PRESS OPINIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 13, 23 December 1911, Page 6

PRESS OPINIONS.

NO GOING BACK, ' : - \ Tho Christchurch . "Evening News" J thinks that the-"inspired . articles" of | tho' "Lytteiton Times" indicate tliut. the ; resignation of tho Governmeut is immin- j ent, "and 'that, as a matter' of tactics, j Sir Joseph Wahl Considers'.his position « will' be" better if Mr. Massey, instead ot ( himself, has to meet' a no-conlidehco . motiou." But the."Xews" does not think ] tlio Keforiu.. party has_ much ; to fear, : (vhiitever linppniis. • "While it is perfectly , certain thai• Mr. uUa'sscy can carry a no- ; ionfidenco motion -against' Sir. Joseph ( iVard.in tlio new' Parliament, it-'by. no ( iiiea'ns' follows that' Sir Joseph TVard ran ( iiislo'dgo a lieforui ' Government :.'in the ( sainoi way. ■ .As'suming' Mr.'Massey lakes ( ■ibftice, before -Sir Joseph. Ward challenges ( his position he must confer with His fill- ( lowers and.be sure that they are as faith- 1 ful to him in opposition-as they were j .when .he.was in .power. Some of them. ■ may be disposed to give Mr. -Massey a j fair and nearly all of them will be j disinclined to put him out, .unless there ( is a reasonable chance of.au appeal to the country under -what look like wiu- , ning conditions. Needless to eay, tho , chance, of a revulsion of reeling- .through- • ( out the country in favour, of Wardism ( is • so remote • that' even .tho most • ardent supporter ./.of- it j cannot look forward to another election : with any Katner than ■ court disaster they will arguo' that it is better to sit tight for. the present ( and- await a more ' favourable oppor- , timity of attacking the.liclorni Govern- ( ment in the constituencies. . If h\r ( Joseph Ward is anxious, to stake . every- , thin* on another throwj 'and insists on ' trviiig to displace Mr, then-.be ] caui-iug a mutiuy amongst his ( supportprt?. Those who do not ; woftt another election' under any circumstances would probably refuse to-follow linn, and , in that case tho' attempt - Mi. Massey would b© defeated- beioro it was made. .The Wardist party. hiiS really no alternative but a prolonged ,'swll in opposition, and its deration will _ dip4nd not' so much on"the tactics it adopts as on tho extent to which thb Keform Government "makes good." If the lieform policy is faithfully and conscientiously < carried out, the party will gather support all along, tho line, and. there will be no possible chance of a reversion to 1 tho old order, of things. The inability ot the Reformers .to co-ordinate the demands of Labour with the interests of the peo-plo'-os a whole may result in the labour party becoming at no distant date a more fonnidable opponent than the anl party, but if the Reform Govermnent does its duty fearlessly it need not tt-ar the assaults of either. MINISTERIALIST PAPER'S ADVICE. The "Lvttelton: Times" says.:—"lf Sir Joseph thinks only "of his own personal comfort and political, opportunities' he will not he.over anxious to. attempt, a task-whicli his opponents are so eager-to undertake. If he is careful-for .his own interests alone ho will allow Mr. and his friends to. propound-their policy to the new Houso of Representatives from the Treasury 'benches and- sclect his own time to: challenge their elaim I o possess the coniidence of a majority of the mem'Kpi'i TV The Liberals now have an opportunity to put their liouso in order by getting rid of faint-hearted supporter* who value office rather than principles, and who are always, looking tor success rather than for sacrifice. Tranklj wo should bo better pleased to see f>ir loscph Ward and his colleagues crossing to tlie other side of. the House tlnn remaining where they are by the will ot a narrow and unreliable majority. UNENVIABLE POSITION, Sir Joseph Ward's-position U not an enviable ouo.(says the "Mamiwatu hlaudard"). Ho is beset ;.on all . stiles. ->oo the least'awkward which he has placcd himseifas that ot tulhlliug promises of appointments to the Legislative Council. A number of old supporters of'tho Administration wero coaxe<l out or ilie wav of more promising candidates for I'arliament, -and tho inducement used could .hardly have been other than a seat in our "Lpper House/ To what othoi-u-e has tho Legislative Council been put. in recent years? It has merely been a. place where tho servants of a. powertul party havo been pensioned off. If tho '['reinier fulfils his promises he will be in an awkward position in view ot tho fact that ho is at present not enjoying tho confidence of the country, and such a step would rather seriously jeopardise his chances at the election which must. f-0011 come. In. other.respects .tlio I'remier is awkwardly.situated. He has hud his Cabinet very seriously weakened by (ho ■ defeat of tiid Attorney-General and tlio retirement of the Hon. Geo. Fowlds, with