NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2188, 29 June 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

T.ju pßijifi MiNisTuit is st> notoriOHEty good-itatiirecl thnt lii} is r>o;i•Starstiy .pei'iHittiag h.ig oppomjftts an a-motuit of iatiinds in the matter of IMisiivg quest-ioHs without noiicc thai, cftcroaches seriqlisiy oft tlife ordiaary Inisifiess of the Hoirea of Jl&pMienb'itwes. The Standing Orders of the' -Housi! afford ysify wido scope for liberty ol $peec-li and for th© putting of questions- to J! inisiers, bui- Mit. Masse 1 ); is evoir,rowdy fe> o,'l|:ow 4 still Wider •opportunity to his oppriKnis. esperia'iy in the direction of answer-.

liig <|Hesi.kms wiihou'., notice, To. :j | eerfciijyi esteni this is a proper a.nd [ sometimes. a necessary thing to iio, but last session, and already this scssioiij tbe privily has been greatly febuied, Sift .TosM'ir Ward is ft. c,.mstiUit offcn rl..'v in this re?pcct ; He asks the most trivial <ia4 unimpe-vt-aut questions tinder t.lics j>ref«xfi that they are matters of urgency, <md tho Pit:-ME MiniS'l® aktcst invariably answers (hen:, instead of tolling tireLader of the Opposition to put them oft the Order i'a-pfir in the vrrtinnry way.. Tin' result is freqiWJitly a quite viitnecessiu'y ctiscmim a:)ci Waste of time.' This hfsiiprviod, for uvst&jw, on Friday last, ivheti Bin Josfti'ir W~,\m treat";! as a watte? of urgency his' J relating to the amendment of the I Bfai'tdini; Owlet's dealing with tho | powers ojE the Speaker and the Chairman of o'.nu>:i.iti/>es ia testristing tfpbafcs. In the ordinary course of events this woitld have bee.ii answered on Weiine.sii.ay next, but Sir Joseph Ward pfegsed fw an answer -and got it, in wry oinphalic tenijs. The waste of time' was quite TimißcCssrtst'y, and nothing was gaisod bj" the disonsiioii which took place, No (ion rat Mr. MassEy's roadinwq to sa.p.p!y information at ail times fervos a ireef'rel purpose from the ]wrty standpoint, far it affords a. striking oorirr.st is (he setretiw suiithcjds of the \VakS> (jovemmont; (>«£ it can hp: carried to eseflss< By all means let th?. Government continue to supply'tlic fullest informafcien possible, but the .information sluitiM be for'ljr':ifee- ipfeper. ■maimer,' ■ Mul through tlie- regular channels -<oa Question Bay.

