The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1912. THE DEBATE—AND AFTER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1528, 26 August 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1912. THE DEBATE—AND AFTER.

1) Tjie Financial Debate which closed m Friday evening last probably contitutcs a record, in one respect at east. Despite tho fact that it exended over a fortnight there was an dmost entire absence of effective hosile criticism of the Budget proposals if the Government. This is quite renarkable. Moreover, an amendment stacking one of the most important >la,nks in the platform of the Reorm party was annihilated by the verwhelming majority of 52 votes to 4. It would perhaps be unkind to uggest that the Opposition is not apable of more effective work than I has displayed in the role of critic f the Budget, but it certainly is very isappointing to find the party so eak and disorganised. We have very confidence that the Massey linistry is fully determined to irry_ out its platform pledges, and lat it can be trusted not to lag on re way, but a reasonably strong Oposition in the House of Bepresentaves is an excellent spur even to the ?st of Governments. It must be lain to everyone that the Opposition m never be very effective so long as leadcrless. For one ling the fact that it possesses no fader immediately suggests that it as no ono capable of leading it; or t least no ono that the party lias iflicient confidence in to entrust ith tho_ qllice. It also gives rise to ie suspicion that the party is torn ith internal dissension and'personal jalousies, When the Holiec is called

Rtf S i!°\ o» lb >u'sts as tin by Mn. 11 M Kexzif, on Mr and still more recentli the bitter onslaught by Mr.. Q. W Kiissiiu. on Mu. It. Jl'Kexzie, om 'ifnir'th/ wondor Y vl i ,at goes on be unci the sccncs. And when a mem ber of tho_ party, without consultinc anvono, vises and moves an amend ment on so important an occasion a' the lMnancial Debate and carries con' Siein.ition into the ranks of hi' shows J thr l W !T Still, splits ;t nnj snows the differences of opinion which exist on one of the villi >mi icy issues of the moment, it i s 110 f snrpnsing if outsiders wonder who *1 i !V iy rcl } l ' J ond now exists fr nold the anti.Reformcrs together at Sir JosEru Waud, { or reasons best and wL f i lc '?^ rshl P °f the party, neither he moro si B"ificant Xif r ,flls successor as Minister of Finance, Mn. Myers wi know .LK'itl;" liStfe ~S ttatM/V'ivr the °PP° sitio »- Now , "wo mn. l, Mackenzie has left tlw °" ni 7, and.Sir Joseph Wm'd has Vethat Mr° M lCe ' ifc wou , ld bB tho «gbt man «f m, M a? BB ' as tho one strong t Ma °keszie Government hin n V takc lead?;: certai° i &C The™ „f, >''J seems no one else to call -fle position, unless it is Mr WilJ.ORD, who made some effort to criticise the Budget,, but he, like the lest of his party ,iust now, does not appear at all inclined to take up a strenuous role. With the Budget debate out of the way the Houie can settle down to the real business of tho session in earnest and possibly the Opposition may then show a little more spirit and maybe also more unity. Probably Mr. Massby will deem it expedient to get the Estimates out of the way before embarking on the more important of the Government s legislative proposals. Seeing that the greater part of the Estimates are a legacy from the Mackenzie Government, the anti-Reform-ers _ will require to move warily in their criticism and it is quite possible that supporters of the Government will be found to be more inquisitive concerning the proposed votes lor expenditure than will bo the Onposition. In any case the Estimates should not occupy as. much of the time ot the House as usual, and there is a good prospect of several of the more important of the Reform mcas- ' nres finding a place on tho Statute < iiook this session, despite the fact 1 that the new Government is handicapped by the circumstance that it came into office while Parliament was 1 sitting and that it in consequonco lias had very little time in which to • put its proposals into legislative : form. j