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Hokitika Guardian, 20 July 1925, Page 2

The Prime Minister has .suddenly found himself on the horns of a dilemma in regard to the fusion failure. On Friday night Mr Wilford ceased to play follow the leader, file became the leader, and adopting courage and candour as his watchwords, set out to make good in action what he had tried to induce the Reform Party to do in the weeks gone by. Mr Coates woke up on Saturday morning to find himself supplanted. Earlier, he had banged, bolted and barred the door to fusion, as Mr 'Wilford described it. The Leader of the Opposition therefore took his own course about setting up a National party—for which he gave the same excellent reasons as he put forward for a National party to result from the fusion. He has been thoroughly consistent all along. Mr Ccates thinks Mr Wilford is trying to steal his political than-

dcr! It is not necessary for Mr Coates to talk in heroics, for where Mr Coates was content to talk only, Mr Milford is acting. There is no suggestion of imitation on the part of Mr Milford, because Mi’ Coates elected to be negative while Mr Milford is positive. Mr Coates is fearful that Mr Milford aims at leading the National party. Mr "Milford in point of fact gave . Mr Coates the fullest opportunity to lead the National Party, and Mr Coates would have none of it.

Tiik move by the Liberal.-, is quite consistent and in harmony with their policy to build up a National party. All along they gave way to Reform. The Liberals were sincere enough to open negotiations, and carried oil those negotiations in an earnest manner. At no stage did they attempt to thwart the scheme by any impossible conditions. The latest move is to put the Reform party in check, and they must extricate themselves as best they can. Mr Coates' reply to Mr Milford does not help. It is quite inadequate in that respect. It is futile now to rail about the lost opportunity, for it was missed by the party actions of those whom Mr Coates leads. As we indicated before, Mr Coates is not blameworthy personally. It is being said that he and other Ministers were favorable to fusion, but there are the diehards—the old Conservative stock—who will have none of it. and as usual it is the section which rules the party policy. Mr Coates speaks of two National parties, but as far as we could gather lb-form was not disposed to change its name or lose its identity. It coveted place and power, thinking evidently that the Liberals were in a cleft stick, but Mr Milford’s National movement has been a rude awaken-

DoriiTf.Kss there will be many Liberals who will not care to part with a name which lias stood for so much in the political past. Rut the name is not everything. The value of ally party is measured not by its linin'. 1 but by its performances. Liberal legislation if carried on by a National party will he as acceptable as though ii were-credited to a Liberal party. For some years the -I.ili-orals have styled themselves as the Liberal-Labor party, the hyphenated addition showing that in those days it was not thought desirable to part with the term Liberal. Nowadays there is the Labor party in itself, and it. wa.s confusing to some to sen l Liberal-Labor linked together. Adopting the new name of National obviates the con fusing hyphen. and at the same time describes an all embracing party such as the Liberals have claimed to be always. The next move for Mr Milford is now to formulate the National policy, and in doing so be should call to bis aid many of those outside Parliament who have been urging the step lie has taken with the new distinctive party, so as to make the appeal of the new party as wide and as complete as possible.