NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1518, 14 August 1912, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Opposition clocs not appear to be entering on its task of criticising the Massey Government's Budget proposals with any great enthusiasm. ■At an early stage yesterday the debate looked very much like collapsing until Mr. G. M. Thomson came to the rescue and, following after a member on his own side of the House, delivered a very admirablo. speech—one,, indeed, very much above the standard of speeches usually heard in the New Zealand Parliament.' Curiously enough, all the speakers yesterday acquitted thcnn selves with credit—even Mr. Laurenson devoted less of his 'time than usual to making himself unpleasant and showed that he has some skill in debate apart from abuse. It is very significant that members of the Opposition are disinclined to attempt any really serious • criticism of the Budget. No doubt they are unfortunately situated in having' to acknowledge that in most respects the proposals, of the Government are deserving of support, because when they do this there is little or nothing left to criticise. The Government has not been_ long enough in office to have laid itself open to criticism qn its administrative actions, and the unhappy occupants of the Opposition benches in consequence find themselves forced to remain silent or to admit that if the Massey Ministry carries out its professions to work for the good of the country, it will have their support. We cannot recall, any occasion on which an Opposition party in New Zealand has found so little to say in condemnation of the policy and actions of the party in office. It would be a good thing, in the circumstances, if the debate were to be allowed to collapse.

Some of the opponents of the Reform Government appear to be experiencing great difheulty in understanding the duty of the Government. Even before Mr. Fisher made his telling speech on Friday night they were complaining that Mn. Massey and his colleagues were displaying "a want of generosity" towards "a beaten enemy," and they are still protesting, going as near as possible, indeed, towards appealing to the Government to let bygones be bygones. One of our contemporaries complains that the Reform party still criticises tho late Administration as it criticised 'it prior to the elections. No doubt some of the opponents of Reform arc honestly puzzled that the friends of Reform should still think what they have been thinking for some years past. These, however, may be left in the darkness cvf their notion that politics and government are composed solely of trickery and tactics. It appears to be necessary, however, to point out that it is an absurd misconception of the 'status and functions of a Government that inspires the appeals of the anti-Reform organs foi; "generosity to a beaten foe" and all the rest of it. It is based on the fallacy which led so many people in the past to praise the personal generosity of Ministers when they granted public money for any purpose. A Government has no right to be "generous": it,has 110 duty to anybody or anything but the nation. Its one obligation is to be just, ill the widest sense of the term. Generosity to the Opposition, carried to the point of leaving cured the evils created by tho Opposition when it was in power, and of leaving unmentioned the old misdeeds and offences against the nation's interests, would simply be treason against the nation. Politics is not a sporting contest between two rival teams of political gentlemeu, who_ need take account of'nobody outside their arena.

The State Coal Mines Department came in for some outspoken criticism from Mr. G. M. Thomson during the Finuucial debftte in the House of Hoprescntalivcs yestorday. For years past the suspicion has existed that, this Department has been bolstered up in various ways in order to make it appear that, the State Coal Mines experiment had turned out a success. Instead of the Department being debited with all the costs and charges which a private coal mining company would bo charged witli, some of the charges are oniitted. It is also alleged that certain of' the State Departments have been overcharged for their coal supplies from the State Mine in order either to compensate for the lower prices charged to the public, or to make (lie accounts of the Coal Mines Department present as attractive an appearance as possible. Mi:. Thomson's analysis of the position of the Department is worth perusal as showing the manner in which a State Trading Conncrn is handled, aurl tho misleading imprcssiou wbicli ]

can be conveyed to the public as to tlii' supposedly successful working of such a concern. •

Ql'itf. unconsciously several members of the Opposition yesterday revealed something of their true feeling regarding tin; outlook for their party in the country. They have been talking a good deal about the country being with tlioin; and of their eagerness to appeal to the electors, and all the rest of it; but- they gave themselves away completely when Mi!. E. Newman Referred to the- generosity of the lleform Government in appointing an opponent, Mi:, f. Mackenzie, to the. oflice. of High Commissioner. This statement immediately provoked a fusillade of interjections from the Opposition benches, the. suggestion behind which was that the Government had made the appointment in order to win the Egmont seat. Possibly this is really the opinion of the Opposition; but is not the opportunity thus afforded them what the. anti-Keform party has been clamouring for—an opportunity to test the feeling of the country I The Opposition at present hold the seat, and here is the chance to nrove their boasts that the people will rush to their support. Of course they know well enough that there was really nothing behind their professed readiness to face the electors, but they are playing the game badly. They might at least have hidden their chagrin at having their bluff called, and'at being forced to face an election. They mighValso have shown a little consideration for their late leader's feelings and spared him tho unpleasantness of their suggestion that it was not his fitness for the office that gained him the appointment.