WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1925, Page 1

WELLINGTON NEWS

FUSION. AGAINST COMMUNISTS AND SOCIALISTS. (Special to “Guardi.*ji”.) WELLINGTON, Juno 8. Fusion continues to be tho one topic of conversation and discussion among the politicians; hut still remains very much in the air so far as the general public is concerned. The man in the street, who more or less reflects public opinion, i.s disposed to think that both Reformers and Liberals are merely electioneering, and ithot neither party when the crucial test comes will be inclined to practise the self-abneg-ation ot which Afr AVilford lias afforded an example. Meanwhile the argument that union between the two older parties is necessary to save the community from the inroads of Labour is being worn a little threadbare. The “Dominion" still retains some sense of proportion. and discourages the idea that Riston alone can save the country from the fell designs of Mr "Harry Holland and Air Peter Fraser; hut the “Post” and the “New Zealand Times” c a n suggest no other moans to escape from the troubles they see ahead. The evening journal fears “the. machinations of Communists and extreme Socialists” and its morning contemporary declares that, as a matter of fact, “the Socialisation or non-,Socialisation of industries’’ is the only question for the electors to decide. THE STRENGTH OF LABOUR.

The present position may justify the repetition of some facts concerning the strength of Labour in the political arena, which the alarmists may have overlooked. They prove conclusively that Labour instead of making tho great, progress it is popularly supposed to have made between the elections of 191!) and 1922 actually lost ground in the constituencies during that period. In 1919 Reform candidates secured 38.2 per cent of the total votes polled: Liberal 30.3 per cent. Labour 23.2 per cent, and Independent 2.3 per cent. In 1922 Reform secured 42.3 per cent.

Liberal 30.15 per cent. Labour 23.1. poi cent, and I nedepemlcnt 4.1 per cent Those figures show that while tho Reformers’ proportion of votes increased

luring tho. three years by 4.1 per ecu ind the Independents by 1.8 per cent.

the Liberals’ proportion decreased I>v •5.8 per cent and the Labourites by 0.1 per cent. What has created tlio impression that Labour made a great advance in tho constituencies between 1919 and 1922 is the fact that in 1919 with 23.2 per cent of the votes polled it won only eight seats while in 1922 with a. slightly smaller proportion of the votes polled it secured sixteen seats. Il was the splitting of votes bet-ween

the Liberals and the Labourites in 1919 that left both parties with many fewer seats than they should have won. But that is another storv. ELECTORAL REFORM. It is certain that the question of electoral reform will he raised if delegates front the 'Reform and Liberal parties get together for the purpose of discussing fusion. I’ruportional representation stands in the very forefront of (lie biherals’ platform and though some ul the Liberal members of the House Mill are a little hazy in their minds as to the operation of the system they all appear to have accepted its principle. This was one of the few questions on which Mr Alassoy did not hold a very decided opinion, and it would lie easy to quote him on one side or the other; but Sir Francis Bell declared himself an ardent supporter of proportional representation in its application t -1 the Legislative ('mined, am! though his labours in that, direction came to nought owing to a disagreement between the parties when forming the War Cabinet-, there is no reason to suppose lie lias radically changed his views oil the subject. No one recollects the present Prime Minister having expressed any opinion at all upon electoral reform, his practice lielore taking over the leadership being In talk a.s little as possible in Hie House; hut il would, he a strong card lor him to play in any negotiations with Ihe other side.