The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1917. THE GOVERNOR’S SPEECH.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 30 June 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1917. THE GOVERNOR’S SPEECH.

(With which is incorporated The Taihapo Post and Waimarino News),

We have, in the Governor’s Speech at the re-assembling of Parliament all the evidence needed to prove the colourlessness of National Governments, but this would not concern the people so much if something were said to foreshadow what is to happen legislatively during the next few months. It may be, perhaps, that His Excellency’s advisers are no more certain of what the session is to bring forth than we are. However, the Press, the watchdog of the people, did not expect much and they were therefore not disappointed. . If the Mover and Seconder of the Address-in-Reply are not more interesting and do hot furnish something more vivifying it will be for Members generally to" see to it that reports of proceedings are such as to fully satisfy an expectant people. The Speech was almost solely confined to the war, a recapitulation of events with which we are all, more or less, familiar. The policy of not returning to Germany the Pacific Islands taken from her was virtually made a pledge, and although there was a shadowy touch upon Avar loans and Avar legislation, the Speech can be taken as little else than a stop-gap to give the returned chiefs ample time, to fully realise the exact political position. It seems from the reports of proceedings that our civilisation is not yet so far advanced that Ave can venture to "dispense Avith the fe-fi-fo-fum business, that slioav Avhich is so dear to semi-barbdrous peoples; it is telegraphed abroad that the ceremonies led up to the great climax of the brilliant fanfare of trumpets, from brilliantly caparisoned trumpeters. The only real serious business outlined is that Nbav Zealand has done most admirably all that could be expected of it in pouring" into the trenches facing German cannon and bayonet, the very floAver of its youth* and strength, and uoav those Avho have the money are to be asked—nor compelled—to do something more toAvards paying the country’s Avar bills. This is a proposal made by His Excellency that Avill be cheered by an overAvhelming proportion of the people of this Dominion. It does seem that there are still some amongst us who think the country can Avell afford to spill its best blood, Avho, yet avoulcl compel, if they could, the Mother Country to find all tffe money, Bnt this is diverting from an effort to discuss a Speech in Avhich there was nothing to discuss, in fact Ave can see no occasion for its delivery, but to comply with senseless usage, seeing that it was entirely shorn of all that previous speeches of the kind have almost invariably been composed. ,

ME‘.ETIN'G‘r<O'F PARLIAMENT. At the meeting of Parliament following the Gb‘v'er‘nor’s Speech there was quite ‘a different atmosphere; there was a breeziness and a. shower-

ing of questions that was strongly indicative of many little storms to follow. Dr. Newman wants to be in the know of what the Ministers learned at the Imperial Conference; he thinks the Prime Minister should set up a secret session so that Ministers could be initiated into secrets, military and otherwise, that the common people could not be trusted with. If we were actuated only by a desire to know what Dr. Newman desires to know we should strongly support his secret session idea, but as we realise the importance of keeping from our enemies what it would be disadvantageous and dangerous to our Empire for them to know, we trust a Arm foot will be held down by Mr. Massey against anything of the kind. We are all desperately anxious to know' just how we stand in this war but our common curiosity should not impel us to any course that would almost certainly imperil the Allies’ position. A sheaf of notices to introduce Bills on subjects ranging from Plumbers’ Registration to “Revocation of Naturalisation of Enemy Aliens,’ ’none of them of pressing importance. Mr. Vigor Brown brought into high light the indiscretion of Sir James Allen, in making statements that were entirely contrary to fact. He wants to know whether the Minister will withdraw' his statement that “Nymott was an honourable prisoner of war.” Also,, whether he will cause the traitor Nymott to be forthwith gazetted as a deserter? Mr. Wilford is on the track of the ship-owning exploiters, and has asked some very pertinent questions thereupon. He particularly wanted to know what the Government intended to do about the control of shipping, and Mr. Poole is desirous that the Minister of Trade and Commerce should make a statement to the House at the earlist possible date on the proposed shipping merger, whereby the Union Company is to be swallowed up by the great shipping combine. Mr. Vigor Brown is anxious that the Prime Minister should take- the usual constitutional course to remove the Minister of Defence from his position owing to the widespread dissatisfaction with his administration. He also asks Mr. Massey whether he will inform the House how is it that New Zealand meat is T "sold on arrival in the Old Country at tenpence a pound and retailed at one and tenpence. In fact the Hansard report of the first sitting of the session fairly bristles with question's^'Of highly contentious and controversial nature, which upset entirely Sir James Allen’s assurance that the session will be a short one, and that nothing but finance and war matters will be dealt with.

' THE WAR. , . Indications 'favouring the Allied cause were never brighter or more reassuring than they are to-day. There is now no doubt about the Germans performing rearward evolutions in France and Belgium as hurriedly as safety of their armies will permit. Whatever Hindenburg and the AllHighest may have up their military sleeves, they have to suffer the indignity of being driven out of their vaunted impregnable fastnesses, and made to run to other cover hastily prepared in their rear. The first real pressure to compel a retreat enabling the British to keep their guns trained on the main body of retreaters in their strategic advances to the rear, is now being exercised. We must not, however, attach too much importance to this as it may be only a localised achievement; but need not under-estimate the fact that our armies are now strong enough to do on a long front what may be now only happening over a limited area. Germany is building bridges across the Rhine, just their object in so doing is a little obscure. It may be, of course, that a counteroffensive is to be hurled against France along the Swiss border, but this is not supported by 'Germany’s inability to assist Constantine in Greece, and to make an almost unopposed triumphal march to Petrograd while the Russian armies were drinking deep to their new-found freedom. We can scarcely think that while German arms are held up everywhere and are in retreat in that arena in which all are agreed final results will be sought, that she can concentrate sufficiently to make any such offensive so effective as to have any vitally important relation to the cause of an advantageous peace. The news from Russia improves day by day, and through the pessimism of some we plainly see the glitter of bayonets. Austria is returning troops from the Italian front to their more necessitous work of stemming a Russian invasion of Hungary. The Roumanian Army is ready and straining

in the leash, and Venizelos has come into his own in upholding the honour and ancient traditions of his country against the imported German-blooded kingly dynasty. The Greeks are fast waxing enthusiastic and rapidly reaching the condition when their bayonets will be pointed and thrust at the invaders and destroyers of small nationalities. Everything on all fronts seems to be working together most satisfactorily for the great day when a united effort of the complete steel ring will strangle the great beast.