The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1912. THE OPPOSITION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1912. THE OPPOSITION.

Herb and there, in the press of the Dominion aii'occasional item of news ov comment concerning the Opposition can be found, but on the. whole this important suctiou of the ■ Parliamentary maehiue has been rather neglected since the downfall; of the Continuous Government. The journals, which, when l.he "Liberal" party was in office, seldom appeared without some favourable reference co those at its head, arc now, when .it is so sadly in need of cncouragc-

.ment, strangely silent. There would almost seem to be a conspiracy of silence for the time being amongst the supporters of the Opposition, and particularly is this the case on the question of the leadership of the party. The reason for this is not altogether dillicult to understand. In the lirst place no doubt it was only to be expected that after over twenty yea'rs of oilice it would take a little time for the party to get over the shock of removal and to become accustomed to the new condition of things. But there is something more than this behind the silence of the Opposition. The party is faced with the task of selecting a Leader, and unfortunately for itself its experiences with its leaders since 190G have been particularly unhappy. It still has Sir. Joseph Wakd 'and Mn. Thomas Mackenzie in its ranks, but it has fared ill under both of these gentlemen. Moreover, Mn. Mackenzie's prospects for the High Gommissiorjci'&hip are said to be far too i'oay to make him a serious factor in the situation. But it may be asked if both of the members named arc written out on account of their past failure and for the other reason stated, who remains in the party fitted for the position ? If Mr. G. \V. Russell were asked this question ha would probably have little hesitntion in supplying the answer; a.virl the friends of Mn. Laurenson would also be -willing to produce a leader to their liking. There, is also the member for the Hntt, Mn. Wilfokd, although he has rather discounted his chances, if he has any ambitions to lead the disorganised remnants of "Liberalism," by his curious attitude of late. Outside the four members named, however, it is impossible to select anyone who by any stretch of imagination can be considered to possess any claims to fitness for the office. This being the case it is not at all surprising that the party should be much em-' barrassed in the matter of choosing its leader.

In so weak a field the member for Awarua might be regarded as the most likely to secure the vote of the party, but it is still fresh in the minds of the "Liberal" factions in Parliament that their present unpleasant plight is entirely due to his bungling of the situation since the elections. That but for his clinging to office Mr. Massey would have gone on to the Treasury Benches in February last dependent on >the Labour vote, and in such circumstances could not have hoped to carry on successfully for long. Furthermore, but for the behaviour of Sir Joseph Ward the paTty would not have been so badly split as it has. been by the scheming which produced the makeshift Mackenzie Ministry. ■ These facts, in conjunction with his lack of success as a leader, as shown by the rapid dwindling away of the huge majority he inherited from Mr. Seddon, will prove a heavy handicap for him to face at the party caucus when it comes to choose its leader. Still, with the assistance of Sir James Carroll, ho may be expected to make a bold bid for the position. Mr. G. W. Russell, as a large landholder, may not bo palatable to the Radical section of' the party which may prefer Mr. Laurenson ; but whoever may be chosen thu prospect of him being able to bind together the disunited and disaffected factions which go to constituta the Opposition, is not a rosy one. The Labour members presumably will elect their.own leader and endeavour to make their weight felt as a separate party with a view to stimulating the efforts of Labour outside Parliament in anticipation of the _ next elections. They may work with the Opposition to some extent, but they are not likely to fetter themselves with an.alliance which may in the, future, as in the past, make Labour a mere appendage to "Liberalism" and prevent the development of a united Labour party along the lines laid down by the political organisation they are striving to assist. It is just_ possible, of course, that the Opposition may not be able to choose a leader satisfactory to the party and may in consequence split up into separate factions. _ This would no doubt right itself in a little time, but we should be sorry to see a weak Opposition in the House' for any length of time. It is in the interests of the country that, whatever .Government may be in office, there should bo a strong' and capable Opposition, able to detect any weaknesses either in legislation or in administration, and prompt to keep the public fully informed of such shortcomings.