NEW PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 23 March 1912, Page 4

NEW PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS.

♦ FOUNDATION STONE TO 1312 LAID TO-DAY. The foundation stone of the new Pnr< liiimentary Buildings is to bo laid by his Excellency Ihe tlovornor lit 3 p.m. In-day. Home hundreds of invitations have bii-ii issued, nut only to residents of Wellington, lint the heads of mmiici. palilies and Chambers of (Jommcrco ia other parts of the Dominion. A PROTEST. . PLAIN" TALK BY AN; M.l>. We have had forwarded to us for pub< Meat ion the following letter, which Mr. (I. .If. Thomson, M.P., lias uddressed to Sir Joseph Ward:— Newinglon, Dunedin, March 20, 1912. Sir Joseph Ward, K.C.M.G., Wellington. Dear Sir Joseph,—l have received frnin you an invitation to be present nt the laying of (he foundalicji-stone of the new Parliamentary Buildings on Saturday next, 2.')ru inst. In declining this invitation, I wish to protest against your action in proceeding with this work at the present time. It ii in my opinion highly improper and. insulting both to the country and to Parliament, that you should proceed to inaugurate works (whether buildings or railways), involving large public expenditure, when you are personally pledged to go out of office, am! that immediately. You do not even know whether the," Ministry which will b? formed to succeed the present moribund one can carrv on.

In addition to this, your own colleague, Die Minister for Public Works, has stated I hat the Cabinet has not yet oven decided as to what plan will be adopted. f'nder these cirnimsliuices the laying of the foundation-stone on Satuvday next is characteristically imnroner, and I eutc/ my strong protest against it.

I intend to publish this letter. Yours faithfully, GEO. HI. THOMSON.

(IJy Telegraph-Special Correspondent.) Christchurch, March 22. Commenting editorially on Mr. 'Thorn* son's' letter Hie "J'."ess"'says: Sir Joseph Ward has shown such extraordinary evidence of wounded vanity of late that ona is almost tempted to ask whether ho ismerely anxious -that his name as Primo Minister should appear on (lie foundation stone of the new Parliamentary I'uihliugs, or does lie wish before leaving ollitso to set the seal on what is now generally regarded as the crowning folly of his Administration, and so make it diflicult for his successors, whoever they may be, to refuse to carry out the work on the lines laid down? 'it is very possiblo that the new Ministry, whoever they may be, will decide to reconsider the wholo position eo as to rescue tho Dominion as far as possible from the consequences of a very bad blundei. If they so decide we do not suppose that the laying of a dozen foundation stones would deter them from carrying out what they conceived to be their duty. la tho meantime the ceremony on Saturday can only bo regarded as a mockery and an impudent limiting of the constitutional rights of the people. If. is especially to be regretted that the Ministry have ventured to associate his Excellency the Governor with such a travesty, It is almost worse than their nclion in making him the medium of delivering the ejeetioneerim; advertisement which they dignified with the name of the Governor's Speech on tho occasion of the opening of Parliament.