NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1510, 5 August 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Lomg before tho Hon. G. Foavlds left the Ward Government with the intimation that it had lost its Liberal principles, we had been showing that the so-called Liberal party was wearing a label that did not belong to it. "Whatever it was, it was not a Liberal party; and now that it is in Opposition people . are beginning more clearly to realise that fact. Itis now not really a. party at all, but a temporary , and fortuitous collection of men holding all sorts of views on all sorts of questions. Already, with the clearer atmosphere consequent upon the destruction of the late Government, the Liberal and progressive spirit of the Reform Government is being admitted. Not a few of the newspapers which used to support the Ward Administration, either in the belief or under the pretence that they were defending Liberalism, are. beginning to have some licartrsearchings. The Napier Tcle{•rrtph, for example, is indignant with the Opposition for its behaviour last week when Mr. Eindiiarsh's little Bill was under discussion. The Tchyraph still believes, or affects to believe, that the Opposition is the Liberal party, and it observes that "it is as noticeable as regrettable that the attacks upon free speech in this country have emanated, and continue to emanate," from that party. After passing some severe strictures upon the past effort.? of the party, when in power, to prohibit free speech, our contemporary turns'its attention to Mr. Lauhenson. "He is no Liberal," it declared. "Ho is simply a man who wants his own way And it concludes that "it is a sad and sorry sight to see the good old title of Liberalism dragged in the mire by politicians who regard criticism of their .views as the unpardonable sin." We agree; but why 'single out Mr. Laup.ensos'! He is the embodiment of the spirit and tho methods of the late Government. The good old title of Liberalism has been draged in the mire ever since the Seddon-Ward Administrations ceased to be Liberal either in their methods or their principles.

The appointment of Dr. Morrison, until lately the Peking correspondent of the London Times, to the post of political adviser to the Chinese President, is of equal interest and importance. For several years this famous man, who is an Australian by birth, has been the telescope through which the people of Great Britain, and of the world, for that matter, have seen the Chinese Empire.' ' His position in this respect has had no parallel, for he was almost the one voice from China which could reach the Western world. Like all men occupying a position ■'■ of great influence and importance, he has at times been subjected to hostile criticism. Since China has for many, years been a field of battle for international financiers and intriguers, it was natural that Dr. Morrison should annoy somebody whenever he spoke through his journal. His status has hardly been that of a journalist; or, rather, by the wonderful sagacity he brought to his profession, and by the diplomatic acumen which enabled him to gain the confidence of the Chinese and to command the respect of persons of importance, he turned his journalism into statesmanship. Ho is one of those who are more hopeful of the Republic than many good observers, and he may bo trusted to use his wherever he can, for the forwarding of' Britain's interests in the new China.

Much good should result from the amendment of the Arbitration Act, which it is expected the Government will propose, to provide that strikes shall be instituted and remain subject to secret ballots of the strikers. There' has probably never been a strike anywhere which could not have been quickly ended had the strikers always had the means of voting secretly upon the question of continuing it. Open voting during the progress of a strike—and trade union officials generally manage ■ that the voting shall be open—means the intimidation of those strikers who are anxious for a settlement. The individual striker who desires a cessation of hostilities can never feel sure that he is one of a, majority in the union or that those who think with him will have the courage of their opinions; so that he can vote against his leaders, when they want to go on fighting, only by risking unpopularity and persecution. Even when a body of men willingly obey the union's order to down tools, in a very little time they are strikers against their will: it is the trade union leaders in whose interests strikes are kept going. No doubt a strong statutory provision for the taking of secret ballots which really shall be secret will not be pleasing to the agitator, but it should be welcomed uy I unionists as a body. In order to make, effective this safeguard of n worker's right to let his true opinion weigh in the policy of his union, it will be necessary to go very carefully ( to work. Penalties of a substantial kind will have, to be provided against Hie executives of unions, as indi>iflti»ls find ns liodirfc. «-|iich tnnu>ifircis tho new law. "While the Arbi=

tration Act remains upon the statute book, it; is the duty of Parliament to amend it wherever there is a promise oE even some small good being effected as a mitigation of the great harmfulness of such a mistaken measure.

The figures quoted by the Hox. James Allex in the House on Friday show that the revenue is keeping up well —in our opinion, possibly too well. That, is to say, too much is being taken from the public in taxation. For the twelve mouths ending July 31 the revenue was greater by over £600,000 than the revenue for the preceding twelve months, from which we may infer that the revenue for the current financial year will show an advance over 1911-12 \y move than that amount. For the first four months of the current financial year, there has been an increase of about £200,000 over the first four months of 1911-12, but none of the increases r.5.1l for remark. This is the first of lh'se interim revenue statements that Mn. Allen has made, and although he is not responsible for the working they represent, \yc feel bound to reiteiaco the complaint we always used to make when revenue statements weivmade by past Ministers for Finance. That is to say, we hold as strongly as ever we did that it is the duty of the Minister for Finance, when he finds occasion to declare Hie ravi-nv.c for any period, to. declare tliii <xpenditure also. In the present instance, of course, Mn. Allen-has only been three weeks in office and has been engaged in the arduous work of preparing his Budget and settling down to his new post, and he has obviously given the public the liaiuvs supplied to him by his official*! It is to be hopcd,t-hat he -vill issue instruction's to those offiei-ils that the day for keeping the expenditure figures dark as long as j> issible has gone by. Mere revenue returns are misleading: it was by flourishing them before the public that the late Government managed for so long to keep the public from realising the enormous growth of expenditure. The Reform party in the country looks confidently to the new Minister for Finance for better things. In the meantime it is satisfactory to know that the work of financial reform will not be hampered by a revenue depression,