THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1481, 2 July 1912, Page 4

THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE. _____ ' OPENS TO*DAY. THE COMING DIVISION —AND AFTER. Tho Teal business of tho present H>ssiin of Parliament will/begin to-day with tho no-confidenco debate, ut tlie conclusion of which tlio falo of tlio Mackenzie Ministry is to lio put to the test of a division. 'J'lio Iloiitio of Heprescntatives will 1» engaged during tlio afternoon in transactinj formal busmen. When the IJ.ousu resumes at 7.30 p.m. Mr. H. M'Oallum (Wiiirau) will mo\-e tlio Addrcss-iu-Reply, and it will bo seconded by Mr. J. Vigor Brown (Napier). These members having- concluded Ihoir speeches, Mr. Mosscy will movo tlio noconfident amendment of which he has given notice. It is expected that the .lniuo Minister (the Hon. T.Mackenzie) will lollow Mr. Mnssey. Opinions differ us to tho probable duration ot tlio debate. Pome members oslimate it at a week, and others at as Ion" ?i S i a ~l ortllie h t - It is understood that l.ho Opposition will subject thj) Government to a searching firo of crihcifii), and that (he Ministerialist* will wish to roply. It is not .vbsolutely certain, however, that tlio dabate will bo as keen as some people ex. poet it; to be. Tho lone of conversation lu tho lobbies and many remarks bv individual members go to indicate that interest is being concentrated in. tho actual division and tho developments which must follow, however it may turn, more than in the debate which opens to-day. All things considered, tho amount of moderation ami calmness to bo noted in the conversation of members is astonishing. Partv bitterness has not died out, but it has died down, since the short session, to a wonderful extent. It is by no moans impossible that tho no-confldeuco debate may tend iu soino degree to tho sinking- of differences. Fairly extended inquiries yesterday foiled to discover n single member of the' Ik'iorm party who did not believe that Mr. Masscy's amendment would bo carried, and a number of Government members who were spoken to frankly admitted that they shared tho same opinion. Tho Government member who believes that tho Ministry will stand is as difficult to unearth as the_ Opposition member who believes that it will not fall.

HIGH COMMISSIONERSHiP. TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT RENEWED. Tho period for which Mr, C. F. Wl PnUiser was appointed to carry on the duties of High Commissioner expired on Sunday. Cabinet decided yesterday morning to rcappoirit Mr. Pnlliscr for ouo month. As regards tho permanent appointment, tho general trend of opinion is that cither the Hon. T. Mackenzie or Sir Joseph Ward will bo appointed to the position. Mr. T. 51. Wilfoi'tl, tho member for tho Hntt, is also oredited with aspirations for tho office, in addition io. his ambitions as a party leader, "PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS." SHOULD THE HONORARIUM BE REDUCEDP Tho present' honorarium of .£3OO pef annum paid to members of Parliament is, in the opinion of tho Muri borough branch of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union, "e.neouragiiig uu undesirable class of professional politicians." Tho union in question has set out its views briefly in the following remit forwarded to ! the Dominion Conference of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union, which is (o commence in Wellington at the, end of tho present month: "I'lutfj tho honorarduin lo bo paid to members of Parliament \fi re- , . duced to .£l5O por session as tho present' honorarium of J.'300 per annum is- encouragiiiK an undesirable class of professional politicians." Tho snmo union will nlso move: "That tin) vicious system of expending bugs sums of public money in tho erection of, costly public buildings in dho " largo towns bo discontinued, and that niorej attention bo given to tlie requirements! of the back-blocks iji tho way of roads nnd bridges."

.CHAIRMANSHIP OF COMMITTEES. The Government apparently liavo been cnught napping over tho Chairmanship of Committees. They huvo neglected to givo notico to move for tlio appointment of ii ChuiniHin for tho session, and as tomorrow tlio no-confidence debate will come on, and lake precedence of other business, tho appointment must bo left over in the meantime. If Mr. Massey wins in the division tho Chairmanship of Committee. , , will therefore bo the gift of his parly, THE REFORM PARTY. A meeting of tho members of til© Kβ-'/ form party is to bo held to-day. All the members "of the party are now in Wei- 1 lington except Mr. W. 11. Hcrrics (Tauranga), who is to arrive on Julv 9.1 Messrs. J. Dickson (l'arncll) aud J. BoK lard (Eden) arrived yesterday. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. As it appear on tho proof order pappiy tho Address-in-Ecply from the Legislative! Council is distinguished from previous similar documents by its brevity. Previous addresses, at auyrato for some years past, have usually referred to various'details dealt with in the Speech from the Throne, and have been ol such ji length as to occupy two pages or more, in the/ Journals of the House. On this occasion llio Address from tho Council, in imitation of a custom which obtains in England, lias been made commendably short. Following is tho full text:— "We, his Majesty's most dutiful and ■ lo.vnl subjects,' tho members of the Legislative Council of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, beg leave to oner our sinecro thanks to your Excellency for the Speech which your Excellency has addressed to Iwth Houses of Parliament. "We beg to assure your Excellency that the matters therein contained, nliall receive our most careful consideration; and wo join in your Excellency's prayer dhat ouv labours may proiiioto tho happiness mid welfare of tho people of this Dominion."

A MOTION OF PROTEST. The Hon. J. 13. Jonkiuson's motion (link the Legislative Council adjourn as a protest against the neglect of Clio Government to appoint n responsible Minister lo represent it in (ho Upper House, stands at dm ton of the proof order paper for 10-dny's sitting. Whether it will Mill bo the, lirsl order of the day when (ho Cuuncil meets to-day is not known with cortainty, but (he general belief is that it will iiot. It is anticipated that Mr. Jenkinson's motion may be pushed asido, first by the customary motions setting up sefsioiwl committees, <ind Inter by tJio debate on (ho Address-iu-lieply.