THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1909. THE MINISTER FOR LABOUR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3218, 16 June 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDA Y, JUNE 16, 1909. THE MINISTER FOR LABOUR.

The typical speech which the Minister for Labour (the Hon. A. W. Hogg), delivered in the House on Saturday last has called forth most widespread criticism of an adverse character, and has even led to the Prime Minister, practically, publicly rebuking Mr Hogg. The speech in question was, of course, very unwise from a Ministerial point of view, and its general character was hopelessly absurd. So ridiculous indeed were the utterances of his fellow Minister that we are almost surprised that Sir Joseph Ward stooped to contradict them through the medium of the Press, but the Prime Minister has been suffering for some time past from rather poignant Opposition criticism, while the general trend of the times financially has made that criticism rather more pungent than it would otherwise be and "even as Hom~r sometimes nods," we presume the Prime Minister may lose his temper and indulge h an indiscreet action. Had the Prim 9 Minister not confided the state of his feelings to a New Zealand "Times" reporter there would have baen no general criticism throughout the Dominion on Mr Hogg's remarks, which have at least placed him on a pinnacle of unenviable fame. That Mr Hogg should be taken so seriously must certainly be very amusing to many people in his electorate. Everyone in the Mastertun electorate knows that Mr I Hogg's "hark" is very loud, but that his "bite" is perfectly harmless. Had the farmers of this electorate not realised that Mr Hogg was harmless en the land question, there is no doubt that the Minister i for Labour would not in the past have received the support that he has from them. Mr Hogg has been a most ardent advocate of roads and bridges, and as farmers, buth large and small in the back-blocks, are naturally partial to good roads and bridges, Mr Hogg, notwithstanding his harmless barkings on the land question, has been a popular member with them. Mr Hogg has again and again delivered speeches similar to that with which he "interested" Parliament on Saturday last, and no one, of course, took any no-

tice because everyone knows Mr Hogg. In the matter of ableness and statemanslike expression of opinion Mr Hogg's speech was, perhaps, on a par with that magnificent oratorical effort—his famous "cigar" speech—with which he electrified his hearers at Kuripuni in November last, when Mr John Hunter was contesting the Masterton seat with him. The position simply amounts to this:—ln the Masterton electorate we know Mr Hogg, in the Dominion they don't, but. in any case, there is no cause for alarm. Mr Hogg and his colleagues will get to know each other in the course of time, and though we have not the slightest doubt that the Minister for Labour, out of respect for his office will be more cautious in future, we venture to say that time will prove the entirely harmless intentions of the Minister for Labour.