NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1279, 7 November 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

e _ Owing to the lateness of the election, a large number of people will certainly be absent from home on holiday when the second ballot is hcld._ It is to be hoped that all who arc.in this position will remember that they can exercise their franchise at the second ballot as well as at the first ballot by obtaining an "absent voter's permit." All one has to do is to apply for a voting-permif. before the election writ is issued. The application' ought to he made to the Registrar of the district upon the roll of which one's name appears, but application may be made to any Registrar. The holder of a permit can exercise his vote at anv polling booth outside his district. ■I'he procedure in the case of second ballots is thus provided for in tho Legislature Amendment Act of 1910: If tho holder of a voting-permit issued for a district in which a second ballot is required to be'taken desires to exercise his permit, he shall, for the purpose of recording his vote, apply to anv Postmaster to have a. ballot-paper issued to him. and r-hnll deliver his voting-permit to that Postmaster, signing at the time an application for a ballot-paper Xho Postmaster will give him a ballotpaper, and he will cast his vote. Most people will know beforehand whether they will be absent from their districts on December 7 or December 14, and all who will be so absent should take care to obtain voting-permits at once. . They can obtain them at any time prior'to the writ—to-day if they wish.

iN.his address to the electors of Wellington North last week Me. Herpjtan dcclarcd tha,t no one lenew on what system increases of salary in the Civil Scrvice were based, and no one could find out. The natural consequence is that the Service is seething with discontent, and it is quite impossible to get the best work out of employees who are rankling under a sense of injustice. In almost every iJcparfcmcnli the manner in which the increases have been distributed is the subject of much adverse comment and the feeling is very strongly held that it is not good work, but nolitical pull, that counts. In'one Department, for instance, a yoxma ady who is fortunate enough to belong to a family which is possessed of considerable political influence has just received an increase of £lo per annum, bringing her salary up to £300 a year, whereas manv old employees with families to support are receiving as little at £200. She has also been away for over six months on holiday leave— whether on full pay or not no one seems to know—and her total length of service is only about 12 vears. In marked contrast to this more than generous treatment, three old nnd tried servants in the same Depart-

hifiii, with !!0 years' Korvicc and I'lr.i', mi,l two others with considerably luiif/i' pfrvire to (heir credit 11 lit 11 lli.- 11 j r l,n n a (,:> young lady, have bii-ii |tiihM'il nvrr without any iniii\ir:i\ Thn mi inn of thing is Koiiig on in nearly all I,lie iJepartliiniilr, iinil unlrtiK a remedy is found llie u linle Civil iServire will be in ill: Hirer nf deiuoi'aliiiation. Unless jiiiilii.tl illll jiikl increases of f--.ilary ii iM pin ceil n |ji m a fair, definite, and Myr.luiiiiil.il' basis, which will ensure Ihe 11 en per recognition of merit and le.iiglh of K-rviee, personal favouritism and politic,'il inllnence are bound In prevail, The failliful servants of (lie iSliite-anil we are sure they are t.lill a wi.-.1, majority—only want a lair field and no favour, for they know that tlw "friend at Court" system must inevitably result in the advancement of the favoured few at (he expense of all the rest. How deceitful are appearances! Tn Clirisl.ohurch on Saturday the Hon*. ,1. A. Mn.un told an audience dial, the, Piiimk Minister's "desire to make tho country self-supporting was not surpassed by that of any person in New Zealand." Tin's is now the J'nuiE Minister does it: • X Borrowed in lflOH-7 (rise in gross debt) 1,958.000 Borrowed in (ilci.) 2,'J71,857 Borrowed in 10118-9 (do.) 4,181,0:57 iiiii-i-oht.i iii muo (do.) n,fl.v>,in IlurroHTii in 11110-11 (do.) C,187,477 Total for five years 18,087,082 All we can say is that he docs not allow his "desire to make the country self-supporting" run away with him. He has it well under controlso well under control that ho has made this country less self-support-ing, more dependent upon loans,than any country in the world, man for man and pound for pound. In its issue of yesterday our evening contemporary objects to our comments regarding its indefinite attitude in reference to tho great political issue to be decided at the coming General Election. We can assure our contemporary that wc have not the slightest objection to any newspaper criticising both the Government and the Opposition, and that wc fully agree with the policy "of placing tho best interest of the public as a whole before those of a section"; but we contend that political criticism is quite ineffective •and futile unless it leads on to a definite conclusion. Yi'hafc the electors of New Zealand will have to decide at the ballot-box is the broad issue as to whether the present Government should or shquld not be permitted to continue to maladminister the affairs of this country. Every newspaper should, of course, weigh the evidence on both sides, but it should also arrive at some verdict— for or against; it should bo able to give its readers a clear and definite lead as to whether they should vote to give tho Government another lease of_ life or give the Reform party a trial. If it is partisanship to definitely dccidc, after full consideration of _ every aspect of the matter, that it is in the best/interests of the country as a whole that the Ward Administration should make room for a better and more progressive Ministry, we must of course plead guilty to being partisans, for that is our opinion, and we are independent enough to say it without hesitation, and to say* it most emphatically. It was with little surprise, but yet with much pleasure, that wc find from the full reports in the Taranaki papers that Mn. Hike's Stratford meeting on Friday last was unusually enthusiastic. It is to the credit of Sik Joseph Ward that he recognised Mr. Hine's ability long before most people, and before Mr. Hike made and proved those charges of political malfcasanoo that "forced Parliament to take action. The Prime Minister very quickly paid Mr. Hike the compliment of recognising him as a dangerous critic. The success with which he maintained and proved, in the teeth of a hostile committee and the Government's power of suppressing evidence, some really grave charges against a member and ex-member, has embittered the Government party against him. Their persistently venomous campaign against him has, however, had no effect upon Stratford. His speech on Friday last was refreshingly vigorous and pointed, as might" have been expected of such a clean and forthright fighter, and the audience 'hat listened to him was so stimulated as not only to break into something like an uproar of approval but to pass a motion enthusiastically condemning the Government. The most significant commentary upon Mr. Hike's enhanced popularity is the attitude of the Stratford I'nst This paper is under the spell of Mr. Hikes opponent, but it was so impressed by the meeting that it was unable to come forth and attack him. It said: He spoke with a fearless indifferenco to consequence, which could not but be applauded. Of course, Mr. Hine is a straight-out Oppositionist, with no excuses for t'ho other side, and his friends had no reason to complain that ho had weakened. His utterances last night were, if anything, more explicit than over, ami on tho licensing question he mado his stand clear. The resolution with which thi> meeting. concluded will probably endorsed by many people, but we frankly admit ivc do not expect to sco their dosire granted. Mr. Hike, it seems pretty certain, will be sent back to Parliament; and Stratford will deserve well of tho country for its support of a man of the kind our Parliament needs in great numbers. j