THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8206, 9 August 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1906.

There is some reason to suppose that Sir Joseph Ward has quietly dropped "King" Mahuta out of the Cabinet, and the iumouf that has been current to that effeut seeems to have been received very generally with satisfaction, judging by various newspaper comments. A Southern contemporary referring to the question remarks:—"We pointed out, when the appointment was originally made, that it was a great mistake. It was merely a little piece of histrionic display of the kind in whioh Mr Seddon used to delight. Mahuta is simply a person of no importance, either from a Maori or European point of view; he has no ability; and has never taken his duties, even as a member of the Legislative Council, with the slightest approach or shown the least interest in tuem, His connection with the Ministry was therefore a mere farce, and we doubt whether he waß ever consulted in regard to the questions that came before the Cabinet. As regards his position among the Maor's, it is well-known that he is merely "the shadow of a name." His influence among his compatriots is far less than that of many leading chiefs who have been consistently loyal to the British

Grown. Personally we do not aee that the Maoris require another speoial representative in a Cabinet which contains Mr Carroll. If in future such a representative should be desired it would be far better to select some thoughtful and .highminded member of tne young Maori Party, who have shown such an intelligent interest in the future of their race, and worked so zealously for its welfare. To re-appoint Mahufca would simply set back the clock so far as the Maoris are concerned, and perpetuate what has become a more or less discreditable farce."

Commenting on the situation in Russia before the dissolution of the Duma, [the London Spectator re-marked:--"We have ourselves but little doubt of the ultimate outcome o? the existing anarchy. The revolution will win; but there is a new danger approaching. Up to] the present moment, though the j powers of the dynasty have been threatened, the dynasty itself has retained so muoh of the loyalty of the masses that it might easily have effected a compromise which would leave it its grand position, its enormous wealtb, and, possibly, should it throw up a strong man or be wise enough to choose a capable Vizier, would preserve muoh of its predominance in the administration, as the IlohenzollerD dynasty has done. We cannot but fear that there is now danger lest, like the Stuarts and the Bourbons, the Romanoffs should be required to saorifloe all. They have lost much of the'r prestige already. The people begin to suspect them of incurable hostility to their great demand, the possession of the cultivable land; and, once convinced of that, ttoey may either rank themselves behind some pretender, or in utter despair of royaltj, set up a republic. Most observers in the West regard this latter solution as impossible, and we do not ourselves, we confess, believa chat Russia is ready for any experiment of the kind. But we must not forget that many Russians are of a different opinion. Ihe unity of Russia, which so impresses mankind, is far from perfect, a;;d a federal Constitution may, if all other plans fail, prove intelligible to the people, who have not, we are told, entirely forgotten that the autocracy was built up by the gradual conquest of many comparatively small principalities. It is quite useless to discuss projects of [ that kind, new entertained only by the wildest of revolutionaries; but Russia, it is plain, suffers grievously, and a hundred millions of people who suffer, when once in movement, are apt to march towards ends they do not foresee and have not seriously intended. Wise counsels may yet save all that is at stake—and within that "all," let it not be forgotten, is the safety of European international policy—but the worst symptom is the entire absence of clear intalligenoe at the centre. It may be doubted whether even now Nicholas 11. clearly understands the condition of his vast dominions. He cannot know it of himself as a superior being might, and who of the group around him has the imagination to discern, and the disinterestedness to tell him, the whole truth?"