NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1205, 14 August 1911, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Hon. 11. M'Kenzie's famous "spoils to the victors" speech' at Opunakc a few months ago is evidently beginning to cause our Ministerial friends some anxiety, lleference was made, to it by Mr. J. D. Hall in an election speech in Christchurch on Friday, and the Government organ, which of course is backing Mn. Isitt who has pledged himself against tho friends of reform, said it was an "absurd story," a "ridiculous tale," which "had its origin? in one of Mit. M'Kenzie's rather ponderous jokes." The public has not forgotten the facts. Mr. M'Kekzie delivered his speech on May a. Trie Dominion reprinted the essential part of tho speech to the extent of !half a column on May 12, and commented on it next day. A week later, alarmed at the publicity given to Mr. M'Kenzie's indiscreet exposure of the skeleton in the party's closet, the Christchurch journal of the Miuistry said that wo had only quoted "a few isolated sentences" and that "a reference to the context" would show that tho speech could not bear the interpretation placed upon it. Hut it was careful not to print "the context" on its own account. It dared not. We asked it to do so, but it still kept "the context" dark. It still keeps it dark. That it should now say that a long and earnest speech enunciating the "spoils to tho victors" policy was "a joke" is almost the last word in Ministerialist journalism. We note the matter hero merely because it indicates pretty plainly that our Ministerialist friends are even more alarmed at the exposure than we had fancied.

The news that a settlement of the London transport strike has been arrived at will be very glad tidings at this end of the world as well as in England. The position that had been reached was so critical that there was every probability of a clashing at any minute between armed authority and the riotous section of the strikers with consequences too terrible to contemplate. The British public may or may not sympathise with a section of workers on strike. They may regard the strikers as a very harshlytreated body of men or they may consider them unreasonable and asking for more than they are entitled to. But there is one thing that public opinion will, not tolerate, and that is mob violence , and wanton destruction of property. The surest way to alienate sympathy in such cases is the needless interference with other interests than those immediately concerned with the dispute and the use of violence against individuals. The London strikers were getting out of hand in both these directions and the settlement of the trouble has therefore come very opportunely and has undoubtedly averted what threatened to be one of the most terrible strike experiences of recent times. As it is, the losses will have been enormous and the greatest sufferers probably those least able, to bear the burden—the women and children of the poorer classes. The Liverpool strike still continues, and the position there grows more acute.

. Could anything be more fatuous or more significant of the decadence in the stamp of politician chosen nowadays for Ministerial rank than the following stupid attempt at electioneering credited to the Minister for Internal Affairs/—

"I am in receipt of your letter," wrote the Hon. D. Buddo to the Levin Borough Council, "forwarding a. resolution of tlio Levin Borough Council making application for a Coronation subsidy of ,c for &, up to £'-5% for the purpose of constructing public baths in Levin. The application is altogether too late, lint I find that a letter received from the member for the district, dated June 2t, makes the application on behalf of the council for this subsidy, peeing, therefore, that the proposal was contemplated before Coronation Day, I have to advise you that a subsidy up to .6250 has been approved for the erection of public baths at Levin."

We can picture the pride with which the Hns. D. Buddo dictated this delicately subtle missive. The joy which filled his soul as he pictured as the result of his strategy the reluctant electors of Utaki swarming to the polls on election clay to cast their votes for the Government candidate —the man whose never-sleeping vigilance had enabled ' him to forestall the wishes of the Levin Borough Council and writing in their behalf secure the ear of Ministers. The reading of Me. Buddo's statesmanlike exposition of the situation, it is recorded in the local paper, was received irreverently—with laughter., Beally, Ministerial methods nowadays arc becoming too clumsy to deceive anyone, it must be very humiliating to Mi). Field to have the anxiety felt by the Government for his seat so openly disclosed to friend and foe alike; but still more humiliating perhaps to the followers of the Ministry generally, to kaow that the

affairs of the party and the affairs of the country have been placed in the hands of men who write such letters.

There seems every likelihood of an interesting contest for the Masterton seat at the general election. Three candidates arc out —Mb. Hogg, the sitting member, and two Deform candidates, Messrs. Sykes and Heriiert. Mn. Hogg has been living overlong on his reputation as a small farmer's memuer—latterly ho has been side-tracked rather from the realm of practical politics into quite another sphere; of paper money and like things. He still retains a good deal of his personal popularity, but is not taKcn quite so seriously as of old. When a member talks about paper money in a heavy borrowing country like New Zealand it sends cold shivers down the back of even the most optimistic and plunging Minister of Finance. However, arrayed against Mr. Hogg are Messrs. Sykes and Herbert whose views are very much alike and both of whom are very active and energetic and have good followings. A second ballot is certain to bo required if all three go to the poll and although Mr. Hogg may head the poll on the first occasion he may not be so successful at the second struggle. As a matter of fact Mr. Hogg has been very fortunate in having had so long an innings, and if he has nob made the most of his opportunities ho cannot lay the blame at the door of his constituency.. Judging by the reception given to Mr. Massey at his meeting at Masterton on Saturday evening that part of the country, like many others, has awakened to the necessity for ending the days of. the Con- , tinuous Ministry, and with it the evils that have grown out of its long period of office. If this is to be done then it will be necessary to return to Parliament men pledged to vote against the Government. Mr. Hogg supports the Government although ho admits in Parliament that it has neglected its obligations to the Wairarapa and Forty-mile Bush districts as it has neglected its duty in many other directions.