the result that the administrative body is now rather a sickly affair. • There- are also numerous election promises to fulfil, j but wo may expect none of these lo l;o rhrrird out'under tho existing conditions. The Premier, has several courses open to him. but the ono ho has been advised most , frequently to . tako is to call tlio Home together as soon as possible after I he. .Christmas" holidays and test the real state of' tho parties. In any case, it would appear, that, there is a strong probability of un'elcction.before many.' pionths are'-over. A WARDIST VIEW.. "The impetuous desire of Mr. .Massey and . his friends to secure the reins of office is quite amusing. They give the Government no possible chance of being able to carry oil tlio business of the country, regardless of the fact that Mr. Massey is in identically the same posi- ; tioji. Their ono and-solo desire is lo oust the Government from power; and they- imagine that- if they crv loud ; enough the Government will, like the walls of' Jericho, suddenly collapse. . . . We nre inclined to think that Sir Joseph Ward would be acting in the best interest; of' his 'own. party' if he resigned and .allowed the Leader ot the ■ Opposition to ti-v his hand at Cabinetmaking. Mr. Massey would no doubt succeed in forming a. Ministry, but lie would .have to rely on tho Independents and Labour members to retain his position, which probably, would bo as insecure 'as Sir Joseph Ward's now seems to he. Tho plain truth is that tho parties are too'evenly divided to make tlio formation of a strong, progressive Government at all probable. '—Waugamii "Her--1 aid." ' t A PLEA FOR REST. I .One aspect of the situation of considi erablo importance has not b'eeD mention- . ril by our contemporaries, and that is , tlio necessity.' for minimising tlio dis- , turbauce of ordinary business aml-.pri-r vato affairs. .It is tlio duty of the lead- . era of both parties, and of' the Houso as . a whole, lo. arrange for the conduct of t the country's business iu tho maimer [ best calculated to ensure u period of rest , to the people. The recent elections excit- £ ed very strong feeling, aild tliCTe is no . doubt tliaj; interference with tho usual routino of the occupations of tho peoplo was protracted and serious. Wher- * ever - oiuo turns now one hears a strong . demand for "ft rest from polities." Bankers, tlio heads of mercantile firms, representative retailers, small shopkeepers-and '• farmers, all emphasise the necessity of ensuring sufficient time for business cur--1 rents to return to their settled channel l! before tho country, is again convulsed : with a genoral election. This necessily, ' v-hl-ely felt, Parliament is bound to tali/) s into consideration. If Sir Joseph Ward is satisfied that, he does not command a o majority ho will no,doubt resign.. If he t is doubtful, as to the exact position of t parties lu: will probably summon Parliao inent to meet early next year in , order t to test the question. If Sir Joseph Ward d resigns and Mr.' Massey is called upoii.lo it form a Ministry, then Mr. Ma«sey'wil| "fubabiy allow' mattere to take their

course until tlie usunl merlins 'inn- lor I Parliament in .1 mho. .U'.VarJium.onl mtris i in January itaJjiMnuss should !.»n \ oil to a decision 'oil ltnVtim.'.-tion «.■> io which patty lias a majority, ;uul tint ji party liavjug been in>tacleil on tin l <iov- 1 ermnfriit bcuclir*, l'ur]inni?nt: should bo i Vfuroijueil until.June. Another scimtjil 1 election. in the lir-A hall of would i Uy unwclconio tu the jiuo|il<v ;unl its elfeet upon l»usine>? might be serious.— n "lioulblaud Times." j PROSPECTS OF A REFORM MINISTRY ! : who are bo-t competent to judfre, f including public men and Die pr<'?s"6u '■ ■both .bides, do riot-ItCMljiit! Io .-ay that \ .Sir Joseph Ward is, defea'etl. and that • il i.s tor him to. carry on t!i>> j Government with Parliament, as ß now con- 1 stituted. Ilis jK.»sil,ion. i.* jnuiv thsjn un- 1 stable; it is-completely undermined; ami • he only hold*'office for tho purpose' ot admiui-sterini; tlio all'airs of the country .until Parliament can be called topHher to consider the situation. . .. • It ilassoy forms a -Ministry; as .according-to < all .precedent he must Ijs invited to do, J lie still has his solid party of thirty-seven, j and it remains to be seen whether the < bout* men, .the Independents, and tliroi* { Maori members (leaving Jlr. Xgata onto) j the question, since he cannot well d«MM't j his Ministerial, chief) will among them | <rtvo him. sufficient support to carry on. ( or ' wliether they will • all v ofx> against . him, arid- so endeavrur to foruo another ] appeal to the country, t hese are. tlio only alternatives, for-Sir.Joseph Wan) is ( not likely-to. retire from 1 the Iremiorchip in ; favour of - Mr. Millar, or anyone • else.on his side. Now, it: mav. be-taken • for-granted that, very few, -if -auy ; :«t j the members: just elected will, it tlie> , can'possibly'avoid it, give-up tho-post- j tions thev have attained at rolisidernbio ( cost of tiinn and money. If another , election took place soon tho chances are that several more Government seats ; would be lost, and-Mr. Massey be- returned with an-'Absolute • majority, including a member for • Kgmoftt. On that.ground we think another appeal to the. countrv before Mr.