The Review of Reviews. 



August 1, 1906. 



Photo.} [J. ir. Beattie. Hohart. 



Mr Phil'tp S. Seager. 



Registrar of Deeds, and Collector o{ Stamp Duties, and 

 Begistrar and Collector of Probate Duties in the Supreme 

 ■Court of Tasmania. A recipient of the Imperial Service 

 Order. 



There has been a freely expressed 



The opinion that Mr. Hall Jones mil 



Unexpected. retain his hold of the reins till 



Sir Joseph Ward returns, and then 

 hand them over to him ; but, so far I 

 have been able to trace in the Premier's 

 tilterances nothing that commits him to that 

 line of action. He may think, as his late 

 chief did, that if Dame Fortune has left this favour 

 upon his doorstep, he cannot do better than take 

 charge of it. Besides, there is another factor in the 

 situation. The Premier is not the onlv man who 

 will have a voice in affairs, and, if rumour be true, 

 some of the members of the Cabinet will have a 

 voice, and a powerful one, in the final disposition 

 of things. In addition to that, there is a section 

 of the Liberal Party that has for some years hungrily 

 cast its eyes towards office. In it are some strong 

 men, stronger than some of the members of the 

 Cabinet, and there is just a possibility, first, of some 

 of the Cabinet refusing Sir Joseph Ward's leader- 

 ship, while quite content with that of Mr. Hall 

 Jones; and, second, of the formation of a second 

 party under Sir Joseph Ward — all of which tangle it 

 is impossible now to unravel. Time alone can tell 

 what shall be. Whatever happens, it is, however, 

 certain that long-lived Governments will not be the 

 order of the day. This was possible only with a 



dominating personality, and there is no one in the 

 House who comes anywhere near the late chief in 

 that respect. The House has been adjourned till 

 the return of Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. Seddons 

 voungest son. a youth of twent)-two years, has been 

 returned as M.H.R. for his late father's seat. 



The Real 



Directors of 



Progress. 



Xew Zealand is not going to stand 

 still. It must not be forgotten that 

 the men and women who supplied 

 the ideas that Mr. Seddon by reason 

 of his political power was able to develop, and who 

 made it possible for them to be carried out, are still 

 alive and as vigorous as ever. Although the leader 

 is the most outstanding man, Ke is yet powerless un- 

 less the community support him. and Xew Zealand 

 h.is been singularly fortunate in having a whole army 

 of people inspired with social reform ideas. It is 

 to the credit of voters just as much of leaders that 

 reform is carried through, and it must not be forgot- 

 ten that it is the people of Xew Zealand who have 

 carried the reforms. It is therefore only to be ex- 

 pected that reform will be just as ardent in the future 

 as in the past. Xew Zealand h.is led the way up to 

 now. She is not likely to drop behind in the future. 

 Public feeling has in the past been shaken to its 

 foundations by the aggressive campaigns of reform- 

 ers, and the efforts of these watchmen are not likely 

 to be relaxed. This force whoever comes into power 

 will have to reckon with. The army of social re- 

 formers, with faces towards the sunrise, is going 

 to march on irrespective of the personnel of the Pre- 

 mier to t>e. 



It is rather curious that, not only 

 A Curious was Sir Joseph Ward away from 



Coincidence. Xew Zealand when his chief died, 



but some of Mr. Seddon's most ac- 

 tive political opponents were not in the Parlia- 

 mentary- ranks. The last election, the tide of which 

 turned so strongly in favour of Mr. Seddon, swept 

 out men like Mr. T. E. Tavlor and Mr. Bedford. 

 The presence of Mr. Taylor in the House at this 

 juncture might have caused a precipitation of ele- 

 ments in unexpected directions, for he is a power 

 to be reckoned with. It is a strange thing that 

 the two most prominent men in Xew Zealand poli- 

 tics, next to Mr. Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. 

 Taylor, should have been absent, the one from the 

 colonv, and the other from political life, just at 

 this juncture. Meanwhile, however, events are shap- 

 ing themselves, and the verv near future will pro- 

 bablv ho'.d much of political surprise to Xew Zea- 

 landers. 



'\'et another factor appears in the 



* Third problem, making tlie situation still 



Complication. more difficult. There has been no 



Labour Party in New Zealand poli- 

 t'lcs. There was no need for it under the Liberalism 

 of New Zealand. But latelv there have been indica- 



