The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1916. END OF THE DEBATE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2776, 20 May 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1916. END OF THE DEBATE

Members of the House of Representatives are to be complimented on their success in bringing the debato on the Addrcss-in-Reply to a close on the sixth.day. It is "a good record of .economy' in speech, and Parliament will do itself credit if the session is . carried right through in the same businesslike way. There was no waste of .words in the Governor's Speech, and the criticism which it evoked has been, on the whole, fair and reasonable. Membors have not refrained from speaking their minds quite freely, and bccasionally forcibly; but generally speaking they have shown a genuine desire to assist the Government'in doing the hard work and bearing the heavy responsibility which the war has placed upon its shoulders.. It was inevitable that the Dcfenco Department would receive a very full share of the attention of the critics—and it did._ It has made, mistakes; it has at times shown an irritating unwillingness_ to accept reasonable suggesit lias been slow to profit by experience. But it can also point to much .good work well done. On the whole the Department has stood tho test of the criticism to which it has been,subjected during tKe debate, and . has come through the ordeal very well. After making full allowance for all errors and omissions, the House was undoubtedly impressed by the all-important and unchallengeable fact that the country has, so far. kept all its engagements as regards-the-supply, of fighting "men, arid'the troops sent to the -fronf6'chii.v<i s ;'"i>ecn:-'-'*wcil-traincd; and well-equipped.- -They'have been:., a credit to New. Zealand, and to the Empire. The references made to this matter by tho Hon. G. W. Russell last night were straight to the point, cud his tribute to the untiring energy of the Minister of Defence evoked expressions "of approval from members. .

The debate disclosed the fact that a small section, of the House is out of sympathy' with the National Cabinet. These members seem to miss the excitcment of the old party system. It must be admitted that the National Cabinet has not fulfilled all expectations. Non-partyi government has its weaknesses as well as its _strength. ' Many thoughtful people in Britain who strongly approved the formation of a National Ministry arc not so enthusiastic about it now as they were when it first came into existence. In New Zealand the experiment has workod with less friction than at Home, and there have been no external signs of internal differences, if such exist. But our National Government has been at times over-timid, and the tendency to'compromise—to follow the line of least resistance— has' been too much in evidence. Parliament, however, had to choose between a National Cabinet or, another general election,,and, as Mr. Bussell remarked, another appeal to the country at such a- critical juncture in our history would have shocked tho moral sense of the people of New Zealand and of the Empire. A. National Government was estaband it has, on-the whole, jusfciacd its cxistoncc.

The House was favoured with two Ministerial speeches yesterday, one by bin Joseph Ward and the other ' ? u R ussel i<- Neither of them lifted the veil of the future. Theyjiiado no policy revelations. . i'; ItussELL confined himself almost entirelyto the not very difficult task ot proving that the formation of a National Cabinet was tho most rational course to take under existing circumstances. He also contended that the Ministry had done its work well. He naturally spoke mainly from the point of view of his own Department of Public Health which has come in for a good deal of adverse criticism at various times. Mn. Kussell's explanation of the extensive arrangements in tho form of hospital and convalescent camps for the returned soldiers shows that much more is being done than some ot his critics appear to think. But nothing more is ; being done than ought to be done, and as time goes on the. resources of the Department will be taxed to the utmost.. When Sir Joseph Ward rose to speak most of his hearers probably expected that he would deal mainly with the financial points raised during the debate. But 4 it soon became evident that he had not risen for tho purpose of talking about finance. His object was to repudiate insinuations that German influence had been at work in connection with the Administration. He spoke with some warmth about the imputations, innuendoes, and false suggestions intended to lie used against "members of his own side in the National Ministry apart from the Ministry as a" whole." "His reply to these imputations was undoubtedly effective, and his appeal for a moro adequate- recognition of the extreme gravity of charging people with pro-German sympathies was fully justified. Of course, no one really doubts the loyalty of any member of the Ministry, but a good .many people feel, rightly or wronp.-

ly, that the Government has not taken sufficiently drastic action to frustrate the secrcfc machinations of the enemy. The German system of double nationality has complicated matters. It is the duty of every citizen, to inform the authorities of any suspicious circumstances.' that' may come under his.notice. We aro; at grips with an utterly unscrupulous foe, and it is our business to see that the enemy docs not..get ~ .a. footing within our gates. But we must guard against the danger of panic measures. We must, not lose our heads or allow our sense of responsibility to be impaired. It would be monstrous to assume that every citizen in the Dominion who has any German blood in his veins is necessarily a spy or a traitor. Such a policy would .lead "lis : far further than some people seem to think. Wemust obey our own laws, which forbid us to treat British-borri subjects of German desccnt as though they were aliens. We cannot ignore our Bolemn obligations to 1 dc- justice to all citizens. As long as they obey the" law they are entitled to> the protection of the "law. - But the disloyal should receive .no mercy, and'every reasonable precaution ' should be taken to guard against treachery.