The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1911. PARLIAMENT AND THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1272, 30 October 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1911. PARLIAMENT AND THE SESSION.

The seventeenth Parliament of New Zealand, which practically completed its course on Saturday evening last, will not stand out as being responsible lor any great achievements in the way of legislative effort. Nor will its demise be viewed with any deep regret on any grounds whatever. It has been a disappointing Parliament, due in a measure to _ bad leadership, but partly also, it must be admitted, to the class of members constituting it. Personally, no doubt, the members of the present House of Representatives are very admirable, but unfortunately for the country the political knowledge of a very considerable section of them has been gained in a bad school—their ideas on the larger issues of statesmanship have proved to bo of the crudest; a large majority of them arc "roads and bridges" members of the most blatant type; and there arc very few indeed who trouble very much, or arc even capable of troubling, over anything beyond the probable immediate effects of their actions in Parliament on their own political fortunes and the fortunes of their party. The evil of the position is that many_ of them probably do not even realise that it is the business of the Legislature of the country to look ahead beyond the period of the next general elections. Yet strangely enough it was this Parliament that placed on the Statute Book of the country the most advanced step yet taken by the Dominion in the way of national defence. No doubt the compulsory training system was an illoonsidered, though commendable, venture on the part of the Government. One day we had tlw Prime Minister declaring that he would not think of introducing universal compulsory training, and a little later he startled everyone by suddenly changing his mind and bringing down proposals going exactly in the direction which he said he would not go. But while the question was to a certain extent rushed in this way, wo have no desire to detract from the merit which is due to the

present Parliament for this, its one outstanding achievement. '■"So far as the session which has just closed is concerned, it' has proved one of the most remarkable in its wav that can bo recalled. Like most cessions immediately preceding a general election, it has not been noted for any very careful attention to legislation. Most of the work done has been of an electioneering character, and even this has been poorly done. No doubt one or two of the Bills that hqve been passed into law will prove useful enactments—notably that dealing with the family land settlement scheme—and one or two, such as the Widows' Pensions Act, will have a certain popularity. But the remarkable features of the session are the evidence which it has afforded of the plight of the Ministry in its search for a policy and the very violent and frequent outbursts of the Prime Minister, attacking his opponents in and out of Parliament. Anyone who (roubles to look up the Governor's Speech at the opening of the session will discover that at that time the Ministry proposed to deal only with i few comparatively unimportant and commonplace matters. It is true that the ■ very important question of local government reform .vas mentioned in its programme, jut as it had been mentioned in jovcrnors' Speeches for something like fifteen years past, no one regarded this very seriously. But halfivay through the session, that is after 'ho return of the Prime Minister, md when the temper of the country »'as beginning to be clearly underwood, the Government apparently 'ceognised that it was nccessary to nake some bold bid for a renewal of Public favour. Then a whole budget if new proposals of a most glaringly ■lectioncering character was brought lown. Favours 'and concisions were :o bo showered around, and the Minsterialists rejoiced over the fact hat their leaders had found such ittractivo. baits for the electors. Yet t is probable that the Budget proposals of .the- Em:.ir, Minister, initead of stemming the tide that is etting in so strongly against the Government, have really had exactly he reverse effect by strengthening ho feeling that the Ministry is lankrupt of political principles and fill do anything to retain office. It wis too plainly evident that the onlv bought behind the proposals was sow many votes for the Government his or that proposal would ini'lnnce. As to the other feature of the ession: Sir Joseph Ward's very •iolent attacks on his critics, they an only be attributed also to his :nxiety_conoerning his political protects. No doubt he has been severely iiticiscd on his public actions .s he deserved to be, and it is quite ight that he should make the best eply _ possible. But unfortunately or him it has become almost habitlal for Sir Joseph Ward to answer he criticisms to which ho is subected by very wild and irrelevant illegations concerning the motives of lis critics, at whom he shouts at the op of his voice in a very undignified say. At such times he makes ,1 ;reat deal of noise, but neither noise lor abuse are very effective argnnents with people who have had the nets of a matter plainly placed beorc them, and in consequence the 'rime Minister has probably been eon to less advantage by his own >art,y, as well as by his opponents, luring the session just ended than ■t any previous time. It i 3 vident that he is handicap;ed by the fact that he las so weak a set of colleagues— reak in the sense that the majority if those who are not quite unfitted or the positions they occupy, lack he required industry. Since the rcignation of Mr. Fowlds, which was n its way also a feature of the sesion, and significant, of the decay of lie Ministry, the position has been '/orse than _ ever. What the coming lections will products can only be tucsscd at. It is impossible to beieve, however, that a poorer Pariament than the present will be the mtcome.