UNHAPPY PROPHETS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2210, 24 July 1914, Page 6

UNHAPPY PROPHETS

, Now that some of the weird forecasts of, Wardist controversialists are being, put to'the test,' there is a very marked tendency, on the part of the Opposition speakers to change' their ground arid seek' for some new lino, of attack. An illustration of this was provided by Mr. Isitt during the debate on the Imprest Supply Bill in the House of Representatives _ yesterday • afternoon. Speaking in his most sarcastic style, the amusing representative from Ohristchurch North accused Ministers of claiming that the good harvests and the general prosperity of the country wore duo to the advent of the Reform Government to office. This, delightful old chestnut was designed to distract attention from what Ministers actually do, and can, ■ with ■ some, justice,, "claim to havo achieved. Mr. , Ism, of course, knows perfectly well that the Government has never claimed that it can control the seasons or. the market prices of- the world; but he knows also that unless ho can draw a red herring across the track' the Government will bo given proper credit for the share it has had in promoting the prosperity of the country. He knows that the feeling of confidence engendered by a firm and just administration, combined with tho promotion of land settlement, agricultural education, and the provision of better facilities for getting produce to the best markets, are all real_ factors in commercial and industrial progress. Mr. Isitt's ridiculous travesty of this perfectly legitimate contention ' was presumably intended ■ to divert attention from the fact that when the Reform Government came into office his own party filled the air' with lamentations and forebodings of the coming of evil days, drawing woeful pictures of unexampled trade depression arid industrial stagnation. It was indeed the An-ti-Reform groups who tried to make the electors believe that the country owed its prosperity to the wisdom and beneficence of the Ministers who held office in the days when Wardism was in power by declaring that a change of. Administration would put a serious check on the progress of the Dominion. Now Mr. Isitt and his friends find themselves confronted with the fact that the sun has continued to rise and sot, 'just as if no-thing-had happened; commerce has not waned, nor has- the soup-kitchen made its appearance. All the gloomy predictions of the reactionaries have been completely exploded by the testimony of ( plain facts. On the other hand the Reform Party is in the happy position of being able to point to the fact that the Publio bervicc has been placed on a better footing both from the view of the employees and the public; wages have been increased; the lot of tho policcman and that of railway employees have been improved; the farming interests have been assisted in various ways, including tho appointirient of a Board of lixperts to specially advise on tho best methods of promoting the success of those engaged in the industry; much-needed reforms are being made in our education system, a;nd when the Education Bill becomes law the teachers will be bettor off than ever before. In addition to all this the old age pensions scheme has been improved, and extended, and there arc many other reforms under way. Tho energetic gentlemen in tho ranks of the Opposition must find it a little difficult to shut their eyes to the abounding evidence of the progressiveness of the Government, about which-they had such gloomy forebodings. They wore never tired of declaring that the new Government was secretly hostile to such Departments; as tho

Public Trust Office and State Fire Insurance, and it was confidently asserted that they would languish under the new regime. And these same unhappy prophets are now face to 'face with the disquieting fact that the Public Trust Office instead of languishing has had a record year; and that tho report of the Fire Insurance Office, has also revealed a most satisfactory state of affairs. The collapse of these Wardist prophecies when examined in tho light of actual facts is so complete that it is not surprising that the Opposition should fart to a,ppear to advantage when seeking ways and means to escape from the embarrassing position in which they have placed themselves. ■.