The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, January 6, 1912. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1090, 6 January 1912, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, January 6, 1912. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

f tarring and sanding of Main Street is proceeding, and the work oppears to be very satisfactory. At present the crown of the road only is being done, and is setting solid. We believe the Council will be so satisfied with the ex • perimeut that the whole of the road will be similarly treated. It will do away to a large extent with the dust nuisance, and, further, a saving in road repair should result. We don’t know what the initial cost of the work is, but subsequent dressings should not be as costly as metalling. We noticed the main thoroughfare in Eltham similarly treated, and we were informed that the road stands the traffic splendidly and gives the town a very clean appearance. Anyhow, what has been done locally appears to have greatly improved the road.

is nothing definite to repoit in connection with the political situation. Conferences have been held by the Premier and his followers both in the North and South Islands, and Mr Massey has met the leading lights of the Opposition, but the strictest secrecy of what transpired has been maintained. A number of journals have been screeching for Sir Joseph to make an immediate announcement of his intentions. We fail to see any good reason why he should do so until he has weighed the whole position carefully. Now that his mind is made up we do not think he will delay in calling Parliament together. His intentions will be made public next week. If the Government is defeated and Mr Massey is called upon to form a Ministry, we cannot see how he is going to carry on for any length of time. The Labour members who hold the balance of power, while pledged to vote against the Ward Administration have also damned the Massey policy and will turn and rend Massey when opportunity offers. It would appear that the Ward Administration will go down and Mr Massey will take the reins of office for a short and stormy period, after which Parliament will be dissolved, and the people will send back a party strong enough to hold the fort for some years ahead. The only other alternative is a coalition of members of both parties independent of any third party, and that is what we should like to see. A rumour has been afloat to the effect that the Premier offered Mr Vietch, labour member for Wanganui, the portfolio of Minister for Labour, which he declined. We don’t know whether there is any truth in the statement, but it there is then Sir Joseph has made a talse step, for he must have been aware of the fact that Mr Vietch, while holding stronger leanings towards the Liberal Party than any other Labour candidate, pledged himself to vote against the Government on a no-confidence motion and to sacrifice his principles for the sake of such a tempting, if temporary elevation, would stamp the man as a “political rotter,” totally .unworthy of the constituency once so ably represented by John Ballance. If Mr Vietch has refused Ministerial rank he has only done what any honourable man would do under similar conditions, and is not entitled to any eulogy.

Mk. A. W. Hogg, ex-member for Mastertou, is standing on bis dignity —and rightly so. In order to placate him, alter his defeat, a number o 1 electors took it into their heads to make him a presentation ol a purse of sovereigns. There was nothing unusual in that, but the instigators ol the movement were those who had bitterly opposed the man who has been a true friend to the people of this Dominion. xMr Hogg puts the case from his view point in a letter to a friend as follows ; —■" In common with some of my friends, you appear to be at a loss to understand why I have declined to accept the testimonial which it was proposed to present to me in recognition of my services to the Mastertou electorate, i have been told that 1 was too proud, too independent, and so forth. And yet in the past I have been the recipient of several testimonials, and I have accepted and regarded them as substantial tokens of the esteem in which my services were held. On this occasion no false pride on my part has actuated me in the course 1 have taken. My aim has always been to assist my constituents, irrespective of creed or colour, political or religious, and it is, 1 believe, due to this that I have so many iriends and supporters. But you can hardly imagine my surprise and annoyance when I found under a heading in a conspicuous part of a local paper the announcement that a testimonial was being promoted for my benefit, that Mr toykes, M.P., my opponent in the late election, was appointed a joint treasurer, and that subscriptions would be ie;

ceived and acknowledged by a journal that had systematically attacked me during the late election. What course could I take under the circumstances ? There was no pride in the matter. I was invited to sup humiliation, and 1 refused. lam satisfied you will see that, without loss of selfrespect, I could take no other course than the one I adopted.”

Home Rule for Ireland appears to be as far off as ever it was. Mr Tim Healy, addressing the All for Ireland League at Mallow, County Cork this week, said that he and his colleagues would support any reasonable form of Home Rule which was fair to Ireland from the fiscal point of view. Mr John Redmond’s promises of Home Rule, he said, were false. There was no chance of passing the Bill during the present Parliament.