NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2314, 23 November 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Wkesthnq with the problem of repudiating any alliance between the Wardists and the Red Federation without offending his Social Democratic friends, Sib Joseph Ward at Raneiora last week gave utterance to the following delightfully lucid outburst:—

"At tlie present election, so far as my knowledge 'goes, there are as many Bed Feds, standing against 'the . Literals iii Now Zealand as there were at the last general election; and if the suggestion i 3 made that wo are in alliance with.them, .1 want to know how any rational being in this country can reconcile what I am telling you now as a fact that these representatives axe standing—and they have a perfect right, to stand—neither I nor anyone else can take any exception to that—but if there aTe so many of the Eed Feds, standing at tho present election —and that is going to cost the Liberals standing in this contest just as much as it is the Reformers—l want to know what the men who call themselves the leaders of public opinion in 1 this country-can say upon a point of that kind."

Having reduced his audience to a state' of, despair over_ this awful conundrum it was a 'simple matter for Sir Joseph Ward to wriggle away from the subject with a declaration that he had made no arrangement with the "Red Feds" in connection with the general election. It is not Sie Joseph Ward, however, who is charged with making'the arrangement, although Mr. Hiram Hunter,-the Social Democrat President, in a recent speech at Christchurch, led the world to believe that such was the case. The point, is that the Wardist Party made a working arrangement with the Social Democrats, who are the political branch of 4he Bed Federation. It may be that Sir Joseph Ward regards himself as the Wardist Party, and possibly tho time is not far distant when no one will be able to dispute his claim. He became leader of the party when it had a majority of over 40. In less than three years that majority had dropped by-22, and three years later there was no majority at all. Now he is again facing the electors, and if lie is as successful in getting rid of his following as he has been in his two previous essays then indeed he may be in a position to claim that he is not only the leader but the whole party. In tho meantime, however, we fear that Sir Joseph Ward 1 can only Bpcak for himself in this matter. The facts of the alliance or understanding between the Social Democrats and the Wardists have been too widely admitted, and, indeed, are too self-evident to bo covered up by tho personal disclaimers of individuals. . It is the party that 'counts, as Mr. Hindmarsh pointed out so forcibly a few days ago.

The anxiety of the Social Democrats to carry but their share of the bargain with the Wardists appears to be causing somo embarrassment to the latter. In their zeal to assist to securo the return of a Wardist candidate for Timaru they appear to have taken upon themselves the function of an organising committee, and are at present engaged in selecting a candidate "to contest the seat in the interests of the Liberal Party led by Sir Joseph Ward !" The Labour-Socialists who have undertaken this kindly office explain that they are dissatisfied with. Mr. Graioie, who is standing as an Independent. This seems a little hard upon Mr. Guaigie, who has always cherished some vague and undefined t aspirations in the direction of independence, but has very seldom failed to sink back into comfortable subservience to Sir Joseph Ward at the crack of the party whip. However, the Red Feds, of Timaru are determined that the authority of the "Liberal" Party must bo asserted and Mr. Craigie disciplined. Looked at from outside, it is a'situation not without its comical aspect, but Sir Joseph Ward must feel something like, the lady ,who returned home and found that a neighbour had obligingly called in and spanked hor children. . ,

Although he was new to political life when ho entered Parliament three years ago, Mr. G. R.- Sykes,_ the representative of Masterton, quickly became known as a useful member, not only in the House itself, tut upon the Select Committees which do the spade-work of Parliament and carry out very important duties in connection with the promotion and passage of legislation. Whilo ho has shown himself a thoroughly efficient and capable country member, the speeches wiioh Mr. Sykes has lately been delivering in support of his candidature furnish the best possible evidence that he has a sound grasp upon tho general political questions of the day. Ono important question which he, in common with some other Wellington district members,-has kept prominently before Parliament, is that of the Rimutaka deviation. Hacked by the district local bodies, Mr. Sykes and other members have so,far succeeded in their agitation for a deviation which would climina/te tho present barrier that tho Government has decided to complete the survey of the Tauherenikau route, which was partly carried out some years ago. Mr. Sykes is confident that the ultimate verdict will be in favour of this route, so that when the I survey is completed there should be no further excuse for delaying the commencement of a work which will materially promote tho interests of the Wairarapa and tho City of Wellington.

Sotporters of the Government are getting a good deal of fun out of Sir Joseph Ward'b mysterious hints at a plan in Ms possession for cheapening everything for everybody in tho matter of food supplies. For twentyone years when in office he was unable to make any of these wonderful discoveries for giving the .public cheap milk and most and bread, but anxiety to get back to the Treasury benches seems to have sharpened his wits. Unfortunately for the public ho hugo his discovery to himself, and with that fine spirit of patriotism which characterises so many of our Wardist friends, declines to disclose his recipe for cheapening tha necessaries of life unless tho public return him to office. Now, if Sir Joseph Ward really had made such a discovery—a secret which the whole world has been seeking for hundreds of years—then it would be a very wrong thing, indeed for him to deprive suffering humanity of the benefits he has to bestow. \ Unhappily, however, Sir Joseph AVard 'is not to be taken too seriously in such matters. The people of New have had previous experience of the worthy baronet's fondness for deal-' ing in mystery, and have good reason to be sceptical. In the year of the foundation of this journal, it may be recalled, Sir Jobeph Ward returned from Europe almost bursting with the importance of an announcement he had been privileged to make to us. 'He hinted at the transports of joy into whicE the country would be thrown when he disclosed tho glad tidings entrusted to him. After 24 hours of agitated suspense the announcement was formally, made at a mass meeting of citizens hereNew Zealand was to be a colony no longer, but, a Dominion, and Sir Joseph Ward, instead of being merely Colonial Treasurer, would be known as Minister of Finance. Poor Sir Joseph, how very flat that announcement fell! More recently he had all those who had'had no experience of hia curious little ways agog with interest over his mysterious remedy guaranteed to cure the worst of strikes within two days. For weeks he talked and hinted and nodded his head wisely, and looked knowing," and quite a lot of people believed that he really had some hall-marked device for ending strife and discord. And then the disclosure came—he would read the Riot Act; that was his great panacea for industrial strife: soldiers and bayonets. And now this man of mysteries has another surprise packet carefully held back for election'day. He is going to disclose to the world (after .the election is over, of course). the secret of cheap food, beginning with the milk supply. Picture the delight of the public when it learnß that "in of the people as a whole" an Act is to be passed making it compulsory for all cows of a given age to increase their yield of milk per day. This might be followed by drastic measures of a similar nature designed to increase the egg supply; the rounds of beef per bullock supply: the joints of mutton per sheep supply; tho yield of wheat per acre supply,' and so on. There is an unlimited _ field here. for an enterprising politician anxious to get back into office. ,