The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. THE SPEAKERSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 25, 30 January 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. THE SPEAKERSHIP.

I The discussion regarding the filling of thft Speaker's chair is bjing revived in the South Inland and a new cir.diJa e is beiog put forward in' tha person of Mr McNab, the member for Mataura. The Dunedin ttar, one of the besl informed of the southern papers, says:— " It is not unlikely that the Cabinet will choose their nominee for the Speakership of tha House of Representatives in the coursa cf the next forty eight hours; or perhaps we should rather say tha 1 ; their choice will definitely be made known - seeing that, to all practical intents, the selection of Mr McNab has bfen a foregone conclusion for some time' p st. The promotion of the member for Mataura 11 the Speaker's chair, filled for so many years with unique efficiency by Sir MauricJ O'Roike, will prjbibly giva pretty general satisfaction, and the results of the prospaciivd appointment m»y ba anticipated with reasjaab'o optimism. Mr M'Nab is a psrliamentarian of sufficient experienc, eseellent ability, and stainless character. The bast tradi ions of t ! \o Housa of Representatives will be safe in his custody, while his *pi ogressive tendencies will ke p him irom clinging ten closely to the mere f.rmdity of precjdsm. His personal fitness being thus unqu s tiouable, there is no n ed to he cri ical over the admitted fact that the Government will ba oveicoming i difficulty by choosing him for tha Hp aker ship. For som : J time past it his ben recognised that he deserved promotion of sjme kind, and his claims to a plao in tho Ministry have often been advanced : yet, cocsidtring tha heavy preponderance of Sju'h Island representation in the Cabinet, it is difficult to see haw room could be found for him. We must not be understood to endorse the general principle of equal or proportional representation of locali ie*. A true colo nial deling would riss superior to loc d considerations in this matter; and, ss we have said before, it might conceivably be defira l le tocho'.se hll or nearly all the members of the Ministry from oce ; sUnd. Practical ability ami personal suitability are the qu ilifioa■ tions to be sought in a candidate for Ministerial position— not tha mare fact of Iced connection with a particular part ef the colo y -atd if the s r x abkst and mcst suitable men were 'o be found in one island they cught to' be chosen, instead of baviDg rei'ou.se to mediocrities from tho othn-is'and. This, at leas 1 , would b? the ideal system 1 of a Ministerial selector l , but \v-> reeog- ' Dise that tha public - especially the ! public of the northern pirt of the colony are not yet politically i ducifed to the height of such a counsel of perfection. '' The Northerners art grumbling, and it is pre'ty *ell k&own that Mr Seddon, in j reconstructing the Cabinet, intends to pay heed te their compUi»t». Thu>j Mr McNai.'s prospects of obtaining Cabinet runk would not be very bright, i and tfce vacant Speakership will con- i venien'ly fatirfy his reasonable ambi- j tion and reward his services to thei

Lioeral party. He is not unlikely to bare a walk ov. r for the «e*t, for he is a favourite wit.h the Opposition, by reason of his freedom from extr me partisanship and his general faireesii of ooind and temper. Tntr® was eomo tdkof nominating Sir William Rutsell, high quil-fi a'ions and claims are sufficiency ratent ; and we bi'l'evo that tho Government might havo tiatm to the geaeroua h°igh>. < f the occasion if Sir \Vi'li*m had rot intimated his unwilling? to be nominitid. Then there it; Mr (juin:;e : B, whrso cocsideraV'le esperi m Chairman of Uom-i rnitte s : nd I ) puty Spetker apppars ! to fjiv© him a plausible ti ! • to tho { higher elmi-, aud who b's many friends I on both sid>s of !ho Hours. His! ■ihili y and suitability, however, are! [ not gqual to Mr M'Nub'p, an;l our own eonjsoturs, is that sootier ct later ha, will be o hartvite " provided for," asi tie phrase goes, Ic hag beea Bug-' 1

gested that the Attorney-Geaeralghip might be be revived for his sptcial benefit, and such an idex is by no mains ou'. of the question,-though hero again Ue Noith v. Sju;h issue foims a point of difficulty."