THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1907. SUSPENDED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8546, 30 September 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1907. SUSPENDED.

Tho action of th'j Government in suspending Mr J. A. M'Cullough, of the Railway Workshops at Christchurch, owing to his having moved a resolution of a political character at a public meeting is, naturally, giving rise to a good deal of discussion. The principle involved is, no doubt, one of great importance, and the Premier is to be congratulated upon the firm stand that he has taken. "No man can serve two masters," says the Premier, and on the other hand the Independent Political Labour League of Christchurch is in favour of "political freedom for all Civil Servants." Referring to the incident in the House on Friday afternoon the Premier said that "there was a rule of the public .service that no member of the service should take an active part in connection with politics. It was reported to the Government that Mr M'Cullough had moved a resolution of a political character at a public meeting and after full consideration Cabinet unanimously decided that he should be suspended and called upon to give reasons why he should not be I dismissed. The fact of the resolution being adverse to the Government had not actuated the Government in nny sense whatever. The Premier added I that he had nothing but admiration I for a man who endeavoured to assist his fellow employees in improving their position. if the resolution moved had been in favour of the Government the action of the Government would have been just the same. The Government had to do its duty in this matter, and if it made an exception in one casu it would have to make exceptions in all cases. The only alternative was to repeal the regulation The Government could not allow any employee to flout and.ignore its regulations; where a regulation was in force an employee had to conform to it, and when he failed to do so the Government had to do its duty. He was not yet in a position to state what the final decision of the Government would be.. If Parliament thought fit to give freedom to the

Civil Servant in political and local matters, the responsibility would be taken off the shoulders of the Government." As a matter of fact Government servants have political freedom —they are free to vote either for or ( against the Government, or as they choose. What the Political Labour League wants, apparently, is that Civil Servants shall be free to take an active part in politics. Good discipline is essential to the proper working of the public departments, and it is impossible to conceive that such a privilege, as the League demands, could be conceded without the result being subversive to that degree of discipline which it is necessary to maintain in the public interest. There are, however, times when Government employees, no doubt, feel that they suffer under a grievance through lack of "political freedom," as it has been termed. Such occasions are when the conditions of employment are not regarded as being satisfactory •by the employees. The obvious way to remedy such grievances is to provide that Government employees may be allowed to take their troubles to the Arbitration Court, that specially designed institution for the settlement of all labour troubles. Surely the Government I have confidence in their own Act?

CLOSER SETTLEMENT. Unlfcss both the legislation and the administration of the Government are in the direction of rapidly promoting closer settlement, there is no doubt that they will have considerable difficulty in retaining their popularity in the country. Throughout the whole of the Dominion, there is, broadly speaking, a demand for closer settlement, and in some electorates which have loyally supported the Government for a long time past, there are those who wish to know what excuse the Government can offer for what they have not done during all the years of opportunity which they have had. In addition to failing to acquire at a progressive rate, and at reasonable prices, estates for closer settlement enormous areas of Crown lands have remained unsettled, and native land legislation has been, to say the least, most completely unsatisfactory. The Government, in our opinion, will have to face the situation, or retire in favour of another party, which will patriotically perform its manifest duty. In the Oamaru district the other day there were 419 applicants for eleven sections, and this in a Dominion which has a population of scarcely a million. If the Ministers who are now in power could only borrow a few progressive ideas from the Dominion of Canada, and put them into force in the Dominion of New Zealand, we should have good reason to respect their virtues and to praise their abilities.

"GRAVE AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS." If Australia requires a danger signal to arouse her to a proper sense of the seriousness of her position she should surely find it in the words of M. lwasaki, Acting-Japanese ConsulGeneral in Australia, who has been appointed Secretary to the Japanese Embassy at St. Petersburg. At a farewell the other day in Sydney, M. lwasaki remarked that "it would be idle to pretend that there are not many grave and important questions pending, which may be fraught with serious consequences to your nation and mine." Those words "to your nation and mine" are decidedly ominous. In any event it would appear that Japan is, comparatively, safe, but the situation so. far as Australia is concerned is the very rever.se. The relations at present existing between Japan and the United States are not of the happiest description, and it is evident from the trend of her foreign policy that America has no special desire to try conclusions with the redoubtable "Jap." On the other hand Japan is strong, warlike, and thirsting to expand the dimensions of her empire.