"A WILL MOST RANK."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1830, 16 August 1913, Page 4

"A WILL MOST RANK."

The gloom which appears to have again descended upon tho Opposition lifted for a brief space last evening when the member for Avon entertained the House for a full hour with a lively attack on the Government. Mr. Russell, it appears from an explanation which he evidently felt called upon to make, has beon enjoying a respite from tho arduous duties of Loader No, 1 to the

Opposition factions, by attending the races at Christchurch, and assisting to lay the Ziundation-stone of a new Sunday School in his electorate. Thoso who imagined that he had absented himself during the opening stages of tho Debate in a huff on account of the member for the Bay of Plenty being chosen to lead off for tho party will no doubt realise now that his very important engagements in the south fully warranted his absence. In any case, he returned in excellent spirits, and his speech last evening was in his best form. A number of the points ho made were very good on,es from tho party point of view, but his assurance and fluency, and an occasional turn of humour were the most important factors in enabling him to make a quite creditablo appearance of effective criticism. In the course of his speech he provided the House with some amusement by applying to individual members of the Cabinet certain quotations from Shakespeare which ho considered appropriate. Possibly in the course_ of his searchings of the pages of his Shakespeare he came across a report of lago:'

"One may smell in this a will most rank," and wc would suggest for his consideration whether it does not excellently express the spirit underlying his own speech, and the general attitude of his party as political critics. The Government—every Government —is open to criticism._ Tho perfect Government was not discovered even when for something OTer ten minutes Mr. Russell himself .graced the Treasury benches as a member of the makeshift Mackenzie Ministry. But unfortunately the spirit underlying the criticism of the present Opposition is a mean and petty one; and in consequence tho attacks made on the Government, too frequently take the form of attempting to poison the public mind by suggestion and innuendo, rather than by straightforward discussion of.facts and policy.

Only "a will most rank," in the political sense of course, could suggest, as Mr. Russell did last evening, that because the amount estimated as liikely to be required for old age pensions was not expended last year, that the Government had "saved" the money at the expense of the old age pensioners or old people entitled to it. Nothing more absurd 01; unjust could possibly bo suggested. Tho Estimates are framed to meet the expected demand under the law, and if the demand is less than was anticipated, no ono is tho worse off, and the country as a whole is so much to the good. In the - same way Mr. Russell dragged in the provision for widows' pensions. The estimate of the demand which would be made for these pensions was £40,000; whilo the actual amount claimed by widows under the Act was £22,108. The Government were no more responsible for the full amount not being expended than was Mr. Russell himself, and Me. Russell knows it quite welL Yet to suit the game of party politics as played by him and his friends, he quoted the figures in such a manner _as to convey the impression to tho ignorant and unthinking that the Government had held back in some way this money whioh have been expended on widows' pensions. This, of courso, is the member for Avon's ■ idea of fair fighting in party politics. He is not content to confine his efforts to straightforward critiism on plain questions of fact, but must fall back on innuendo and suggestion. In the courso of his remarks he charged The Dominion with suppressing explanatory comments in publishing certain of th'e Budget tables, although he admitted that in the body of_ the article the explanation was given. He was wrong, as he so frequently is when he ventures to make a direct assertion., Not only was the explanation given correctly in the body of tho artiole, but the tables were given with the deduction mentioned in the explanatory note in the Budget. Again, he had the audacity to assert that because of tho action of tho Minister of Finance New Zealand 31 per cents, wero not now quoted on the London market, but only the 4 per cents. We have before us the Financial Times, one of the leading London financial papers, of July 6, the latest isauo to hand, and New Zealand 3i per cents, are published in its list of stock quotations. So also in the London Times, this latest Financial Supplement to hand, that of July 3, quotes both our 4 per cents, and our 3| per cent stock. The Economist, Westminster Gazette,i Morning Post, and other leading papers which we file all quote New Zealand 3j and 3 per cent, as well as the 4 per cent, stock. These are amongst the glaring instances of the recklessness of the member for Avon. When he descends from mere rhetoric and insinuation to plain, sober fact, tho_ weakness of his oriticism is easily exposed. The Minister of Finance, who followed Me. Russell, dealt very effectively with most of the more important financial criticism essayed by that gentleman. Mr. Allen was not at his best oratorically, owing perhaps to it being necessary for him to quote a great many figures; but his, matter was very convincing. After all, the best answer to tho criticisrn of the Opposition just now is their forced admission of the prosperity whioh prevails, despite all their gloomy prophecies of the terrible things that would happen when the Reform party came into office. , That fact, coupled with the remarkable improvement in the finances of the country on June 30 last as compared with June 30, 1912, is tho completest possible justification of the methods and policy of the Massey Government.