WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 June 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

■ IT,SION."

(Pro in our Political Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, May go. It is reported that the question of " lic-.iioi ” was discusser! at tin 1 Reform caucus and that Ike proposal, ill any shape it has yet assumed, was acceptable neither to the leaders nor in the rank and file of the party, ■ ’flic outcome of tlie discussion." the •■Times' 1 says. " was only what we expected in the host-informed quarters. It was decided that fusion was impracticable until after an election. Whether there is any significance in the "an," we are unable to say. Anyhow, it is not a matter of real importance at this stage of the political game." To this tfie Liberal journal adds a little -agely advice to the member:, of its party. “ What is of importance," it points out. " is the effect of I lie decision of the Reform (■aliens on the Liberals. Tliev are de-

finitely left with one of two alternatives. They must make up their minds cither to persist in their misguided policy of pretending to be different in policy essentials from Lite Govormucnt. or how with what grave they can muster til the logic „f the situation. The longer they continue in the road, the wors • their predicament when the politic;,l pi-o( c-si.c; (pc general election moves mi in earnest." On this pninl the "Dominion" sagaciously contents itself with observing that the Reform Party appears to have decided to open its doers to all who are prepared to coop.'rate in developing a genuinely progressive. policy. TMK KIXG IS DEAD. The " Dominion " thinks that the apopiu tmenl of .Mr Coates to the leadership will impart new life and additional vigor to the Reform Pariv. l.luitc likely this will be the case, for some time at any rate. There is r.n old saying that youth will he served, lint the " Dominion ’’ stales the reasons for its expectations a little unhappily. "I he absence of .Mr Massey undoubtedly will he seriotislv felt." it

sim's. " lie was a skilled campaigner and a great fighter and Ilis personal popularity was remarkable. At the

same time, his long years of political campaigning, while they had not detracted from Ilis personal popularity, had to some extent dulled Hie edge of

the public’s interest in electioneering tours. . . . There is no dispnrugo-

nif'iit "I Mr .Massey’s great services in this. It is one of the inevitable feniures of ImliLi< :> 1 life —a trait of human nulme which Inis decided the fortunes of the greatest statesmen in history.” Even if .Mr .Massey’s popularity in the country hail suffered by the passage ol tiie years it would have been a little ungracious to mention the fact just now. Hut the truth is that between Die general election of 11)10 and 1922 the proportion of the total votes polled by the Reformers increased from 321.2 per cent to 12..') per cent., while the proportion of votes polled by the Liberals declined Ironi GO.,'! per cent, to 30.5 per cent., and of the Labourites'from 2.'!.2 per cent to 23.1 per cent. This, surely, does not suggest that his own political friends were wearying of Ids leadership.