NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1429, 2 May 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The result of the Queensland elections will bo regarded by the great bulk of New Zealanders as exceedingly satisfactory. During the Brisbane strike the Labour agitators and the Labour press predicted in confident and truculent language that a sweeping defeat was in store for the Government and dire disaster awaiting the opponents of trade union tyranny. They were so confident and so fierce that they went into details as to what the new Labour Premier would do. One of his first acts, for example, was to be the dismissal of the Commissioner of Police, who dared to obey the Government's instructions to keep order in the city. The Government's comfortable majority has been increased by four, and the decisive verdict of the electors will hardly fail to weaken still further the position of the Labour party in New South Wales and in the Commonwealth generally. One leading member of Me. Fisher's party some time ago admitted that defeat is in store for his friends; and the Queensland election will stimulate the revolt of the public against the domination of the Labour caucus. There is a practical lesson in Mr. Den-H.-vm's victory that must not be overlooked. He won the election and quelled the strike by quickly recognising the character of the Labour movement and arousing the public mind. Had he shuffled, or weakened, as the Ward Government used to do when faced with a Labour trouble, enormous harm would have come to Queensland and the public would not have learned its power to protect itself, and would have, been cowed and disorganised, with the result that Labour would have triumphed at the election. Queensland is fortunate in having a Premier of courage and capacity. He has rendered a useful service to the whole of Australasia.

Few people will bo unable to sympathise with Mr. Maughas Barnett's complaint concerning tho poor support {riven by tho public to the Municipal Orchestra's concerts. " Ifc must be disheartening and annoying to him that tho concerts are so very ill appreciated, and nobody will wonder that he threatens to give up his conductorship unless there are better audiences.. At tho same time_ we do not think that it is either right or reasonable to say that the matter of his complaint is a disgrace to the city. No doubt it would be very much nicer if the citizens were so keen on good music as to make good concerts successful, but you cannot indict a whole city, least of all on n question of taste. A man i_e not to be Warned for not appreciating good music any more than for not appreciating fine literature. How, then, can a city be blamed for not doing what it apparently does not care to clo and what it certainly cannot be regarded as obliged to do? Either this city and this country will in time become a city or country of music lovers, or they will not. They may be. Intl. but t-hev will not be driven, to thn hiwhpr levels. And which would the faithful servant of music prefer: a small audience of true lovprs of music or a large audience of Philistines ?

The friends of Beforni have every reason to feel satisfied with the freedom and fulness with which Ministers and the Ministerial press are admitting the main charges brought against the "Liberal" administration. Six months ago the "Liberal" politicians and new,«oapers were angrily denying that there was any fault to be found with the Government; the advocates of reform were represented, with wearisome iteration, as "traitors" inspired with no better motive than a desire to "injure the credit of the country." To-day the Ministry and .its supporters are quite frankly admitting nearly every charge brought against the "Liberal" party. Is it Civil Service reform? Hansard and the newspaper files are full of quite scandalous attacks from the Ministerial side on the advocates of clean and efficient administration, but lately the Prime Minister has admitted that the Service has not been properly managed. There has been no count in the indictment of "Liberalism ,, more persistently opposed than the inefficiency of the railways management; and already the Minister for Railways has seen the wisdom of admitting the necessity for change. We find one Ministerialist journal declaring that if the Government were to remain in office without repealing the Second Ballot Act, that peculiar triumph of "Liberalism," it would deserve to go out of existence for ever; and another Ministerialist journal condemning in sweeping terras the "Liberals' " management of the High Commissioner's office, and condemning also the unintelligent and fraudulent treatment of the back-blocks by the "Liberal" party. Why is all this truth coming out of "Liberal" mouths just now , ? Would a single fault have, been admitted had the figures of the general election not been what they were 1 Of course they would not. Would we hn hearing Ministers say that what is wanted is clean administration and an end of legislative tinsy cake? No. We should be hearing Ministers snyinp that the administration is perfect and that the beneficent "LibKrai" legislation should bo further expanded. The public is not leaving (htsc considerations unnoticed.