The Daily News. FRIDAY, JUNE 22. RING OUT THE OLD, RING IN THE NEW.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8139, 22 June 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JUNE 22. RING OUT THE OLD, RING IN THE NEW.

Tun funeral bells that yesterday chimed for the late Premier, herald the advent of a new political order of tilings. Although the deplored death of Mr Seddon lias affected the daily life of the colony, and thrown diurnal duties out of gear, eve i so tragic an occurrence could not preveno the anxious discussion of the political situation. In fact, the politic?', situation is a matter that everybody in New Zealand is perfectly willing and able to discuss. The Premier, Hon. Mr Hall-Jones, has not yet announced the personnel of his Ministry, although it is assumed that there will be no change until Sir Joseph Ward returns from England.

The idea is prevalent in gome circles that Sir Joseph Ward lias a kind of pre-emptive right to the position made vacant by the death of Mr Seddon, and filled at present by the Hon. Hall-Jones. It is not at all clear why Sir Joseph Ward should be looked upon as the only possible person for the position, except that he was the late Mr Seddon's right-hand man, and unquestionably an able one. In the meantime, the Premier is bound to carry on the absolutely necessary work of Parliament, and he has shown enough administrative ability in the past to warrant one in supposing that what he can do before Sir Joseph Ward's return he can do after. What purports to be public opinion is endeavouring to drive Mr Hall-Jones from.the position to which he has been called by His Excelleucy, but the Premier has been guarded enough to refrain absolutely from making his intention known, It is an obvious absurdity to delay the business of the country in order that a man, who was formerly a Minister, might get back to the country.

* * # # Previous to the death of Mr Seddon, it was freely stated by the " knowalls " that even he, strong man as he was, and always absolute master of his great, party, would find the difficulty of his life, during the session about to open, in dealing with the diverse elements in that party with sufficient tact to prevent a " split." With Mr Seddon's singularly great powers of guidance absent from the House, and with no person at present in the Parliament who has ever shown the faintest signs of a similar great power, there seem to be shoals ahead for any leader of the Liberal Party who may be Premier proper " when the numbers go up." One member is reported to have said that the late Premier's influence in the House was as the influence of a school master over a lot of schoolboys. There is no doubt that this is very true.

Sib JosErn Waud, in the absence of the late Mr Seddon abroad, was acting-Premier, and the business of the country went on under his suave guidance on well-greased wheels. The House, however, know at that time that Mr Seddon's absence was, in all human probability, temporary, and made tho best of the situation, and did not kick over the traces even as much as fiey would have done with the real leader at the ribbons. But the Liberal Party at that time, smaller though it was, did not contain the waning elements that are contained in the present party. The present Liberal Party will support blindly neither Sir Joseph Ward nor Hon. Uall-Joncs, and the Liberal leader, who is without Mr Seddon's personal powbr a'.xl his marvellous discernment and powers of perception, has even a harder Usk than that great man had.

The Secldon Government was in the main a good Government, not be cause the Cabinet contained a galaxy of constructive statesmen, but because it contained one master-man who dominated the Cabinet by sheer force of character and ability A Ministry led either by, the present Premier, or by the alleged prospective Premier, even though composed of the men who have formed the Ministry for so long, must in combination become as great a power as tl»~esS"' individual was in oi-det.AJ'liold the party together. It is, of course, obvious that with Jhree exceptions the old Ministry in combination has no more constructive or administrative ability than the ordinary everyday man who earns his eight shillings and is satisfied. To "go to the country " would mean disaster to a lot of " new blood " in the House, because there is no leader who has either the mental ofphysical power to beat up the faithful in the marvellous manner so characteristic of the late Mr Seddon.

» * * * "Labour " promises itself a good time in the new Parliament, and one of the best times it promises itself is to cope with the land question. At present iu the House the Labour Party —if it hives off by itself—is not strong enough to do anything but get itself disliked, but it will be a cause of dissension and a source of worry to either man of the two who may become leader, simply because neither man is in sympathy with the party, and has not the immense number of influences the former Liberal and Labour chief had to keep sweet with the town toilers. Tho whole House, iu the death of Mr Soddou, loses a restraint that was often very healthy, a disciplinary power that was exerted in keeping a mass of weaker atoms in order. With the removal of the restraining influence, the atoms are already talking more freely than they would have dared to talk in the days of the great chief. The shadow, no larger than a man's hand, observable even now, will, of course, grow under the gentle nurture of Parliamentary work,, so that the country may expect interesting developments, not altogether in a legislative sense, but in tho kaleidoscopic changes that must inevitably follow the reconstruction of a Government by the deatli of the most skilled general hew Zealand ever had.