NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2322, 2 December 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Some of the notions which are at present being propounded by Wardlst advocates are really too good to be ( wasted in the commonplaco at-' mosphere of an election They should rather ,find a place in the growing literature which deals in humorous departures from the normal in politics! Consider, for example, the plaint of a northern journal which solemnly tho Government to. task for claiming credit for doing-things which other people had proposed to do, but had not-done. "Another even ; less ingenious (possibly.it meant ingenuous) subterfuge employed by the Reformers," it remarked, "is to carry into practice suggestions already put forward by the Liberals, and boast of the achievements as their own." As examples of the operation of this unscrupulous spirit of appropriation, wo are told- that Mr. Myers, when Minister of Finance, proposed to raiso the rate of interest upon Post Office Savings Bank deposits, and that the Massey Govern•ment raised it; that Mr. Myers arranged to increase the wages of railway employees, and that the Massey Government increased them; that the "Liberal" Government proposed to import ,a General Manager, of Railways, and that the Massey Government imported one. It is one of the peculiarities of many of the Wa'rdist supporters that they are unable to see that'the very things for which they find fault with Reform are the things which the public support it for. The"Wardists are always promising ,to, do things; the Reformers do them. 'That is one of the most striking of the differences between the two parties.

To-day is prompt day for the Wellington woolbrokefs, and -Friday will, be prompt day for the Napier brokers. Prompt day means a good deal, not alone to those interested in wool, but also to the_ general community. Prompt day. it may be explained, is a technical term, used in connection' with wool sales, and denotes pay day. The Wellington wooli sales were held on November 18, and the buyers at that sale were,'in accordance, with custom, allowed fourteen days in' which to take delivery of their purchases. Prompt day is invariably noted on the catalogue, and ,'to-day is pay day for those who bought wool at the Wellington sale. During this week the woolbrokers in Wellington and Napier will be paying clients for about 49,000 bales of wool: The average price per bale is placed at £16, so that this week the brokers in the two places named will be paying out somewhere in the neighbourhood of £780,000. In addition to this there have been numerous private sales in the WellingtonHawlke's Bay districts, estimated at 20,000 bales—payment for which is now being made. Taken together) it will be seen that in the districts named over £1,000,000 is being distributed, and this cannot fail to have a stimulating effect on; local trade. There will be settlements with merchants and retailers and otherß, and the circulation of tho money will benefit the whole community. Notwithstanding an unfavourable spring, the farmers are doing well, and when the farmers are prospering the people as a whole are cotter ofL Trade during tho current mcmth should be well up to the average, and tho holiday expenditure will probably bo ■as large as in any previous year.

A Press _ Association message from Hokitika, which we published yesterday, stated that in response to an inquiry by Mr. T. E."Y. Seddon, as to whether he was defending tho Government over the ' Huntly disaster, Mr. R. M'Kenzie replied: "Condemning tho Government and holding them responsible for tho Huntly accident at all my meetings. No truth in rumour you refer to. (Signed), Roderick M'Kenzie, Wakefield." TKe only conclusion to be drawn from-this message is that the Hon.. R. M'Kenzie .is being so hard pressed in his election campaign that ho has found it necessary to somersault on this subject in an endeavour to "find material, however unworthy, with which to smite the Government. When tho subject of the Huntly disaster was discussed in the Houso of Representatives, during the debate upon the Coal-Mines • Amendment Bill, Mr. M'Kenzie'.was, the only' nienibor of tho Opposition honest enough to admit that the Government was not to blame in the matter of this Bill. The following extract fvpm' Hansard will show this clearly-enough. Prime Minister, 'speaking in" 1 tho debate, said: "Both tho last honourable gentlemen have endeavoured to show that if tho Bill which is now boforo Parliament hud been passed into law last session, or in tho previous session, this catastrophe would havo been averted." . . ' Tho Hon. Jlr. M'JCcnzio: It would not havo made a bit of difference." ' • Tho Right Hon. Air. Masse?: 1 agreo with tho honourable member for Motueka. There is an honoat statement coming from

a member on the Opposition side of the House, and the only man who knows anything .about tho subject. He says ii would not havo niado a bit of difference I call him as my first witness." In the speech which Mil. M'Kenzie subsequently made in the same ■ debate- there was nothing inconsistent with his interjection. But Me. . M'Kenzie then thought he would 1 have an easy win for tho Mqtuekaseat. Now advices from the district make it clear that tho Reform candidate, Mr. ' Hudson, has every, prospect of heading the poll. Hence, perhaps, Mr. M'Kenzie s change of' attitude.

In their anxiety to fashion a presentable case, some of the Wardist newspapers are picturing the party,, candidates in such a heroic light' that, to use a homely phrase, their: own mothers would not know them.i The result very often is a diverting caricature, the humour of which, unfortunately, is partly lost .upon people who havo not had an opportunity of comparing the original with the highly-coloured car-toon. The other day, for example, one of these journals, in reporting a speech by the staid retiring member for theBay of Plenty (Mr. W. D. S. Mac-! had the cruelty to head,-it; "Fighting Mac," and to talk of it' as 'x)ne of his characteristic fighting' speeches." Such on application of the nickname which a dour Scottish soldier earned on the field of battle is a gem of satire only to be fully appreciated by those who have heard Mr. Mac Donald prosing through one of his "characteristic fighting speeches" in the House of Representatives. Those who have not nad the privilego must be content to know that Mr. Mao Donald's "fighti ing speeches" are of the kind that assist his adversaries to slumber.