PHRASE-MAKING & PROMISES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1424, 26 April 1912, Page 4

PHRASE-MAKING & PROMISES.

The new Prime Minister would seem to possess quite a pretty knack of phrase-making. During his tour in the north Mr. Mackenzie has indulged very freely in catchy generalisations calculated to tickle the ears of the public and impress the elector. One or two of these utterances really deserve a little attention. "It is'our intention as a Cabinet," said Mr. Mackenzie at Hamilton, "to get down to solid work, and we are not going in for any political fireworks at all." This pronouncement' no doubt is one which should meet with general approval. Solid work on the right lines is what the country has been looking for for a long time past. But when is the solid work of the Cabinet going to begin 1 "I have told the people," said Mr. Mackenzie on another occasion,' "that we arc going to devote ourselvesto things that signify and believe in the proof of the thing done rather than of the thing said." Another most admirable sentiment, but when, it may again be asked, do Ministers intend to begin on their tasks? The public, like Ministers, believes in the proof of the thing done rather than in professions, however good, and so far Ministers, instead of settling down to solid work, have been doing practically nothing but gallivanting around the country electioneering and promising so much that a good many people are probably beginning to wonder at the reckless prodigality of their new. rulers. But we are not going to quarrel with Mr. Mackenzie at present over either his phrase-mak-ing or his own and his colleagues' promises. The Ministry naturally is anxious to create a good irnnression, and if Ministers are somewhat reckless in their endeavours to please, they will have to face the day of reckoning in duo course. There is one other remark, however, which the Prime Minister was responsible for which it is worth while directing attention to with a view to eliciting some explanation from the new Leader of Liberalism. He said, according to a Government journal, in the course of an interview at Auckland: "I have no political fireworks to offer them fthe people]. We want to get away from trifles and tipsy cake, and get down to solid bread and butter." This is so excellent a paraphrase of what we have been advocating in these columns for tho past four years that we are almost inclined to the opinion that wc have gained a new convert. If Mr. Mackenzie's statement means anything at all it means that he realises that the country has had a surfeit of the unsubstantial and nauseating fancy faro provided for it by tho late Government, of which he was a member, and is yearning for more solid and nourishing food. It is impossible to dispute the accuracy of tin's view, but it will come as a rude shock to Mr. iMackenzie's late colleague's in the Ward Ministry to find him going out of his way ' to deal them this backhanded blow. It was quite bad enough for them to be passed over altogether in the selection of the new Ministry, but now, after having linen pushed iulo outer darkness, to have their failure rubbed in publicly in this way by their new leader in piling up tho-'agonv. But thoy. .will kavo to cut ua with..

those little unpleasantnesses. They nave chosen Mr. Mackenzie as their leader, and if in "flaying to the gallery" he should hncl it necessary to deal a buffet or two at his late colleagues, they will no doubt, as faithful henchmen, bend, meekly to the castigation from their party chief.