WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE USES OK FUSION. c t WHAT A!*K TIIKV? t ■] (Special to “Guftrdi*.n”.) ] 1 WELLINGTON, June l>. ;| Though the newspapers. for the most part, eoiilimie to urge f'tsiott between tlie Reformers and the Liberals as a >- solntely necessary to the political salvat ion ol the country, and. imleed, to ,l. well-being and salVlv. neither the members of the House of Represent..lives nor the general public arc tits..laving anv particular enthusiasm ovet the proposal-’ Sir John Lithe, whom it j. rumoured, has very st.ectal reasons for wishing to have the Liberals hglitino on his side at the approach."election, and other impetuous politicians of the same calibre have thrown j„ their lot with the fusionists. but the more wary members of the House are wait in- developments in silence. Iho oeiieral opinion anion- people, otitsuk i'lli• newsiiapor offices, who take any lively interest in the position, is that neither of the party leaders is burning v.-iib anxiety to put an cud to the cxistin- state of affairs. A omistderi.l,|e proportion of their followers arc opposed to fusion, some ol them on political -rounds and a greater number ~,, persona! -rounds, the former flunking the extinction of party hues would imperil some of their legislative aspiralimis, and the latter tearing it would t l,.|av their ehanees of promotion. ONE OK THE STA LAY ARTS. A prominent supporter ol the J-iLei’a I'urtv. who still carries about with him the traditions of the nineties ai il i '<\v wmv the la-,1 word in Hie progressive creed, discussing the situation W-day. ridiculed the idea that is was necessary for the Reformers and Liberals to abandon their platforms and convlclions and even their names m order to eet to,tether to stay the nmnai- ot r.ahotir. His scorn for such a proceeding was expressed rather by ge-ture than by words. Here was a Government boasting of bavin- a majority tn t|-e House, calling l<> the next largest party to stultify itself in the eyes of Ii„. 'electors lIV renouncing all its plede.es and going to .!v a-ist:im ol the dominant parly in nvcrhwelmtug 1 .alx.iti. which already had lost gmimn at the last general election and would lose more at the next it if "ere not sat upon by the two bigger parlies. But If t|,c Uelonnfs and l.tberals j»m| upon Labour in the lashioti tlmy an threatening to do. tins stalwatl P‘'‘ dieted the under dees will tome had. next year inu.lt stronger than they are to-day and will he well mi the way to the -oal of their ambition. OK LATK.It DATE. A member of the Liberal Party in the | louse expresses his disinclination towards fusion in a somewhat dillercut way. lie points out. to be-in with, that the Liberal members ol the House have no mandate from their constituents to terminate the existence ol the Liberal Party. The most they could do with propriety during the approaching session that is. holme l lies go la lore their constituents again—would he to give an undertaking not to assist the Labour Party in turning the Government out ol oilier (Inline, the session. Even tliis underlaid ug would have to he hedged around with definite qualifications. The Liberals, lor instance, could not properly retrain Imm voting for electoral reform, say proportional reservations, it .- uclt a measure were brought down h\ Mr Holland, even if the Government slaked its existence on the result of the division. A position of this kind, this younger Liberal went on to say, was not likely to arise hut not arrangement made between the older parties should go to til- length of preventing them discharging their plain obligations to their constituents. Personally, having no aspirations towards office, lie was quite ready to git e Air < oil tea a t rial ; but be was not going to renortuee any pi h : s elect ion pled-r A REFORM VIEW. A thud dissentient was a -end Reformer, who thought Mr Coates would commit a very grave blunder if he went any further than Mr Mas-ey had -one in offer'll' ; the Liberals a Imarly welcome to the oilier side of the House. Any concession made to the Liberal Op- |. isition, however slight, they might be. would he regarded by the country as a confession of weal.ness, and ml the eve of a general election no party .mild ali'onl to bang out such a signal of distress. The Kclmmors wen- very I lucky in having such a leader as Air C'liales. whose breezy personality and frank confession of his own limitations had delighted the public and Would draw support I rum both the Liberal and the Labour camps. This authority agreed with other observant people that tile "Labour m'ennee” was merely a bogey Set up by politicians and busybodies to serve iheir own ends. Labour with its present platform and its present leaders never could reach the Treasury Benches. and hut for the scat s ii won in the cities through the Reformers and the Liberal'; (-titling one aniitheis' throat- it might be left out of the call illation altogether. It was the timidity and stupidity of the old parties that would give the new one its ojiport unit y.