THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1911. THE MINISTERIAL REPLY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10282, 10 July 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1911. THE MINISTERIAL REPLY.

J Sir James Carroll, 'Acting-Prime ' Minister, made an impotent attempt at Giristchurch .to answer the in'diotment made against the Ministry at Wellington hy the Leader of the Opposition. The air of superiority he assumed when dealing with the platform enunciated by Mi* Masiaey would ibe .regarded as sublime, were it not that Sir James appears too indifferent about political things to be taken seriously. The Lib.-Lab. Federation of Wellington, which now seems to be chiefly composed of am organiser, a (secretary, and a job lot of politioal nobodies, intends entertaining tube Acting-Prime Minister as a mark of appreciation of the "able manner" in which he has conc ducted the affairs of State in the absence of his chief. This sounds more like a huge joke than anything else. But. to revert \-i the Ohristohurch speech. Sir James, in a half-hearted sort of way, made it appear that nearly every plank in the Opposition platform had already been advocated by the. Ooaitaniuous Ministry or .some of its supporters. A Local Govemmen Bill was in preparation. The Land Bill was in the stooks. The Native land qiiestion was being solved. The industrial strife was" being ended. The reduction in the age of female Old Age pensioojers had been advocated by the late ..Mr Seddon. ..TRe National Provident Fund rendered dmsuranee against sickness and unemployment unnecessary. AM this,

and much more, was either promised or undertaken by the Great Liberal Party. And yet, aftor claiming credit for all those tilings, the ActingPniirne Minister had the assurance to assert that the only gleam of democracy in the Reform Party's programme was the reference to old age pensionis. If this is not a iself-ad-mission tliat the Ministry is undemocratic, then words cam <have no meaning. Sir James must have estimated the intelligence of the electors at a very low standard when lie wished them to believe that the Government intended to effect any of the reforms outlined by Mr Masisey. In point of fact, the Ministry has utterly failed to grapple with, the work of local government re-form. It has proved,its absolute inability to frame land legislation of a workable character. It has done practically nothing to throw Crown and Native lands open for selection. It has toyed with the industrial problem and fooled the workers. It has made the Civil Service a, laughing-,stock in the country. It has piled up the Nation--al Debt by- its extravagance. It has rendered the Legislative Council a political excresence. It has pandered to every whim of Amman fancy, and begged at every social dooi'-step. It has flouted Parliament on occasions, and substituted a beaucracy for a democracy. It has done all these things, and a great many more. And then- it has the hardihood to come, with political cap in a shred or a vestige of policy, with only «. history of other men's deeds to recommen dit, soliciting a continuance of the support of -constituencies which, have been impoverished hy taxation, placated with monetary grants, and deluded hy the glibness ..of specious place-seekers.