AN OCCASION FOR PLAIN SPEAKING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1883, 17 October 1913, Page 6

AN OCCASION FOR PLAIN SPEAKING.

The Leader of the Opposition appears to have not only lost control of his party but to have allowed his own temper to get out of hand. In the House of Representatives 1 on Wednesday afternoon when his attempts to score an unmerited personal advantage over the question of remedying the evil of a certain dangerous class of tram-car was frustrated and tho credit transferred to tho member for Christchurch East, who really deserved it, he gave vent to his chagrin in a speech which was pitiable in its pettiness. Again yesterday he indulged in an outburst in tho course of which ho attributed the meanest possible motives to his opponents, and without the slightest ground for so doing, suggested collusion between a private member and Ministers in order to attack a son of tho lata .Mr. Seddon. His baseless allegations met with a prompt and empliatic contradiction, and the only effect his ill-conceived attempt to .excuse his own actions by casting aspersions on his opponents is likely to liavo is to attract public attention more closely to tho facts of tho matter under discussion. What are those facts? During the time that Sin Joseph Ward was Prime Minister several offioers of the Now Zealand Defence Forces were sent to England at tho taxpayers' expense, to undergo military training. The purpose in 'sending tho officers at tho country's cost was to Eecure for the people of New Zealand the advantage of tho-experience they would gain in England and which it was expected would prove of valuo when the officers returned to their duties in tho Dominion. Amongst the number so favoured was Captain Seddon, who happened to be a son of the late Prime Minister. It is nob suggested that he was selected to mako the trip because of his relationship to. Sir Joseph Warp's late political leader; and no one so far as wo know raised the question of the relationship until Sir Joseph Ward himself did so yesterday. Captain Seddon went to England at the country's expense. Ho stayed there at the country s expense for something wo believe over two years. He returned to New Zealand at the country's expense and on arrival here received a responsible position as an area officer. And within a few weeks of his return he resigned his position under tho Defence Department, and the money spent by tho country in sending him to England and putting him _ through a, course of military training there is absolutely thrown away so far as the taxpayers of New Zealand are' concerned. Is it surprising in these circumstances that members of Parliament should ask questions in tho House of Representatives and want to know how it came about that such a state of things could be permitted'! The Leader of tho Opposition with I simulated indignation _ asked whether the officer in question was to be the subject of attack merely because his namo was Seddon. We do not know whether Sir Joseph Ward really meant to suggest that that was tho only reason for the questions asked or whether he meant that anyone of the particular namo stated should be beyond criticism. But whatever may nave been in his .mind he is making a very grave error if ho thinks any bluster of that Kind is going to stifle criticism or blind tho public to tlie wrong that has been done. So far as Captain Seddon is concerned, he apparently, owing to the carelessness of the Defence authorities in 1911, was within his legal rights in declining to servo in New. Zealand after his return from England. Whatever moral obligation may have existed which might havo been expected to render him desirous, of making return to the people of the Dominion for the money spent in sending him abroad and keeping him there for training and experience, he does not appear to have been called on to enter into any legal bond. In somo cases since his departure for England a legal agreement has been insisted on with other officers who have been sent there, but there has been slackness over the matter even since regulations on tho subject were passed. Wo had no intention of referriae to Captain Seddon'b conduct.

until the full particulars sought for by Mr. Scott, in his motion printed elsewhere, were forthcoming. But the behaviour of tho Leader of the Opposition, which was plainly designed to stifle criticism, could not be passed over. The matter is one which calls for plain speaking, nnd it will get it.