The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 16th, 1925. THE ETERNAL POLICY.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 16th, 1925. THE ETERNAL POLICY.

Sckaking at the tomb of the late Mr Seddon in Wellington last week, the Hon. It. McKenzie gave confident expression to the belief that Liberalism in New Zealand would never he abolished. Liberalism stands for progress with equal opportunity for all without reference to class, and a policy bo democratic must be eternal in all countries where it is founded. That Liberalism can never die is a certainty. Even Reform to-day plumes itself that it is furthering the policy of the days of the Lilierals, just as the Leader of Labor speaking at Franklin last week, said, with the accession of Labor to office, the party would build on the foundations of the humanitarian policy of Seddon and Ballance. The days of Conservatism are past. No party can afford to stand still or hedge about a country with laws of limitation. There must be progressive legislation all the time, for the reason that in these modern times there is not any standing still. The world is restless nowadays and the process of evolution is more and more rapid in its action. So Liberalism will be espoused always, sometimes imitated, often coquetted with, but invariably the principles will be taken to heart and applied as affording the greatest relief to the body politic. The Liberals in this country in Parliament are not numerically great, but they are a power

all tlic name, for there is inherent strength in the policy they stand for. At Home, the Liberals are not in the ascendency, despite the fact that their leaders are men of proved ability who in the nation’s hour of travail delivered the country front the obsession of a cruel enemy. But there as here, Liberalism must come into its own sooner or later. The Conservatives at Home are building up to a more Liberal policy, as the Reform party is doing here, and so Liberalism remains the eternal policy. This week there is to be the first meeting of the old rival parties ia regard to the possibility of a fusion. The basic consideration of such a coalition must be the policy of the new party, and here we will see that the principles of progress with equal opportunity for all. must prevail. For no party, as has l>een explained, can afford to stand still. We notice that Mr McKenzie in hi- remarks the other (lay. spoke of the need for fusion. He does not believe in the three party system, for it leads to confusion from the national viewpoint. '1 he great trouble with the third party in New Zealand politics ai present is that it poses so often to be anti-constitution-al. On that account there is great distrust. The distrust is so great that to a voii j disaster, the old rival parties of other days are prepared to Imry the political hatchet and unite with the common object of saving the country from the menace ahead, if the throeparty system continues over long. Mr Wilfurd in his frank review of the political outlook has stressed this point in the correspondence with the Prime Minister, and it can he realised that for so ((>■.'oll,l a reason, fusion is desirable. With fusion will come a more progressive political policy, lor Liberal tenets will he assimilated the quicker with the parties allied, and the country will reap the advantage. It is a remarkable fact, as emphasised bv Mr McKenzie last week, that the progressive legislation of the late Mr •soddon and his government, though contested nt every stage l.v the Conservative Opposition, found favor in the eves of Ifeform when it had its day, and it is rather the. boast ot the present party in power that its legislation bas been more advanced than that ol Mr Seddon’s. The taste for Liberal legislation is now in the mouths ot tlic Reform Party, and if coupled with that appreciation, the Government is reinforced by the Liberal party, the progressive legislation of the immediate future may he more notable still.