NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 28 April 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is a good sign that the farming community is recognising that it must organise if it is to bo in a position to protect g its - interests against the . aggressive forces of Socialism aad Syndicalism. In his speech at the annuel meeting of the.' Mastcrton branch of the Farmers 1 ; Union on .Saturday la-si the Presk dent, Mr. Uvw Mobkison, noted with satisfaction the increased men** ber-ahip of tho Union, and very properly emphasised the necessity for combination, As ho pointed out, the majority of the fawners are -quite in sympathy with tho working man. Most of thorn know & -good deal more about hard work, than the noisy fellows -who eo glibly discourse en tho rights of labour, and so studiously avoid doing any useful labour themselves. But while- tie farmers, like the average- mitn in the towns, can sympathise- with the aspirations of the feasonaljlo section of labour unionists, they cannot shut their e-yes to the menace of tho Syndicalists and the Socialists. _ They have the facts of the late- strike to enable them to form a verv accurate estimate of what would _ happen to them and to peaceable citizen's generally should the time ever arise when there- was no organisation powerful' enough to stand between them and the reckless people who in the name of labour unionism sought to paralyse the wholo business of the conn* try "and ride- roughshod over law and order. In the cities and wherever it is possible to gather feftroits th(s forces of Syndicalism arid, Socialismare actively atwork creating unrest aiid strengthening their organisation with tho object of one day scouring the mastery of .the Dominion. Their efforts can only be met by eonnter-organisa-tion, an| tho farmers— small and big aUke-rrshould bestir themselves., . A. ?ot,iticm, crisis of a-n unusual char&ete,* has arisen in Tasmania, and it has given rise, te a good deal of discussion as to the duties and powers of a Governor in/gran-tine -or withholding a dissolution. When tho Liberal Ministry was recently defeated owing to one 0f its SUpporfccj-s voting with the Labour Opposition, Mu. BoLdMJSS, who was then £re* inier, asked for a dissolution., ■ The request was declined by the Governor {Sir W. Cf. ELU-sOK-MiewfrlNW), who sent for Ms. EAKI4, t-he of I the Opposition, and- announced that :he was' prepared to on trust Mr. E*rlib with the duty of forming, the Administration on tho following conditions :•*-> (1) That an immetiiats dieaoliitioa c>f PiiHiamont tako place. (2) That the ite#ly-elect«j Parliament ■shall ba summoned beforo ths end <>f May, {3) Tlwt in tho event of tho offics of tlio Atto™t!T-G«n.«i'iil »ot being filled hy (i fully qunrifiei lawyer in prtetics, the Governor Must reservo the tight; to rctiii« leg«l advicft whan he ponsidera it necessary from other sources. Sin FjusDfcftlcK Pollock, the eminent authority .on Constitutional Jaw, is of opinion that the Governor had no right to attach these-, conditions to '■ the formation of a. Ministry. It is quite, certain that His Excellency took a most unusual courso in first refusing Mr. Solomons a- dissolution aiid ihfl-n compelling the new Premier to go to the country. Mb. EaUK gave the required pledges under pretest, and, in doing go, pointed out that by insisting _ on the abovementioned conditions the- Governor li.ad raised questions of great Con*' stitutionnl importance, which concerned alt the self'gQVerniitg Doiainions. The gravity of the position ■was recognised by the- Tasma.nian Parliament, and there was only one dissentient to the resolution of protest, which His Exeolteucy was" re* quested to forward to the Kim. The Governor contends that it is his duty to consider the question of 3. dissolution solely with rwfcreaeo to the jjeriiral interests- of tho u/eoplo and not ffoia any patty standpQiat),

and that he is entitled to stipulate what conditions he may dcom essential for the 'promotion of the public JHtcresfa. Fm» tho .above facts, jt will he seen that* some far.r?a<sli : iitg considerations are involved in the Governor's action, and the outcome of fcha controversy will he awaited with much interest throughout tho Empire.

Events in Ulster arc moving more rabidly than mar toWa-rds a crisis, which would seem to ma-kc civil war well-nigh Inevitable. It is impossible to ignore the seriousness of the reported actions, of the Ulsterinca in connection with the landing of Arms and ftmHHHiition, from the steamer Fanny. It is hot merely that the law has been defied—fcfont- has been going ors for many weeks past—but in the present iflftancc organised force is alleged to have been vised to render futile the efforts of the guardians of the law. While there is not the least doubt that a great doal of sympathy will be, fett with the 'ingenious efforts of the Ulstermen to kick i-ho coastguards and the police, and while th& responsibility for the unhappy position reached must rest largely with the Abquith Governmerit, it is equally plain that tho<men defiance of the law, backed as it Js stated to have been by force, cannot be passed, over. Tho Government must act, and in such a manner #« to assert the supremacy of the- law. Borne of the leaoers in the recent exploit seem to he known, and it is the obvious duty of the Government to bring them to book. No doubt this has b.ftcii -anticipated by the Ulstcrincn concer-ncd, a nd they probably nm prepared to face the eonsequences of th.eiir actions. They should be callecLon to do this, What the oiitcomo may be is not pleasant to dwell on. It is just possible that the offenders might submit quietly to arrest and trial. On lihfe otaef ha.ml, an aggressive Movement by the Government, especially if it came in the form of a military more-'' merit, might act as a match to tinder and start a confiafr*tion which would devastate all Ireland.