WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 June 1917, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

MiXI ST Kill AI, RESPONSIBILITY

A NEW INTERPit FLATI.OX

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, June 8

The statement made by the Hon. G. \V. Russell in Christchurch to the effect that the Department and not the Mi ns iter is responsible for the restrict;wj (rain service is being discussed with much animation here. 1 hough many curious stories had been in circulation implying that the lion. \\ . H. Iloiries was not entirely in accord with the policy ol the executive' heads of' his Department it was left to the Minister of Internal Affairs, • when presiding over a meeting of members of Parliament-called to protest aga'inst this policy, to suggest that ho was a mere nonentity in the management ol the railways.

Just how ho regards his colleague’s solicitude on his behalf no one so far has had sufficient courage to ask. Doubtless -Mr. Russell spoke with' the verv best intentions meaning to save Mr. Merries from the wrath of his disgruntled Christchurch critics, but ids words were not happily chosen and they'easily might eomVv to (he public a wholly wrong conception of the meaning and purpose of ministerial restrict lug and purpose of lniiiisuiral responsibility. A THE CONSTITUTIONAL - POSITION. Mr. Russell himself, appears to have been at the moment little hazy as lo the true constitutional position. Speaking of his responsibilities a s a member •:f the Cabinet and his responsibilities -as the representative of the people, ho said when he found his duty as a Minister conflicting with his duty as a member of Parliament he would be prepared to “go out” to resign his portfolio. That was admirable as far as it went, but it- did not quite go far enough.

A .Minister cannot with any propriety sit in judgment upon his colleagues or upon any one of them while he rcniaiiA .within the "Cabinet. He must accept full responsibility not only for the administration of the departments he controls, but also for the policy /of the Goveiimont to which he belongs. That is the basic principle of Cabinet rule and the .only possible alternative to collective. ministerial responsibility is the elective executive of which the Social Democrats are dreaming. THE AVAR REGULATIONS.

The statement made in Lite “Dominion” under the guise of an interview n which the Attorney-General

scribes Sir John Findlay’ speech in defence of Hr. P. V. Webb at the i ' rent- sedition trial as “one of the most unfortunate utterances delivered by a public man in New Zealand since- the outbreak of the. war” has brought a spirited reply from' the new member nnpln’si.'.es. is that his sp- cell was- not •r. attack upon the War .Regulations, sis Mr. 1 [erdman contends, blit upon the ■oustrueiion placed upon them by the for the Crown.

He deals with the; matter purely Toni the professional aspect, gently re* linking the Attorney-General for attack ting n I'd low-barrister for making the l,cst defence he could for his client, but he promises when he meets his learned friend on the floor of the House he will have something to sav abou't the incident from another of view. It looks as if subsequent '"developments might contribute materially to the gaiety of the. approaching session. . COST OF LIVING. The latest number of the Abstract oi Statistics issued by the Government Statistician contains several now sets of figures hearing on the cost of living. Perhaps the most interesting of them all is the table showing, the average rents during the March quarter of this vear for'houses of various sjpos in the iv-onty-livc 'representative terms of tins year for houses of various sizes in the twenty-live representative towns that are .taken in those calculations. Of course, Wellington stands at the head of the list a long way above every other centre of population.

Taking the average rent paid in lip’ four chief centres during the five years before the war as the index number LOCK), Wellington now stands at 1-do, an excess of nearly 25 per cent. Hamilton at 10-10. Wanganui, 900, Gisborne 974, Napier 973, Taihape 902 Auckland 945, New Plymouth 934, Palmerston North 890, Christchurch S6B, Dunedin 8(i0 Timaru 800. Invercargill 704, Greymoulh 710 Blenheim /30. Oiinaru 711, Dannevirke 092 and Alexandra 477. The figures, of course, can be only approximate but a throe-roomed house in Wellington is shown as costing nearly twice as much- a similar house in Christchurch does and as much as a' six-roomed house costs in Alexandria.