THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 1911. SIR JOSEPH'S RETURN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10405, 28 August 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 1911. SIR JOSEPH'S RETURN.

The itihe Paijnfii , 3ffi.nisiter-i-S'ir Joseph. Ward; WeMinigton on Friday laist, wa/s of iso depressing a* character'as. to resemlbie a. Maori "taoigi". mor* (thiam- else. .Nobody seemed to nave time to amgratulate Sir Joseph s upon his' elevation from the ranks of the democracy to those of >the aristocracy, inor upon the marvellous enthusiasm with, which his Imperial Council proposals hiad been received ait Home. Led by the versatdle Native "Minister, the whole company seemed: 'to be; absorbed in lamentation iat themiendaioity ef .some unknown person or persons who, had scattered false reports about ithe intentipnis of the Prime Minister and his colleagues. Somebody had; had the audacity, to .suggest that to had bought an estate in Essex-rais if such a. .thing was a crime. Somebody els© bad saqd Ms hjereclitary title (had cost a certain amount ■ of : money. Others had' reported that his> firsit Lieutenant, or the Chief Justice, was going to fee made High Commissioner. To ail of these .base calumnies (?) (he gaye am. emphatic denial. "Such vicious and malicious .stories," tsaid Sir Joseph, "reflected upon ftjhe people who circulated them." And Itihe people who read isuch undignified aind supercilious- rubbish wall merely utter "Fudge!" Sir Joseph Ward, Bar*., has returned. The populace (bias not made his return the .signal for a demonstration of popular en/tibuisiasm. It (treats itihe attempt .to cloak the important issues with a. fiafee appeal to isympajbhy with well-deserved derision. The people of New Zealand are anot concerned with Sir Joseph's private transactions. They do not care a snap of the finger whether he has bought an estate in Essex or an Timbuotoo. It is of little concern to them whether his baronetcy oast him £IOO or £IOO,OOO, or whether Ithe reports about .the High Ooanmdssiioinership .ate true or untrue;. Wfoiait they are seriously ooinoerned aibout is tie oiroumi'stanoe under which 'he allowed hinjiself to be trans'lated from a d'?mi»-' crat to an aristocrat of the first water. The honour may not, haws come to him (through the ordinary channels. It may, as he isMggesitß, have 'been "thrust upon him" by a grateful Monarch! But 'tlhiis will nut save him from the criticisms of his friends. When he itoas had time to peruse the newspaper files and. the , issues of "Hauaiard," !he will discovf,r

that his most candid loritios have ixx n such newspapers as the "Auckiind | Star," and isuoh politician's as Mr C H. Poole. The peopife are also anxious' to know why tho isohieane for :.n Imperial Cbumoil, which met with snob, short shrift from ihhe Imperial Conference, .should have bean described as the product of New Zealand, when, it was, in reality, -evolved by the. Prime Minister himself. This question Sir Joseph -will liav© an opportunity of answering from his place in the House.. Meanwhile, the taxpayers of New Zealand will be delighted ,to know thaft the. health of the Prime (Minister has not suffered from his trip, and- that he iniit<ends fighting tine coming -elections' without descending to person aLities. The pity is that he 'should not have added, "and without descending to a desperate and false appeal to the sympathy of the people." Wlhen he >says,_ "We will carry .on. the -general election to the uitimoisit of ouir policy," 'hie ispeaks rationally.' But, if the. utmost of his policy was contained in the Speech from fho Throne, then it is a poor, limp, negative sort of a (thing. .