NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1582, 28 October 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It was only to be expected that there would be a good deal of talk over the Government's land proposals. The Reform party has made the land question so important a plank .in its platform that the Opposition could hardly avoid treating the Bill v r»i has now practically passed the House of Representatives as a matter • of great moment. The criticism directed at the measure, however, was in most respects very ineffective. Probably this was due in part to the fact that the Opposition is divided amongst itself on the question of land policy, and so is unable to present a united front to its opponents, and also to the further fact that it felt that it was engaged on a hopeless and somewhat unpopular task. A great deal of time was wasted in quite useless talk. It is quite proper, of course, that members should express their opinions freely and fully, but after reasonable objection has been entered to any proposal to which exception is taken it is useless and absurd for the same members to get up and say the same things over and over again. They influence no one, and they merely cause themselves and their fellow-members inconvenience by necessitating unduly long sittings of the House. The Government, we should imagine, is well satisfied with the Bill as it has emerged from Committee. It has been much improved since it was first.,intrpduced, the additions and amendments made by the Minister extending its scope and making clearer a number of its provisions. How it will fare at the hands of the Legislative Council remains to be seen. We are inclined to the view that the bulk of opinion in the Upper House will be favourably inclined towards it, although the leasehold element there may be expected to offer objection to the freehold provisions. The substantial majority behind the Bill in the House of Representatives, however, should discourage the idea of any factious opposition.

The discussion in the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon on the question of "leakages" of information from public Departments touches a matter of some importance. It is, indeed, a good thing thit the question was raised, because the situation in our politics at the present time is, in one respect, somewhat peculiar. There are in the House at the moment three separate sets of men, who are now, or have been, within the past few months Cabinet Ministers. All of those men necessarily have recently been in close daily touch with heads of Departments under them, and have acquired certain information of a private or semi-private nature relating to matters connected with tho Departments. They also have exercised authority over Departmental officers, and in some cases perhaps established personal relations. There is always a risk in such circumstances of Departmental officers or ex-Ministers. fresh fromoffice being indiscreet enough to imagine that their old relationship entitles them to discuss Departmental matters together on something, like their old footing. It is also conceivable that a Departmental officer might consider himself,. justified in supplying a recently-retired ex-Min-ister with Departmental information which he would not be inclined to supply to an ordinary member of the House. We do not know that such a thing has been done, and we should imagine that if it were done it would probably be the outcome of'thoughtlessness, more than anything else. But the discussion which took,place in the House on Friday will leave no room for excuse in the future should anything of the kind occur. Mr. Laurenson's explanation of the particular matter he was concerned in was reasonable enough so ,far as the documents which lie obtained were concerned. There is no reason that we can see why those documents should not have been made public. The incident, however, should servca useful Surposc in acting as a reminder tj 'epartmental officers of the care they are expected to exercise, in observing the obligations which their office imposes.

, Those members, who expected to get away to their homes at the end of the present week are pretty certain to bo disappointed. Tlio talkativeness of Opposition members during the week just ended has resulted in there being very little work done during that time,- and it seems unlikely as things are shaping that there will be any improvement during the next few days. If tho tactics which are being pursued by the Opposition are meant to force the Government to abandon any of the proposals which the Pnmi) MiNMSTEU lias announced his intention of proceeding with, wo suspect the anti-Reformers are misjudging the situation. They are not likely to serve their purpose. Probably there 'would be less talk if there were not so many aspirants to leadership in the Opposition ranks. If one speaks, all feel hound to follow suit or sink out of In tho end it win surprise no one if these over-talkative mem-

bcrs are left lamenting. It would really bo a relief to everyone to have a Leader of the Opposition appointed from amongst one of the very few members on that side of the House who have not of late been talking for talking's sake.