THE REFORM DEMONSTRATION

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1344, 23 January 1912, Page 4

THE REFORM DEMONSTRATION

. 4 It is no doubt significant of the changed conditions in the political atmosphere that while the Ministerialist section are very silent nowadays, the Reform party show great activity in all parts of the country, .Reform celebrations in one form or another appear to be the order of the day, and the big gathering to he held in Auckland to-morrow gives promise of being the most interesting of them all. It is fitting that some such recognition of the great victory won for Reform should lie made, and Auckland did so splen-, didly in the fight that no one can begrudge the northern city the honour of the occasion. These gatherings, however, if they arc to serve their full purpose, must do something more than afford an opportunity for the exchange of compliments. They should not merely mark the succcssful close of a long and hardfought political fight, but should rather serve as a _ rallying ground for a fresh and still more vigorous campaign. In defeating the Ward Administration,' the Reform partyhas made a good beginning towards remedying the grave abuses which have grown out of a too long continuance in office of the one set of politicians; but to complete the cure and replace the old order with a new and better condition of things will call for still further fighting, and the stronger the forces Dehind Reform, the easier and the quicker wilj this be done. Therefore it is desirable that these public gatherings to celebrate the success of the first step should be taken advantage of as a means of stimulating enthusiasm in the cause of Reform, and bf organising for . future efforts. ■Branches of the Reform party should be formed in all parts of New Zealand. In Wellington the Women's Branch of the Reform League did more than any other organisation to convej; to the women of this city the necessity for reform, and the members of the branch probably did more than all the men put together in the real, solid work of house-to-house visits to ensure the enrolment of electors and the recording of their votes on polling day. The members of this branch of the league have set an example to the rest of the Dominion of. what can be done in the face of adverse conditions; and now that the tide has turned in real earnest there should be little difficulty in founding similar branches in most places throughout New Zealand. So also with the men. When the Reform party takes over the reins of Government it' will have its hands very full at. first in clearing up administrative weaknesses and abuses. Later it will require to push forward its legislative programme, and an active public opinion will prove of very great assistance in this direction. Moreover, although we do not think there will be another general election in the immediate future, it is just as well to be prepared for that eventuality, so that • the victory which would almost certainly again fall to those who are fighting for Reform might be made as sweeping as possible. It is not likely that Mr. Massey will have anything very definite to say at Auckland to-morrow regarding his future intentions. The time ha's not yet arrived for that; but it is just as well that he should understand that the country at the proper time expects a clear and straightforward pronouncement from him as to the order in which he intends to proceed to give effect to the policv ' on which he fought the elections, 'it is of course impossible to accomplish everything i\t once, and it will not be an easy thing for him, perhaps, where so ranch requires to he doim, to make up his mind as to the questions most urgently calling for attention.'