The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1919. A STATEMENT OF POLICY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 15, 13 October 1919, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1919. A STATEMENT OF POLICY

*As ail outline ; of policy, the Government manifesto which appears to-day may be left largely to speak for itself. No one is unaware that the real worth of such documents is not measured .by the extent to which they are elaborately detailed and profuse in promises. Long experience, has shown that the expenditure of ink by a political leader in drawing up an election manifesto affords no index to the amount of useful service he- and his supporters are capablo of rendering in the event of their securing a mandate from the people. When he left the National Government in August, Sib Joseph Ward issued _ a policy statement, so-called, which, no experienced observer could regard as anything else than a specimen of political window-dressing, a_ thing far removed from a practical working' programme. It is to Mi;., Massey-'s credit that- in addressing the electors on ■ behalf of his Government and party he has not attempted to follow the lines laid down by his political rival. In contrast with the extraordinary jumble issued by Sut Joseph Ward, the Reform leader's manifesto deals in a broad and general way. with the needs of the time and the measures by which it is proposed to meet them. ,In such circumstances as obtain, this will hardly be counted a weakness. The truth is that the needs of the country are _at present so obvious that the policy of any Government which may hold office during the next few years is for practical purposes laid down in its essential features. The needs and demands of the country being as clearly defined as they are, it would ■be : mere pretence .to suggest that tho course of national policy can be with safety deflected to any material extent by the'will or ingenuity of this or that political leader.

As the country is placed, it is' difficult to imagine the entry into office. of any Government so reckless that it would not _ study- economy, where economy _ is possible, or so dull and a-pathetic as to neg-1 lcct the enterprising ' development of national resources, which is as j essential as is economy in its place I to give the country relief 'from burdensome, war obligations. Any Government that takes office, unless it wishes to invite an early and, painful reckoning with the electors, must be prepared to. do its plain duty, in matters of repatriation, to expedite the construction of roads, and railways, and the harnessing of 1 water power, to forward settlement and the development of industries, and to exert itself in various othex directions, notably in relieving the acute housing shortage which ia now .causing so much hardship and inconvenience! In regard to education, also, the public demand for sweeping reforms obviously must be ,met by whatever Government happens to be in office. Much the same applies to_ defence. No - povernment, for instance, will be' able to ignore the evident necessity that this, country ■ should malto its. duo contribution to the British naval forces in the Pacific. On the whole, the Reform leader's unpretending manifesto shows a distinctly better •appreciation of the facts of the situation than the long-winded dissertation on things in general to which Sir Joseph Ward treated the electors in_ Angus):. Mr. ■ MasSey expressly disavows any intention of 'attempting to outbid.other competitors for the favour of the electors. He has contented himself with outlining the policy of enterprise for which the occasion obviously calls. It may not be out of place to inquire in what rcspcct this policy fails to find favour with Sir Joseph Ward and his supporters, and why, if they approve it, they are standing aloof as a separate party instead of sinking party ambitions and prejudices in order to co-oper-ate in carrying it'into effect. It obviously strengthens the position of the Government that some sections of its policy are already being put into legislative form. An ! Education Bill and a Housing Bill, oach of them containing an instalment of much-needed reform, are before Parliament. An anti-profits eering measure of a purposeful, if experimental, character is well on its way to the Statute Book. That this Bill and some others introduced or promised are strongly supported by both main parties ma.kes it all the more difficult to palliate the action of Sir Joseph Ward and his supporters in electing to play the party game instead of giving whole-hearted co-opera-tion in forwarding the business of the country. Mr, Massev is on particularly strong ground in the final paragraph of his statement, in which he advocates a union of forces comprehending ali who honestly desiro to promote the welfare and prosperity of the Dominion. This is the one really vital political issue at present _ raised. Excluding the Labour-Socialist extremists, with whom it is impossible for any loyal or rifiht-thinkine -man to parley,' there is slight difference of opinion as to the lines that national policy, ought to follow. But as matters' are ordered in the House of Representatives, those who hold much

the same views on policy questions, and arc therefore in a position to work unitedly for national ends, are divided into " hostile ' camps under a system which Mk. Massev rightly describes as demoralising. Political leaders, as has been said, can do little to change or alter the main lines on which policy will develop in this country for years to conic. These lines are largely pro-determined by national necdn and dcmands._ As regards carrying into effect policy measures approved by the general sense of the country a great deal depends, however, upon the attitude of political leaders and their supporters."** So long as artificial and unnatural divisions arc persisted in, the country will suffer noglnct from those it elects to render honest service,' and the rate of progress will be slow. What the _ country has a right to expect is simply that those politicians who are not hopelessly divided ■in opinion should 'unite in useful effort. Unfortunately there are poor prospects _at the moment of such a union beinß accomplished, at all event's until after the impending general election. At the stage reached, however, it is as manifest that Mk. Massey is right in declaring for the abolition of party divisions which have bcome meaningless as it is that Sir Joseph Ward was wrone in the ill-consid-ered step by which/ he has sought to re-establish these divisions.