THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1912. INDICTING THE GOVERNMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 11 December 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1912. INDICTING THE GOVERNMENT.

Mr W. D. S. MacDouald, who held a Ministerial portfolio during the short and merrv reign of the Mackenzie Government, has thought fit to deliver himself of a splenetic address for the edification of those who are in the cold shades of Opposition, and who are likely to remain there for an indefinite period. Mr Mac Donald went to some trouble to ishow that the present Government i« occupying the Treasury benches at the will of certain members of Parliament, who had betrayed tho Liberal Government. Had he stated that it had been placed there bv members who toad been betrayed "by", the Liberal Government, he would have been nearer the mark. But assuming that his view of the matter be correct, how did the Mackenzie Government, of which he was himself ii member, come to office? Had it a- majority in the coun-

try? No. Had it a majority .n Parliament? No. Had it a policy? No. < Did it represent tho voice of the people? No. Then, what presumption it is on the part of Mr Mac Donald to question the position held by Mr Massey and his colleagues! Iho ox-Min-ister insinuated that tho present Government luul not given a square deal to many officers of the Government de- i partments. What does he mean? Has' ho tho temerity to assert that Govern- j ment officials have been victimised , because they received their appoint- ! rnents from previous Governments? It he has, then let him give specific ' data i n support of the charge. If he cannot do so, he will rest undei tho impeachment of having invented a story for the mere sake of casting a stigma upon tho party in power. His assertions in regard to the Public &ervico Bill are so disingenuous as to be unworthy of one who has occupied the position of a Cabinet Minister. He ! alleged, without adducing tho slightest evidence in support of the allegation, ! that the Act gave an absolute pull to the Ministry of the day. And almost ; in tho same breath he declared that ® the Government was making every "'l*" ' pointment it possibly could before the J Act camo into force. Why should tho Government be in such a desperate hurry to mako appointments if it has an "absolute pull" under the Act? I The argument is as flimsy and irra- ■ tioival as could possibly bo conceived. Mr Mao Donald, with questionable taste, introduced tho subject of Mr J. W. Poyuton, and his appointment to tho Magistracy. The member for Bay of Plenty said that Mr Allen liad blamed Mr Povnton in connection with certain defects in the administration | the State Guaranteed: Advance® I Board, and yet the Government had later appointed him as Stipendiary i Magistrate at Palmerston North. 1 Does Mr Mac Donald seriously argue

that because a man may not give every satisfaction in one position, he is necessarily unfitted to fill another? This is a style of reasoning which mav commend itself to good "Liberals." It will certainly not impress the intelligent thinker. The references ofMr MacDonakl to the co-operativo system and the finances of the country were equally unconvincing. In referring to the former, he said, "If the

Government were going to dispense with the co-operative system, it should have gradually worked the contract system in." No direct evidence has yet been furnished that the Government intends dispensing with the cooperative system. When that evidence is forthcoming, we may' depend

' upon it that the contract system will !bo gradually introduced. The jncm- | ber for Bay of Plenty states that, there must he gjreat disappointment because the present Government is not carrying on the same vigorous public works policy a s its predecessors. Granted that there is. Does Mr Ma-cDonald blame the present Government for the financial stringency? Ho stressed the point that while the Government was turning men off various railways, it had .secured' authority for tho construction of seven new railways at a i probable cost of a million of money, j That is <a nice red-herring to draw j across the scent ! What, in the name of goodness, has the authorisation of j railways to do with the expenditure I upon public works? Mr MacDonakl knows full well that an authorisation j does not mean the expenditure of j money upon the work. He knows also that not a single penny was voted last session for any one of the seven new railways that were authorised. Then why does he endeavour to mislead the public? Why is he not candid in him reference to the Government? If the pabulum he served up last week is to be regarded as a sample of tho eri- 1 tici-sm that may be expected from time to time from the defunct Liberal Party, the Government need have no fear of trouble from that particular quarter.