr. Findlay, we feel confident, will be much more illuminating than his piolit'ical chief in explaining the rcasbns which have influenced him, first in placing J. Stellin under tho ban of the Post Office, and, sccond, in removing that ban with such extraordinary dispatch. ' -If the Postal Department was correct in thinking' that Mr. Stellin was unlawfully carrying on the'business of a bookmaker so recently as February .0, when it published its noticc, how was Mr. Stellin able to convince it by the' 14th that he had. seen tho otror'of his ways and was no longer open to postal ostracism'? If Mr. Stellin was converted by Postal Department methods within five days, the Polioo Department—which, wc believe is also under Dn. Findlay's astute guidance—might bestir itself and send along the names of a few dozen other bookmakers who are alleged to be still doing business, so that they also may- be converted ,by means of this . new reformative agency. It is possible, of course, that Mr. Stellin was done injustice bv the Department , in the first nlacc, whicli .woiijd account for,, the Department's rapid change of front. Dr. Findlay, no doubt, will see. the necessity for enlightening the public on this'point.