-' Massey has a { chance, of showing what' lie is prepared to ( "do* may be dismissed as outside the bounds'of probability. Rnther than that, ve -feel 'certain- half a dozen •members, or. more if necessary, will be prepared to give Mr. Massey a chance tor - a se«iou. These half-dozen may no found among tho ~ Labour, ' Independent:. _ and Maori niembors,-while .there arc probably others who. have supported sir Joseph Ward who will at least decline to vote to put a new Ministry out until it has had a, fair' opportunity of proving its mettle '. . • .Wo.are disposed to tbiiiK that-Parliament will lie summoned next month, and-, that the reins will lie handed i oyer to Mr. Massey, .whose. Ministry: will meet Parliament in the ordinary course of- things in'Mayor-Juno-next., 'ike term of his 'office. depend? .upon the., new . 'Ministry's . ability .to hold own .party together and attract new recruits.— Jura- . n'aki Herald."'. , WARDISM'S LAST DITCH. "Further, when consideringV Mr.. Massoy's- capacity' to carry on tho government, it must not.bo forgotten that H ere are. rocks ahead for. tho. Opposition, it placed' in power, in the Legislative Council. Tho great majority of. the members of that bodv are pledged supporters ot the Liberal party, and until the Council has been filled by supporters of tho Massey, party, there will be but a poor chance of Massey legislation being placed on the Statute-Book of the Dominion. A feature of the Massey. programme is reform of the Legislative Council,, but. in any scheme of that kind tho members of the Council themselves must be a consenting party."—"Dannovirko Advocate. VOTES FOR AND.AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT; Sundry journalistic supporters of the Government, intent-on - trying to make the'best of a bad case, liavo been arguing that-in spite of tho result of the elections, the country is really favourable to the Ward' Administration. It this is so, it must bo admitted that tho country has an. odd way of showing its regard and esteem. . . , AVe can safely assume that every vote cast for any other than a' Government candidate at tho first ballots was .a vote .cast against the Government. A rough calculation of tno votes polled on that occasion shows:— Votes for Government candidates 193,000 Votes for other than Government candidates 270,000 i Majority against Government candidates n,OOO We havo given the. Government the benefit of such "Independents" as Mr. Myers and Mr. Isitt, whose wholly accidental juxtaposition emphasises. the .saying that "politics makes, strange .bedfellows. It must be remembered that the Opposition party contested only sixty-three, of tho seats. With regard to the second ballots, taken in thirty electorates,'we havo tho following .figures:—. , - . . . . ... . Votes.- for Government: -candi- - dates . 75,000 Votes for other'than Government' candidates ««' -MMM Majority ' against Government candidates ; 11,000 Or, taking'the 45 '.'completed elections at tho first ballots, and the' 30 that'went ,to a second ballot—that is, the actual voting by which the'European'members'of the new House!wero.elected—wo lind'that tho votes cast for Government candidates numbered, in round -figures, 19fi,000, as against 262,000 polled-for other than Government candidates, and therefore wo contend, against the Government. The people who believe, in face 1 of these figures, that the Government still possesses the- confidence of tho majority of the | people would believo anything—evch their own calculations. ... If, as we ara asked to believe, tho country still fav. ours tho Government, Sir Joseph Ward has good reason to remark with tho poet, It was all very well to dissemble your love. ■ i But why did you kick me downstairs? The country 'has dissembled with marked success.—Christchurcli "Press." MR. KAIHAU'S REJECTION. The Maori elections leave Sir Joseph Ward no option but to call .I'urliiinieiit together as t|uickly as possible to decide tho fato of his Government. _ His .only object, in delaying handing his resignation to the Governor was to await the result of recounts on the second, ballut, and tho return of the Native members. Both of these 'issues have .gone against liiiii, and further illustrate the impossibility of any Ministrv formed- ,by liirn undertaking the government of tho country. The defeat 'of Mr. Ivaihau tor the Western Maori district is peculiarly Gratifying to the Kefo'rm .party, and affords striking justification, .if further iustification were needed, of the. charges brought ' against that faithful-supporter of tho Administration by Mr. lime. I ho member for. Stratford has , the further satisfaction.