The Dominion. MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1912. THE POLITICAL FUTURE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1414, 15 April 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1912. THE POLITICAL FUTURE.

The step' taken to form a United Labour party, coupled as it is with a determination to cut adrift completely from "Liberalism," may possibly mark the beginning of important changes in the politics of the country. We say possibly because it is not by any means certain that the delegates who have been attending the Unity Conference at Wellington really represent the solid body of "workers" throughout the Dominion. It is an undoubted fact that for many years now organised labour has been very unfortunate in its choice of leaders, and partly in consequence of this a large proportion of those associated with the different unions have taken little interest in the affairs of their respective organisations. Moreover, outside the ranks of organised labour is a large body of workers not under the influence of the Labour leaders, at all. The weakness of the Labour party has been mainly due to the weakness of its leaders. AVith a few exceptions these have proved themselves agitators pure and simple. Men who apparently think their chief and only business is the creation of industrial strife and Hie stirring of class passion. These mis-chief-makers have no breadth of outlook, little constructive ability, and do not in most cases command the respect even of those whose cause they profess a desire to serve. They thrive ou the unrest they create, and the more moderate and thoughtful of their fellows realise citiite well that no real or lasting advance e.nn be made under such guidance. The hope for Labour as a united parly rests on tile possibility of it securing new leaders wlm will command the confidence of labour' generally, and not merely the support of one or two unions—a support gained perhaps by means and for reasons which afford no guarantee of fitness for any other than routine secretarial duties. If, remain* to be »een whether the ok- , uai'turc now. made ia an endeavour

to unite the different sections of labour under tlie ime banner will have the effect of raising organised labour out of tin; nurt'ow rut into which it has drifted, and place it on the broader foundation necessary if the Labour party is to have any' hope at all of dominating the politics of the country in tnfc manner aspired to. While, doubts may exist as to the extent to which the step taken may result in the welding together of organised labour, there ran be 110 question that the determination to cut adrift entirely from the "Liberal'' party should have a beneficial effect in assisting to draw a clearer line of division between the political parties in New Zealand. There is, of course, the danger of the three-part.v system developing out of the situation, with all the evils of short-lived Governments, dislocated administration, and unholy alliances built on illogical nml unworthy compromises of .policy; but this state of things is I hardly likely to arise. What is more probable is that should the -United Labour party make any progress at I all, there will he a division of the "Liberal" party —the extreme. Radical section will drift over to Labour, while the less extreme portion will find themselves more in sympathy with the platform and policy of the Reform party. At the present time there arc a good many members on the Government side of the House— especially the country members—who must at times find the company of their Radical associates somewhat uncongenial, and this would be still more the case with the driving power of a Labour-Socialist element forcing the pace. We have always been pleased to give the Labour party credit for putting forward definite aims. With many of the ends aimed at for improving the position of the wage-earners we are in agreement, though the methods proposed to attain those ends in many cases we believe to be unwise and detrimental to the interests of the community. The policy of the "Liberal," party on the other hand, in recent years has had nothing definite about it beyond the very clear determination to promise anything likely to assist to keep in office the Government of the day. This has had a most disturbing and

tinsettling influence. The country has been kept in a stale of uncertainty. never knowing from day to day what fresh legislative surprise would be sprung on it by those in office, and never certain whether the

proposals brought forward or promised would be given effect to. A readjustment of parties on the lines suggested above would have the effect of giving the electors a clear choice between the moderate and progressive policy of the Reform party and the more extreme and Socialistic aims of the Labour party. If the

unity movement amongst the leaders of organised labour should bring about this new order of things it will certainly have done some good, though not perhaps entirely in the manner intended.