Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 17th, 1920 THE SESSION.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 17th, 1920 THE SESSION.

The session to begin next week promises to be a long one. It is expected that it will run well up to Christmas. There is a great deal of work to do, and it is to be hoped the Ministers are well prepared with their pregramme. Tlie fear is rather that matters will be the' other way. Mr Massey has not yet a- complete Cabinet formed. The important porfolio of Mines is still being filled in a makeshift way, while other important portfolios, such for instance as Defence, is not permanently filled. Another Minister has to be appointed, and although six months have gone by since' Mr Massey obtained his sweeping mandate from the people, the vacancy is still there. The Prime Minister of course is not idling his time. He has Had his hands very full, far too full in fact. This would not have been had he settled on his team at the outset and gone right ahead. He must have, made up his mind ere this whom he is going to select, and to defer the matter is only to saddle himself with a greater burden and heavier responsibility. Mr Massey’s methods generally are open to question. He defers as many presssing questions as he can as long as he can. ,-He played witfi the railwaymen apparently as long'as he could, and after seeing the country's service disorganised, gave way. If he intended to do this all along, why not j have done it with honour.at the outset? , In the same way he played with the postal people till they nut a pistol, as it were, to his head, and then promises the reforms asked for, which might hare been conceded long ago, with credit to the country. He proposes now to make the aslnry payments retrospective, so nothing has been saved by the procrastination. On the contrary, the service has heen disorganised meantime and no doubt the country has heen paying for an indifferent service to thousands of dissatisfied men. Mr Massey now intimates that the concessions are t-o be made, and the cost passed on .to the public. Not a- word about departmental economies or reorganisation to help meet the extra expense. Such * an r-f-

fort of statesmanship is evidently not to lie expected from the head of the Government and yet there is nothing , more pressing in the internal administration of the Dominion, than the recasting of its Civil Service. The whole ndnii'histration has grown in pertionnel and cost far beyond what is reasonable. Department and sub-department have been glorified with added staffs till the burden is becoming unbearable. Sooner or later the taxpayers must wake up to the inevitable, and demand that the Government which styles itself Reform, shall sot about legitimate reforms within its own reash, and for which it is responsible directly. The war occupied so much immediate interest that attention to domestic concerns was postponed. The present session affords the opportunity to deal with them, Mr Massey meets Parliament with a. strong majority. His is the opportunity to fulfil his election pledges and he will he expected to do so. To that end the leader of the Liberal party has promised .every assistance which makes, Mr Massey’s obligation to the people the greater. The trend of the sessioii/will be watched! with interest and the announcement of the - Government policy will be awaited-with concern.