THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8265, 19 October 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1906.

Referring to the Land Bill, in our issue of Wednesday last, we wrote as follows:—"Toe real fight—the 'one bigjrow'—has yet to come, "and the Ministry, as a whole, are not only an able body of men, but are, we believe, possessed of very considerable fighting powers. The present condition of affairs is only the lull before the storm. Unless tho3e who are in opposition to the proposed measure, organise with haste, with energy, taot and determination, the Government will easily overwhelm their opponents during next recess, and one of the Acts to be placed upon the Statute Book during the session of 1907 will be Mr McNab's Land Bill, in very much the same form as amended by the Committee that recently considered it." That we oorreotly stated the Government's views of the position is evident from the last ,Wednesday nfternoou in the House by the Premier. Of the postponed Bills, said Sir Joseph Ward, the Land Bill name first. This, the Premier said, would be the first on the Order Paper next session, and the Government would make every effort to place it on the Statute Boob. Mr Massey queried if it would be the "same Bill," and the Premier replied it would be praotioally the same Bill, and added that he felt sure that' the merits of the measure, and the explanation it would receive dux tag the recess. would very greatly facilitate its passage to the Statute Book. The Government could scarcely be more frank in regard to their intentions, and if forewarned is to be forearmed

the opponents of the BUI should b9 prepared to raeot the Government's onslaught with something approaching respectable opposition. It baa been said that the postponement of the Juand Bill was broupht about by the opposition of important flaanoial institutions operating in this country, and that the opposition was tb« outcome of insufficient protection being afforded to mortgagees in both the original and the amended Bill. It is possible that snob opposition has caused a temporary delay in the progress of the measure, bat it is not possible to believe that such a purely temporary hitch will permanently dishearten the Government in carrying out their avowed intentions. It is not reasonable to sup pose that the Ministry is composed of men who are in the least likely to introduce a financial crisis. There may be some difficulty in affording financial institutions, as mortgagees, the degree of security, which they have undoubtedly a right to ask for, but we don't think this difficulty is by any manner of means insurmountable. Wny the Bill should not distinguish between recognised financial corporations and the* private mortgagee, or land speculator, we cannot see, and we think that auob a distinction will be found in the Land Bill when it again comas before Parliament. If the Opposition are going to successfully fight the Land Bill they must not lean too heavily upon the possible hostility of various finanoial corporations for they will certainly find that the Government will take care not to excite the permanent opposition of those finanoial corporations. The underlying principle of the Land Bill -the principle of laud nationali-sation—-is what freeholders have to fight, aud it is on the freehold question that thoy will win"or lose.

The visit ot the Irish envoys to New Zealand will, it is to be hoped, be ot some interest to the Masterton public. The Home Rule question in the Old Country is probably one, if not the greatost, political oontroversey that has ever elioited the feeling of the British people. A meeting of sympathisers of the Jrlsli Home Rule movement is called for Saturday evening next, in the Teobhioal School, when the question of inviting Mr Joseph Devlin, M.P. for Kilkenny North, in the Imperial Parliament, and Mr Donovan, the Irish envoys, to speak Jin Masterton, will be considered. Messrs Devlin and Donovan are, of course, visiting the Australasian colonies with the object of raising funds to assist the Home Rule movement. What prospects they have of raising funds in the Wairarapa we do not know, but we hope tbe envoys will be invited to speak in Masterton, as their addresses would not only be of a highly interesting character, but would, undoubtedly, exotoise an educative influence ou many of their hearers. Mr Devlin has the reputation of being an exceptionally fine orator, add apart altogeher from individual feeling and political views, a speeirh by him would, no doubt, be appreciated by every due who might happen to hear him. Borne Rule for Ireland means an Irish Parliament for Irish people to deal with Irish questions—those who are agitating for it are really working for a system of self-government very much, cr practioally, the same as obtains in New Zealand. We, who are so familiar with the success of self-government—and it would be very strange indeed if it were otherwise—cannot very well abstain from sympathising with the views of the Irish delegates. But the ■Home Rule question, simple as itjmay appear from a distnnce, is a most complicated one, and tbe work of securing the reform is simply: herculean iu character. To many people in the Old Country, iucredible as it may seem, the suggestion that the Jri-ih people should have a Parliament to deal with their own affairs was iu itself intensely disloyal. Then again many who sympathised with the movement to some extent, felt that to adopt the views of the Nationalists would bring' about u condition of civil war in tbe Emerald Isle. However, the work of education has been proceeding for some years past, and dome Rulers, as the years go by, are becoming more confideut that they must ultimately win, wbito it must be admitted that the Home Rule agitation has been productive of many much-needed reforms iu Irish Governmentby the Imperial Parliament.