NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1285, 14 November 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Last week wc noted that Mn. j Hichahd Moore, who is said to be likely to defeat. Mr,. ISuddo in the Kaiapoi contest, had mentioned the expenditure of public money in the Awarua electorate on private property. Mr. Moore was charged by the Christchurch Government organ with having vilely slandered Silt Joseph Wabd. We pointed out that Me. Moore had merely stated a, fact; that neither Mr. Moore nor anyone else had suggested that Sin Joseph Ward knew anything about this job, that the incident was a powerful indictment of the present system of public works expenditure, as showing how money could be voted without Parliament knowing anything about the purpose for which it was t-o be expended, and that the Christchurch paper had rendered itself liable to clamage3 on an action for slander if Mb. Mooke chose to proceed. Our contemporary, feeling rather rueful, perhaps a good deal alarmed, printed a semiapologetic and greatly-confused article. Yet even in its ruefulness, even in its confusion, it was truo to type : it .could not avoid misrepresenting our remarks. It actually told its readers that we said Mr. Moore was joking! Really, we should almost feel compassion for the sorry case of the Ministerialists if the issues at stake, namely, the honour and credit and safety of our country, were not so big. .

It is very satisfactory to learn that for the present at least the dispute between the shipowner!; and the Seamen's Union has been amicably settled, and that there is a prospect of an agreement being arrived at of a more lasting nature. At the outset of the negotiations between the parties there appeared to be a prospect of a complete, breach, which could only have ended in a serious industrial upheaval, involving grave losses to both sides, and immense inconvenience to the general public. It is impossible to say where the trouble would have stopped had the men gone out on strike, and it is equally uncertain how or when it would have ended. One thing is certain, that is, that it would have developed into a very determined, and possibly very bitter, struggle. A spirit of reasonable compromise fortunately developed out of the conference, and as a result the men have accepted the offered by the shipowners and certain other concessions until the award is announced in connection with the seamen's ease now before the Federal Arbitration Court. Negotiations will then bo reopened and an endeavour made to arrive at an agreement on a more permanent basis. While the cloud which has been threatening cannot be said t.o have yet passed awav, it is a hopeful sign that even a provisional agreement proved possible 6f accomplishment.

There appears to be no depth of misrepresentation to which our "Liberal" friends are not prepared, in their extremity, to descend with the object of dodging some of the storm 'of public coldness. In his speech at Bluff on Saturday night the Prime Minister surpassed most of his previous records by insinuating that the Reform party is working against tho dcfencc scheme. In tiie course of his reference he made this outrageous statement, according to the Press Association report: Tho defence system had been supported by every member of the Opposition and by the trades and labour councils, and was the law of the Dominion. Why had no member of the Opposition published a line in support of it? Because they believed that a small section of the community was against it. It was a question which should be placed above party tactics, and wherever he went lie would call attention to the men who wcro sheltering under the cover of prearranged silence.

We might, in reply, ask why most of the Ministers and Ministerialist candidates have been silent on the subjcct of defence, but we need not do that: it is sufficient answer to the Prime Minister's assertion to point out that there is hardly a Reform party candidate who is not, and has not expressed himself, _ a keen friend of the compulsory training system. The Government and its friends were only the other day showing soreness because the Reform party was claiming—and justly claiming—its share of credit for the defence system. Our evening contemporary, we notice, has in its own peculiar way assisted to convey the impression that there might be something in Sir Joseph Ward's reckless assertion, and this despite the fact that it should know that what the Prime Minister said is disproved by the utterances of local candidates. To take only the Wellington Reform candidates,_ a quite random inspection of their speeches will show that Messrs. Heudman, Fisher, Newman, Bei,l and Wright have all expressed general approval of the new defence scheme, although some of them may not agree with tho whole of the details. What will strike most people is, not the foolishness of tne Prime Minister's statement, but its desperate effrontery. And think of the retort! Mr. Massey and Mr. Ali.en and their friends have only to recall their repeated statements, appearing in print, to expose the stupid libel so clumsily aimed by the desperate politician fron: Awarua.

On Saturday the local morning Ministerialist journal decided, to say something against Mr. Guthrie, who is unpleasantly strong in Oroiia, and it was so anxious to say something that it did not trouble to conceal its misrepresentation, It began with the text that Mr. Guthrie had said "our taxation is £0 per head of population," and based all its article upon that, although, as it explained, "llio account of the mcclhisj given in tho Feiidinj: 'Star' does not, it is true, put tho candidate's utterances finitf in that way, but we arc bound to admit that the person who compiled tlie has sum-niari.-od it into jiisf what Mr. ("iuthrio obviously intended to convey to liis hearers." In other words, the Ministerial journal in effect says: "Mr,. Grnniii; made no such statement, but ho meant to, so let us say lie did." Now, let us see what, Mr. Gutukik did say. Here it is, as

pivcn in the full report in the Fcilcling Star o£ November 10: Again, examine tho taxation per hc;ui. 19(I.V0, .CI 7s. 7(1., I'.IUIi-7, .VI Ms. 7(1., IM7-8, .£5 Os. 11I0H-9, .W lis. lid., l'.Kl'J-10, .C-t lb. 10d„ 1910-11 f!ipi>roxiinately) .£3 3s. lid. "Surely," Mil. Guthrie added, "these figures show that taxation is increasing.'' Surely, also, we may add, they show that the mendacity of our "Liberal" friends is increasing far more than the taxation.