THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1911. A MINISTER'S IDEALS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10406, 29 August 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1911. A MINISTER'S IDEALS.

The Hon. T. Mackenzie, the estim- ■: able Minister for Agriculture,, whiosre name is .hieing persistently mentioned in Connection with the High Commissioner,ship, has recent-j ly iaultivated isome very thigh ideals —idieals whidh are a little above; wihiat he hias probably oome into con-;! itact with. in. the Cabinet of which; ibe is a member. Speaking at Wan-j ganUi the other day, he its reported j ito have said— "We should ifouiM. tip our Parliament. v W'hiat, strikes f on© is that year .by. year fosis is said in our Hous» and: on the. liuisitaingis; about the real questions that matter—that lay at tile bottom of tObe , woH-beirig of the community. When. | do you linear an intelligent discussion ■upon tlbe ptroper utilisation of our, lands, the neoiissity" 1 of % iLncneasing tfcbedr productivemeas, the placing of those products on the markets of! the world, and the prospects of widlening the range of markets for the absorption, of our pfrodmctis? When, is the position .stated of -competing; countries and their ability to dis,place us in thiese miarbets? ' How isefldom do we (hear,, if ever, analyses* into the causes ispelllng thie isucoess Of the respective, 'countries in. which, w© are able to carry on. a profitable commerce? Too much, time is devoted to unearthing remarks from imuisty documents and votes recorded, subject to oonditiooi'S which have entirely altered. It iis essential that •we ishiould! .take Xtihese. matters to heart and change, if possible, the present tendency, in order that we may 'build up and not tear down.. in order thlat we may attract the ibetsit to the councils of tine nation." To the above remarks the whole countryside will exclaim, "Hear, hoar!" A,s the Minister well isays,: too much timie is demoted; to unearthing remark® made fby Mr Buchanan), or 1 somebody else, a decade or (two ago, wlhen the condition® were entirely different to what they are to-day. When do we 'hear of

an inteHigeut discussion of questions •affecting the well-being of the community? When do we find an attempt" made to deal with the ethics of political economy? Do wie hear anything in our Parliament mow-a-diay,s which can compare with the utterances of .such men a® Rollefirtonj, or Grey, or Fitzhedbert, or Sir. William Russell, or Jdhn Ba'llanoe? Unhappily we do not. But why? Is ilk aioib lairgely on account of the degrading influences of patronage, and and professional polities ? By ail means let us build up our Parliament. Let us. attract the best men to the councils of tie nation. Let uis get at the real questions .affecting the well-heing. of the > comm. unity. If, as the Hon. T. Mackenzie isays, (there is being less said) year by year concerning tine- important national questioous, let us, as'k •ourselves the re a. son why. If those iat present holding rtihie treirns of office cannot stem, the .backward tide, as .they obviously ha.ve failed 1 to do in the past, let us piaoe men in power who will make an honest and determinedl effort to do so. The Hon. T. Mackenzie has supplied a battlecry for .the Opposition at the coming elections. Let us "budlid up our. Parliament."