WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 June 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE XEW I’UIMK MJXISTEI?

HIS FI I (ST OFh ICT A L BTATE.M EXT

(Special to “Guardian

"WKill.l XCTOX. -Itine 1

The statement whirli the Him .1. Cnalr-s ii: 1111 1 <• 1 1 to ill’ I toss after his first (’:i!iinot nii-ct i ng on Saturdny altci - noon is just what his Irn-nds would expect'd ami ilr.sirrd from tin* ii. v. f’riit • • .Minister. It roiitniiis no llowcrs of speech. no tiresome |ilat i-UtiL-s ami no extravagant promises. It j s just a plain expression of his polities,! faith, so far as it gees. amt a trnnk

r:inf<’s-ioii of hi- limited acquaintance will, polities. Probably there is no other instance oi a Mim-ter Ini' the (Town in a. iT’itash commitnily, mtei' ,i:; ..mi's of oHien and with the i i< ht -t pi i/f of pnlilii- service actually in his j, : ,ai!. pr--< 1.-iiming to the world at |}.i :.‘;f that In- lias taken no very active in the political arena. Vet .Mr ('nates stales only the litem! truth. Winning In- May iniu to*'- House oi l-.e----j,,.. . niativ. in IVII. drlinitely pledged to support Sir .losepli Ward "ini' a ;• ’ |ii. u;i. fired il'Oiii all personal obligation in tnis respect liv the Libera| |/>ader if-.ii iiiand handing over the r.-meant "I his parly to it gentle-

s.-ati to v/heni ih" no niner for Kaipara v. ad 1,0 apegiuilce. 'Ha n lie nasi 111 ill, Ini v. illi the Reformer.-, under the lea'll"i-siiie- of Mr Massey and has done no vi ■!<'!!(!' to his political prulessions in tenminmg with them evei' siine. Hut

far as may h-. hoi It ns a privnli ember ;:ii 1 a-- a Minister. he ha> heh aloof Iron mere party noli lies. ! i!S LIMITATIONS. I foil'*t lras it i - largely due to his al ; itn de ill this |-( - 1 ■•' • t and to his non t ('ill rat ion imnn the hu.-dm-ss n! the de liiii-iinem- notru'-tml to his care, tlui

M.r C ate after fourteen years o! political life still 1m- o,dv a rudimentan knowled of niiiny important siihjeels upon which ilia leader oi Farlianient and the Cover,loi'Cmmiai’s responsible advi-.-’i 1 ought to lo thot(Highly "ill in fniiia-d. Thai i n is not well informed i'll these subjects Mr Coates to his credit. lias candidly admitted and in ibi*direction he Inis T-1 i his critics nothing to find out for themselves. .Tun lion loll;:-; it will take the Prime Minister Ii repair Ins shortcomings m this regari lemains to Is’ :• ■■ ->. That he w ill 'pare lie opportunity to enlarge his t«[iiipnienl. for fhe high nl’ice he holds may Ic.- la Is-I- Ini' ye'a 111 - d .Hid hoi h l lie p'dilieiau- and the cimnlrv will b.-ur pat ieiti Iy Vii h ;h ■ -he'll i m-ies ,q a lile:.11 1 ,- mail ior a l;um. ’! In-re i■ Inimh I, • •Xpeel iroiu ids pit'h and daring and nmupa la live youth, lull lln - e are (pm !- ith-s v. liieii eaunni i li--; eii--- w.ll, tin safeguards of disei el ion. prud-me and eypi'i'ienee. ami darii- ■ tl. ■ approa-m ing M-.'-uin, at anv rate. nili Pave in leoh 1,1 the heads of Depart fill-lit S and to his very eaptihle eullcitgue in tin- Legislative Council lor im-pira'i>>ii nnd guidance. •• FU.SM )X." In his :'.ll:;.i.in in i!;-- talk ii'-oui fusion between tim lii-form and l.iheral Parties. Mr Coates, shows that at leasi some part ol his needed lis-nn him I,pen learned. " Speakmg tor the Governnmiit." Im 'tales, alter indirai ing that !u- has heard o! tlm currenl gossip. “ ! : me sa.v that we shall wcuomr in this cii’inectiun any proposals that may he s-ihiidttl’d. Whether the proposals are a practicable iiiodu- oncrandi as lietweenIietween the two parim-* ■ ome as a re-

sult of pourparlers or in any oilier way, line "ill a.-siii-ediy r-veive lim-t earnest iiiin. i d e.'a li* *i i a.L our hands.” He makes it plain tied the next move in the matter must Fa made hy the Liberals ami tlmi meanwhile hi own party mu. to ha comprumi cd in any way. Mr Massey went a' far as H is m the Hi use l.i-l session and hi, siiccc.--.soi' again has shown I'imself an apt pupil. I'll ■ ; n remains in the clouds and so far then.’ tea'-ma little pro pc- t ol P i undue: io earth m any concrete torm Maait ■ l.ii-■ ft><ir i-- " at( him* the po-i----twn viili l-.ei-n inii-i.- l. honiie, llm.l oil! --I a i , moron! Ho lad wean the two older parties sur- <om.iiieraMe pickings will com." it ft way. Mr Holland and his iT ii mi!-, hor.ever, still have a Ion;: way to ’! hi ligli lime polled II al ly I 1 ’IT l 1-n! if ill - l• I • i Ol deil ill I IIC till id ■.-■•m- inh.’iu com-i ii ui-ui; <-s in J;c!i they polled only a fraction niore than 7 ucr tain oi those recorded in tin. forty-live rural i-ousi itin-iuies. It iv tin- iiiuntrv elect ora t-as Unit are i-.'fer-lively liloel-.illLi ill” progress of Labor. Till-: 1.l l!i:i! A I. OPPOSITION'. The l.iheral Opposition having observed an exempli'ry silence during Afr Mns.-ey’s Iona; illness is not hastening Io renew the old party coin rovrrsios. Mr Wi! ford's reply to ilm Prime Minis-l’-r's guarded invitation to 1 lie Liberal Parly, to ' bury the Imi'lml” and -uhmii nropooils, cvid.'llily ."Ssuinos tlial tlm invitation was never intended to he at repleil. Tlm <n -rfures. if there are to he nveritlres. uhi ioi|s|- t inilsi i .uno Ir-.-i- Ih - oiln-r side. In ilm i-our'-a of an info: null (Toil to-day the h-ader of lie- Oppo-il lull. speak in-.; lor himself, a- lm was na I’i i, ula r in n'l.al.e clear. ■ :ii• I lie would he onile rea.dv Io dis- ( ii" any proposals Unit miylil eome from the loaloriei-rs. luu In- was not -si-

mg in bargain away ativ of tln'* rights of the eleclutw or any of the j>1 1 i l ll-1I>l<-s of l li< ■ I.ihoral Party. II wu> itisl inii(citable (here 111i 1 1 1 In* e burning f 11 !*• *-1 iim. Midi a; electoral reform. lor io -lance. on which the pat lies might ry'iv. 1 lo ;i(• t in unison. lull t• i t hi■ i (h* Reformers nor the* ],iln-r.-ils would lie justified in arrogating to tliomst*lVos* tin* prit ilege.- nf the* electors simply lor the [hii'|in'i■ oJ making their own positions a liulc- more comfortable. Pm ona!ly he had in mandate* Irom In- consliiu i ni'- io join *.\itfi Mr Coates and Ids colleagues in mi iiidiseriinin.'ile war upon liidior. Ills Reform friends seemed in Im losing soilin' of ilmir sensi* of propnrt ion