The Hutt News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1930. POLITICAL KITE-PLYING.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 37, 20 February 1930, Page 7

The Hutt News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1930. POLITICAL KITE-PLYING.

Dame BumoiiT, in her informationJfactory, has been particularly busy of late setting afloat rumours concerning ■what is going to happen in t&e political •world during the neTxt session of parliament. To these rumours, the wise give little heed, but unfortunately th«re is the great .army of '' unwise "Who are liable to be led astray and "who aTe too innocent or simple to see t&at these and all such rumours are nsßally the desire of those responsible for them. We should, when hearing of stwjh remember the "words of Henry IVi to his son, viz., "Thy wis-h, Harry ia father to the thought" (Shake^spears Henry IV). It is suggested that as «ach one of the three parties is impotent of itself to compel acceptance of its legislation, a fusion' of \W6 parties (Reform and United) must eventually be brought about to combat the growing power of the Labour Party. But the main obstacle here would' be the apparently impossible elimination from leadership of either' Sir Joseph Ward or Mr. Goates. Each' party has been busy of late affirming^ or rather reaffirming its loyalty to its leader and its fiotermination to continue to follow only that leader, but if a majority of" members belonging to these two parties is prepared to demand amalgamation, the question of leadership would soon be settled."-The truth, we believe, is that neither party is desirous of fusion "With the other, and it is unthinkable that either party could link up with labour so there appears no prospect of a united opposition being brought into l»ei»g to face "Labour." But, says rumour, there is every prospect of yet another party spTinging into existence of the more moderate men in United

ranks and the more'liberal of the Re--, form ranks, such party to be lead by the present Speaker, Sir. Charles J "Statham. On being approached, however, that gentleman denies all knowledge of such a party and knows nothing of his suggested leadership. Such a party if called into being, would only make confusion worse confounded and but leave the Labour party numerically the strongest section of the House. , Meanwhile the leader of the. Labour party can sit back with his tongue in his cheek, while tSre other two parties Temaxii apart because he' knows that his party holds the "balance of power" and can keep one of the other parties 5n power or remove it from the Treasury Benches while he feels the phycho2©giea! moment arrives. There are thousands of self-styled "wise heads" ■who predict that the coming session will see a crash and that we will be fa-'v, I with t«he turmoil of a general election before the end of the year. Have these people asked themselvesand answered to their own or anyone else's satisfaction t>his question: "Why. should the Labour Party precipitate a crisis? What .more could it do if it were in power (and assuredly such is not likely to come about) as it would then be at the mercy of the other two parties and would be compelled to water-down its programme. All rumours to the contrary, we believe the present Housewill carry on and that legislation of an advanced "social" ehaTacter will mark the next session of parliament. Nevertheless, ere another general election, United and Reform must bridge their differences as the one J safe way to prevent this Dominion be-' ing subjected from Socialistic legislation. . • . ,