-of knowing that although even* possible effort: was made to aecoiuvlish .his, defeat his constituents thoroughly approve of his puWlicxspirited stand I'oi' clean government..-"Dannc-virko Evening News." THE MAORI VOTE. Of one' tiling we aro certain, and that j, if the present.--or any other Government, when 'discredited with the Liiro„eau elections, seeks to hang on. to olh.ee with tho aid of nie'-Mnori votcs. it \vill ■ raise in an', acute form the question ' whether • the - time has Tiot arrived wlieu the Maoris should, bo placed-on ' the same footing as European-settlers-I entitled,to vote in tho.electorate in which they live, in tho usual way, but with- ' out any special representation. At pre- ' sent they aro given greater electoral m- ' lluenco Hian Europeans. Upwards of -1000 ' European electors in. Christchurch North. 1 for instance, have to be content with one 1 representative in tho House, whereas 21H ' Maori voles wero sufficient to return .Mr. ' Taare l'arata for tho Southern Maori district.—Tho "Pre®." i ; : ' UNWORTHY TACTICS. I AVo 'liavo already exposed the hullon--I ness of the Ministerial catch-cry. about tho Kefonn partv. Ijeing anbgonistic to J Labour. Jtut political fictions die hard. [ AVe havo now a section of the quondam L supiiorters of 'the di>::reil-ited (iovern- , irient i-eVerring'to 'flic.]N'f6rjnoi-s iu= "(lie F party' of reaclion."' rer-i.-.tent nff.irU . are also being made to l'o?'er among Hie • working-clasps the fear that if the-Ke- [ formers get into power tliey will attempt i to uiido iiiuoli ot I he ■ fyjlwun 'legislation I v hich is now.mi the Slatutc Book. We ? do noi boliors that .unworUy- tactics of

this kiml have any rihancn nf sucwd- 1 in'.'. • The great. ni'o-s ul cli-i-liu> wito.-n vult? have sealed I ho. doom of,the War J 11 mi ri i"-.t r:i I itiit arc too well inftirincil, mill |hi--i>s (no iniicli inlf-lligcui-o l'i Iji' deceived by mhli gins-, anil palp:ililf mii-repi'CH-ulations. They know tin',.l iho Kefoniiois. far. from being 'I lie nart.v of reaction," nr«-. flic name ;l:rv iiave 'adopted indicate*. tho narlv nf 'reform ■ and progress. Their motto i's "onwards" mil "liiclr«aril?."" . . . To reprcr-ent a. parly inspired In mii-Ii reforming zeal as a parly nf reaction ir. life height nf ali.-urdilv. V e believe, as all who know the lei,lris of the party and the high ainiN which tliev have --el- l>el'oro them must lielieve, thai Iho advent to power nf Mr. anil his parly would prove 1 llin eommenreinent of a new ora, for the ; Dominion—an era. of increased cm ploy 1 nienl. and trade ami general pro«iw>ritv — Auckland "Herald." THE BOYCOTT. Tho Hijie charges. Uie Al'-kau disclosure, aim. the newspaper bowotl went largely to brinpr. jUjout tho downfall of the Ward <iorcrtim«nt. at the «aneral election. .The Wai'dist parlv fcoli-hlv • got: it into iu head thai it li'ad u niortt»BS the 31 inislerial benches, and it llnutcd public, opinion in the must barefaced manner. Members of tho Cabinet dealt with tho country's monev as t.liaugli it was their own. and the manner in- -wliieU lliey boycotted newspaper* that were opposed to theui amounted to.« public scandal. Tho scaad.il''till continues and will continue until the Ward .Government' is. turned out of office. In another part of our issne to-day \v& publish the. railway arrangements for the ■Christmas and New Year holidays. This l.sa. mailer c.l- vital public concern, and duo to which ill the interests of' the ta xpavers the-fill lest publicity should be given.* It pleases the -Ward Government, to refuse the publication of this advertisement to the "Kveiring News' 1 because we uphold the policy of the Reform party. The boycott- nf this journal involves no consideration for the taxpayers, who, if the Government had its way, would be penalised to gratify political spite. In order that our readers may not- sutler any inconvenience, however, we publish the advertisement' at our own expense. The country has now ' been aroused to • the need for Reform, and we shortly hope to; receive ..from the Government Adver-tising-Department that consideration that our. growing circulation—the largest'circulation of, any newspaper published : n Southern Hawke's Bay—demands.—Dannevirke ' "Evening . News." . ■ .. -' NORTHERN MAORI ELECTORATE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland, December 22. The returning officer for the. Northern Ataori electorate has. received the final results ■. by . ftlegriim ns .follow—Tc R-augihiroa, 10H2; Riapo Poliipi, G27; Moetura, 501; Wirinehua, 455.;.Te Paa, 413; Rapihalia, 295; lhaka, 2!jl; Poiowiui, 261; Kowh'ili; 42; Netana, 26; Tito, 25.