POLITICAL NOTES

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2635, 18 October 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

DEMANDS FOR EXPENDITURE. (Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, October 16. The flood of deputations is arriving in steadily-increasing volume, and the demands for public expenditure are multifarious. These deputa tionists place members of Parliament who introduce them on the horns of a dilemma, because, if they subsequently preach economy, they are twitted by the Premier and Treasurer with inconsistency, especially if they belong to the Opposition party. In such circumstances it is difficult for Sir Joseph Ward to admit that demands for necessary expenditure and demands for general economy are not necessarily antithetical, and he always makes a gilx? at an opponent who urges the former and demands the latter. Logic is nothing to the Minister where the Opposition member is concerned. •HE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. It is expected that the debate on the. Address-in-Reply will be carried on. until Wednesday. There was a time when it was the"courteous, almost constitutional, practice for the Premier to immediately reply to the Leader of the Opposition in important debates. That practice was entirely abrogated by the late Mr. Seddon, who occasionally put up the smallest fry to follow the Opposition leader, and although the present Premier is too courteous to do such a thing, he took care on the present occasion to wait until the biggest Opposition guns were fired before starting his reply. There were few then left to effectively meet -the Premier’s eloquence, and fortune favored Sir Joseph Ward for the time being, inasmuch, as Mr. Herdman, who had been chosen, o follow him, was ill. Mr. Fraser made a fair substitute, but Mr.. Herdman is a much more telling debater. AN ADMIRER OF THE PREMIER. The Premier has many profound admirers in the Legislative Council, but none who can compare with the Hon. F. Trask. In resuming the debate ort the Address-in-Reply to-day, -he described Sir Joseph as being the most popular man in the world during the past six months. He had cited two great names in England, Oliver Cromwell and Pitt, and then proceeded to place Sir Joseph Ward cn a somewhat similar plane. He proceeded to say : “The Prime Minister has stirred up New' Zealand; he has stirred up Australia ; he lias stirred up Canada; he has stirred up South Africa, but more, sir, be has stirred up Great Britain. The Council didn’t even smile. One thing, however, the Premier succeeded in stirring up—Scotland. The honorable and venerable gentlemen of that name, following Mr Trask, denounced the proposed naval scheme with keen sarcasm, and launched out against the very dreadful condition into which New" Zealand had drifted in being dominated by one man. The Hon. Mr. Scotland is one of the few' life members left in the’ Council, and always exercises sturdy independence.