NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1268, 25 October 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is quite time that the Opposition made up its mind to block at any cost the rush of legislation which the Government is forcing through a jaded House, the members of which are more concerned with what is happening in their electorates than with the I business of Parliament. In the early hours of yesterday morning the Prime Minister introduced another batch of Bills, some of them of very great importance, which lie hopes to compel the House to swallow holusbolus. It is impossible to recall a time when the business of Parliament was carried out in so scandalously slipshod a fashion as it is at present. The Opposition make protests, but the time has passed for protests. The only way to stop the scandal is to fight it and so expose to the country tlie manner in which the Prime Minister is seeking to make Parliament nothing more than a machine for recording Ministerial decrees. The business which is now being forced through almost without consideration at all has been purposely kept back in the hope that members in their anxiety to get away to their electorates would allow- it to go through without amendment. Members are fooled by the head of the Government holding out hopes that they will get away by a given time. They work all sorts of absurd hours to do this and then more Bills are brought down and they are fooled again. The House must cither make up its mind to sit for another fortnight or throwout altogether the Bills just brought down. Members must not overlook the fact that they are sent to Parliament to attend to the interests of the country and this they are not doing at the present time. Already one or two Government members are said to have deserted their posts to go electioneering. AVe trust the electors will treat them as they deserve to be treated.

The people of Wanganui will probably bo feeling not a little puzzled concerning the fate of the Wanganui Harbour Board Empowering Bill. Although the Local Bills Committee was about equally divided concerning the Bill, the Government promised to help Mit. Hogan to see the measure through the House. The opposition that the Bill encountered came from both sides, Government supporters figuring quite prominently in the obstruction. Mb. Hocian, had lie been prepared to adopt a tactful and reasonable attitude, could easily have got the House to agree to a compromise. Unhappily, he is apparently not one of those to whom reasonableness and equitable arrangements appeal as things good in themselves. Had ho not felt emboldened by Sir Joseph Wand's encouragement, he might have adopted a conciliatory tone. As it was, he concluded that tactics did not require any concessions to the objectors; and he was strengthened in this belief by the steadiness with which the spare forces of the Government—the members who cared nothing one way or the other about the Bill—came in from the lobbies to support him whenever the bell rang. All of a sudden, as the figures of the series of divisions made quite clear, the Government abandoned Mr.. Hocus. Tim objectors to the Bill stuck to their posts, but the legions promised to Mr. Hogan by the Government'suddenly disappeared, and the Bill was killed. The Government, that is to raj;, encouraged Mr. Hogax to disdain the suggestions of compromise, and then left him in the lurch. Had it not given him .the promise of its support, he might have seen the wisdom of compromise, and the Bill would have been passed in some modified form, but in a form that the town of Wanganui could not object to without casting doubt on its bona fides in the matter. Wanganui can thank Mr. Hogan and the Government for the present situation.

Amongst the Bills introduced yesterday by the Prime Minister was t'ho_ Iron and Steel Industry Bill which proposes amongst other things to give bonuses totalling over £66,000 for the production of iron and steel manufactured from New Zealand ores. This is just tho sort of Bill that one would expect to be brought clown by the present Government a few_ hours before the close of the session. It is the kind of Bill that will require a good deal of explaining, ancHt is no doubt to avoid this explanation that the measure is brought down at this late stage of the session. But if Parliament peritself to be rushed in this way it will deserve the severest censure. This iron bonus proposition requires very close scrutiny. It would be very interesting, for instance, to learn what took place in London where Sir Joseph Ward's interest in the subject appears to have been revived. What arguments were advanced that induced him to bring down this sudden proposal that the country should pay so large a sum and grant the special privileges provided in the Bill lor the persons connected with the particular iron leases affected ? The position as generally understood is that the holders of the leases desire to sell their rights to a syndicate and to enable them to do this the Government are requested to bo good enough to provide the large bonus specified in the Bill and grant the other concessions also sot out in the measure. This no doubt is a very nice thing for the holders of tho leases who should reap a rich harvest from the sale to any syndicate, but is it good business for the country ? The bonus proposed is almost sufficient in itself to start ironworks capable of supplying all the pig-iron that New Zealand at present requires. But, it is stated further, that a syndicate is prepared to develop the iron industry without the aid of a Government bonus, provided it is given some security of tenure for a reasonable period. Here then is a chance to save the £60,000 to tho people of Mew Zealand. Be that as it may the matter is one that does not require to be rushed and members should insist on the Bill standing over until next session. We need only refer them to the Mines Statements, for the years 1905, ]906, 1907, and 1908 to show how little reliance can bo placed on the anticipations of the Ministers in respect of the development of these iron ore leases. A further few months' delay cannot do any barm and will at least permit proper inquiry to be made as to the desirableness of granting the very great concessions which the Government now propose to bestow in so hurried a fashion.