WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

'l'llK REFORM. CALCES. advice from the pah'iv organ. (Special to "Guardian”.) WKM.INLTItN. Miiy 25. I I| joiiiiiiiuiiw hu h since tlio re-

11)( ,v;il or .Mr Massey's strong I ersonli,V miiy bo said to Imve returned to it. nh] position ns chief nioullipiece of tlie Reform l’nrly. is not content that political friends should enter into cfusicu” with the Liberals without lirsi carefully counting the cost. •What i' needed." it says, "is a CahiiK't whoso meinhei's. having lull trust and confidence one in another. will work unitedly together under a capable lender in proi notiiijj; the general wel- * are of the country. Stability of •t'-'V-erniiieiit is. of course, very important: hut it is not to he secured hy setting up a Cnhinet weakened hy internal dissension and mistrust. A Cabinet thus constituted would he poorly placed ta pursue all active policy of progressive oevolopnieiit such as ibis eounlry [l( a(' . It would mevitality be disredited and drift into genertd dislaviiur.” Hut the party organ is not blind to the needs of the situation, and it istav he inferred that so long ns the capable lender is of the riyslu- enhmi •Hid insists upon u eertniu line ol

c’olicy, it. will oiler no objection to an irrniitienient between the Hol'ormors and the Liberals. “The removal by !,..,th of n ureal leader. ’ it admits. . p;«. 1,1. .1 a favourable opporUiaitv of i eliminating old and artificial !iv is ions mid erentiu" a new palmed , ar;y which may he vailed the National i artv or given any other name that ViH satisfy these who feel that a chance in nomenclature is necessary. ’ All <>l A hid, looks as if lie form were j.repnr.,l j t . u i.son some of it- traditions. I.A nor II STILL CONTENT . .Meanwhile the Labour Party prufess.s t,, he well eonteui with the way the fortunes of the l«u elder parties are • ha' in" 1u a fusion between the lieformers and the. Liberals Mr Holland - and his friends see a larger increase m their own forces during the next iwe!Ve months than they would exp.- i

tu obtain under the existing; eunditi. ns diiriiilx tin. next three years. I hey already Imli! tlie majcriiy <1 the rules. :|> between the three |artios in the thirt.v-nne eoiistilueiuios whhh arc wholly nr mainly urban. The vutiiifC "i these eiinstitueu; ies at the last yeiieral eleeiiiiii were I'jijrroximate!y l~0.0'K) fur !b,i’. Ir. I'!,•),()..11 li.r Itel'urm anil o.i.tltJO

f o i- pili, ra |. T his mi'll ns that the votes p,,1]0 1 hy Labour in the rural districts in 1(122 were negligible. the party s total votes aniomiliii" to only FItI.FFO, while the total vote of Reform aimmuled to 258.7 Tb and tile total vote ol Libera! to 18U85L Hut Labour bolieves lli'H by the iihsor; ti■ ■ii ol th'’ ■APtl!,| lU.lopiJf H|l <>llll All il ( I | IM><l! I as it please t > put the ease, .:<rR” numbers i>l both 11 ■■ L' rml s and 1..L----ei'jils will lie driven into it s ‘amp and ~ help it nearer to its ultimate victory aIts futures as rewards the urban tors seem to h" m T enough to the mark, and ii is finite I essihle fusion would hriii" it recruits lroin the eiaei parties, lint it would require to eonsidorahlv more than double its vote *d IP2l’ before it < ould him" it-ell within meiisiirahle distance ol the I reasill's Ileiiehes. A HANIF.I, TO ,1 LIiOMKXT. Some amusement has he . a oeeasiolied her,, hy Hr. Chappie's remedy, telegraphed all the wav from Hishorno. I'd' Ihree-eovnered eleetoral lentesl-s. Apparently tlie worthy doctor, who left New Zealand seme years ago and w bile at Home n presented 1 lunifri-e,-shire in the House of Cdiiuioii.. has unearthed the Absolute .Majority Hill ol his personal friend, the lain lion. Hubert McNilh and is anxious in see its 1 rm-eij-.le embodied in New Zealand . td el law. The and.it ion i a very the m’ic. but the .\b-.oliii.e Majority Hill ~. ~: 1 Hi.. Ii•. i word in eleetma.l lit. rin in i his count ry. As a mailer ol fact ii had one or two "rave defects, e 1 1 ii•!I would have made il only a |n> r suli -;l iltl le for I lie i'v olid Hallol \et v.hieli tlie doctor is imw daunum in ■: as an ■'i"io minions failure". While m-stii-in" the repiv.- i-iilaiion of ina.jerit.ies. r, t| M . >ivoml Hail'd' Act did by a rather more tedious pro it made e,e, provision at all for tic proto, lion of the iu l" rests of in i nor itn s. Tins | milt is a little I o intricate for ox- | hill ii ion in a note of this kind, hut it aloouni'-d to all niter disregard oi Ihe second pi'elel'eli es except ill the case of the lwo catultdales at the head of the poll. Candidates lowcr dm.i n oil the list, might have an overw li"lmiug

majority of second | rel'eiviiees. hut 1 1:--v would not he ".muled to their credit at all. Roth the Second Ballot At aml th- I .' A L-el me Majority Hill are vein's ~ir, of dale.