It would be a pity' to keep from Biellrbei'S of tiie Howse af : . tives aa aiiinsiiig instance of ibe fflahnei' in. : wiiitii an. csteemc! fol-' iower of Stii Joskpii Wakd lias been "putting his- foot in it'' in his endeavour t.O Store a jnsiiHt. against tho : U<i\ormnont. The ge.iitlei)ii'.n in question, Ml;, VliiO'R liliowx, althiaygh lie cannot by any sfrrtcli' in!aL;iiiatio!.i hi ro,i;arded as k: ; piowtiicnt figure vn Parliament, is sojatiUiing of_a Pooit B.ui in Ka.pier, w-'hei'te lie is Jlayor, and ail sorts of, other tilings. , .A {'mv d".ys. ago,, ae- ■ cording io. Trih true,' 'a : .niCJiibor of the S"ft:pifer JsM'Sugl'i (Joan* cii, wishing fee seeur./ for the workers' of Napier tlie of the Act of last session, passed by the :u,\&s!:v Oovcimheui giving ceitain poweis .to p.iunicip.jlitiw to erect -workerß' dwellings, mcsed that tho nceossaiy 'Steps, bo takeii in .this direction. It iiißst have hscij an inspiring; sight: to witness the hoiii:st seorn- with whie.'i Mii. Vigor Brows aimihikiterl tlie . proposal to pcviilit the. people of In apier to ]irotlt. by .a law pnssod by . tip detested party which tad ejected his. friends irom orate. The Act he. ; regarded as mvd than ■ useless..' ; UiiCier it, In- said,, the worker had to , pay Seven psr ccnt. out of every £too for tiie liioney borrowed, and they wnid do better than thai; with tho Intildmi; yccieties. The thought, of paying this extortionate rate of in- : tcrest s-hocked his seiisiTiVe, natufe. . "It would be a shame,''' ho, ui'ged, . "to a-sk the ft'ttrke.r - to gn these t-i'.rms," and he pathetically . asked why the ■■.OeVerfiiViciit winch . bof-rowed man# -4t -3.J pea* cont. couiel not lend at -l p.er cent. The. X'anicr Tnlc'jr.tf'h, which, as we have had occasion to remark before, is a ■ gre-ato.i- terror to its frkn-ds than to . those it opposes, and whieh is us.tt- . ally an echo pf Mk, Bito'.vji, t«ok uji ■ the story and eiabt.rated it. Herd ■ was this wretched -Jlassky Gswra- ; meet charging tho work(!r 7 per cent. v-'hile the bensficc-iit Govern- ' tefent ekavged only <t| per cent.,; and '■ a lot nu/re in the same style. Tlife joke of the thing ■is. that! the Aoi not ■ tS'iiiy does not T -per cent, i.ii- ■ terest as. alleged (it, is 5 per ceu't. in- ■ terest and 2- per cent, for repayment ;of capi.t.'.!.!), but ir, is exactly the same rate as that charged under Si it . Joskt.u WAim's own Act o-f 'yilO, Tho sch-.iuuies and car.diiio.n.s of payment in die Warp Ait of 1910 are idvri.icallj'. the $aniß as under Ihe. extonded Act of Mij: Vresit-pa-thetie protests, and title ■ K;ipie;- Trkyrfiph .> jierfervid 4snnnciations thoreforo fall upon the, ■cteveted head of the gentloniao tli'oy so amnire au.d .siipport—tiicir wiard of iinance and frk\nu of tlife worker, Sift ,J(V;Ei'il Wa.ru. He it was who fixed the rate which, in the ■words of Ma. fi'lMJWSfj' '''it was ashame to ask the worker'" to. pay.

To #«e _ Svilq lias handled so .ma.q.y millions ii? his time, the little error of t.v/o millions made by ■Sir Joseph WWb ia quoting Admiral Hen-dek-.son's icpoit may perhaps appoor as a me re trifle. Bui the Leader of the Opposition was sr. illy of an error of judgment when iic set out to defend iiis aii,stake. The tacts ave. all on record, arid there is no denying his inaecuraev. In order to create the impression that New Zealand proposed to enter frfi a eosll.v naval polk'y, i'lw Losid«t.ttf > he o)vj'jos-itioi! quoted Ajaiiru. Hi:x!)Eit?ax's report 0;s the Australian Navy scheme. and inadvertently, no ciouht, counted one sot of figures twice, tlnis making the total two millions dealer than slated In i'-.e Ad'jural Thi-re. E.i > : ; l.u> no daul'f of vhk. Sin josare Ware's figures aiie on., rce'or.d i.s\ t!ansa?<L niui Ar.'.vn«Ai, HF.y oEirsox's figMes «r • in the Atisliriiliau official yeec'-iU. and anyone who oai> reod' is aUe to compare tJicm for himself. ■ The poi-tt- is only important teca'trse it is a furtij.e!' evnieiiee of the '.cose inanner in wi'.iut iho Ojipciiiuii deal «iih iii'.purt in.i ']!:;'<tio;iJ. TLey jm;: iHakiiitf iiiistaki's, and sethave -tl.it> candour to ucknow ledgc-i their error:. pß=fe.rr.iii{!>. ia-' Stc.nl, to emtewjur to eunfiis.' the , Ti: fa liufc ;i ivistj prueednre : An ,:iTor ackiiewlodgffd is -'.von for •gotleii; isn error pcfsfefed jit aiTonU: dPßWfcWte for cijastaa.fc .swcliflK b£

one's o-]3pimcf.i.'t-s. ,So it-is. in this ia.ia ih-.it the Mifiistor of Finance was able to gl(:et:ill.y itif-orw ti.v: Leader of tin- that in; "had Imp !)it l.ofttii..." iin.j doapito his protestations to t : lw srantvaty, no om cisitld donbt ihat Sip, Jos'Brt IVa.BS felt that l:e w;is in iwt jilnoo, uiui did not like it a little -bit