POLITICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8486, 13 July 1907, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(From Our Parliamentary Correspondent.) AN UNEVENTFUL FORTNIGHT. , THE NEW COUNCILLORS UNDER REVIEW. [ WELLINGTON, Friday. ! The second week of the session [ closed, yesterday, without anything . of a practical character being done, or even attempted. A glance at the pages of Hansard is suggestive of Hamlet's reply to Polonius. Pol.—What do you read, my lord? Ham. —Words, words, words! It is true a couple of Bills, introduced by private members/have gone through their second reading, but they were passed on a stage out of compliment to the movers, on the unexpressed understanding that they are to be ultimately "passed out," Both Bills are old-stagers, and have time and again fretted and strutted their hour—or many hours—upon the stage, to be seen no more during the session of their initiation. It is somewhat suggestive, in view of the opinion of the House respecting the Legislative Council, that one Bill should be for the reform of that body, and that the other should be entitled "Noxious Weeds." The debate on the Address-in-Reply still holds the boards of the Upper House. Discussion of the Governor's Speech there is more useless from a practical standpoint even than in the representative Chamber, because the members of the former have no constituencies to be responsible to; but this may be said with truth: that for depth of thought, corrmercial knowledge, capacity to grip large political subjects, and to expound their Views upon them intelligently and, in some cases, eloquently, the Legislative Councillors have left their deriders in the Lower House miles behind. In this connection, it may be well to point out that several of the newly appointed "Lords" have, by thenutterances and independence of thought and speech, given the best possible refutation to the aspersions cast upon them by their cousins "in another place." A few examples will demonstrate this contention. Leaving out Dr. Findhy, who is probably one of the i. ■'•■•-.*; Attorney-Generals and leaders of the Council in its history, let me take first the youthful J. T. Paul, the mover of the Address-in-Reply. And here I may note that it seems a pity that so young and able a man should have been called to the Upper House. To my thinking, it would have been better for him and the country to have allowed him to win his way in the ordinary course, as, undoubtedly, he would have done in time, for he was certain, sooner or later, to have secured a ]seat in the Hous : of .Representatives. But to hark back. Mr Paul, who looks 25 years of age. and, I should say, is certainly not 30, is a far-seeing* level-headed young man who possesses advanced ideas, and is capable of expressing them in an impressive way. Mr G. J. Smith, of Canterbury, who was formerly a member of the popular Chamber, is also a gentleman of clearness cf ideas, independence of character, and lucidity of speech. Mr Luke, of Wellington, one of the recent appointees to the Council, who was treated with chilling indifference by a section of the press both inside and outside this province, made his maiden speech yesterday, and it was one which was listened to with rapt attention, and was loudly applauded. It dealt with the commercial aspect of the colony, and was pronouncedly enlightening. To' the extent mentioned |the recent appointments to the Upper House would appear to be justified. There are some new members who have not yet shown their metal; some who probably have no metal to show; but, on the whole, the Council, so far a* one can judge at this stage, has been materially strengthened in debating power and business perspicacity. Sentiment and practical commonsense are certain to be factors in any discussion involving the granting of a gratuity to a servant of the public who, dying in harness, leaves a family not too well provided for in this world's goods; and much may be said pro and con according to the preponderance of one feeling over i the other. When the reply of the ! Premier, on Wednesday last, was given to Mr Wood's question, ■ "Whether the Government will take into consideration the valuable services rendered to the colony by the late Mr John O'Meara, by planing a gratuity on the Estimates for his wife and family," the House, by refraining from any discussion, took the stand that sentiment must be ignored in such circumstance's, and thus upheld the Premier's contention that while "it would afford the Government as great a pleasure as it would the hon. gentleman to do it," it could not be done because it would establish a precedent which wou'd result in becoming a general practice. That will doubtless be the general public opinion; but the reply of Sir Joseph Ward may be open to the charge of disingenuousness, when the fact is taken into consideration that a precedent was practically established last year in the jase of the widow of a member who was granted a gratuity of £4OO. With respect to the late Mr John O'Meara. erstwhile member for Pahiatua, there is only one opinion in the House respecting him. The Premier was justified in saying that all who knew him'''held him in the highest respect and esteem;" and there is not a member in the House who would not have been pleased; to do anything in the direction indicated by Mr Wood's question were it not that, they felt that, precedent or no precedent, the recognition of the principle could not be entertained. Mr Hogg has given notice to ask the Minister of Agriculture whether he will endeavour to carry out the promise of his predecessor to establish a State nurseyy for the culture of forest trees at Trenthatn.