WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

'l'l l E national PARTY-. TIMM I', MINISTER’S THUNDER STOLEN. (Special to “Guardirji”.) \VEEI.LX(;TOX, .Inly 'id. Tlio Prime Minister is 1 :ir I"" good ■' sportsmall to be serious when he say* the lender of the Opposite'" has “stolen hi> tlmnder'’ in changing tne name „f the old Liberal Thirty to “National Party.” Xo patent right to tl><‘ Title “ \ntinnfd''' was established by oithei of the piirlies to the recent fttsoti negot tilt ions. Hot h of the lenders talked of a “national party” and a “national policy,” lint neither of them went to the iength of suggesting a name I" 1 ' their united forces. It would have been premature for either of them to have done so. The negot ialions having been abandoned, however. they hoTh enjoy their former individuality, and are free to call themselves, or one another, any name they please. In one respect the Prime Minister is nr a <-isndvautagc in I lie altered situation. Tie has declared that as a leader he has no mandate from the count ry : that as chiselV as possible he must adhere to the policy of his (list burnished predecessor. and that he will seek a mail' date lor himself at the approaching election. This means, that, so far as Mr Coates is concerned, “nationalism —or whatever else the new policy nitty he called- lit list wait till the end ol the year, mid, if the present calculations “o tis! ray. he postponed, like lesion. indefinitely. Hat me Prime Minister's jest must not he taken too .seriously. Tlie Reformers doubtless will he aide to litul some other title as comprehensive and attractive as that appropriated hv the Liberals. XAT TON Ah TNT) KM If.

There is one pargraph in the Prime Minisier's protest attains! Mr Y\ iliord s “theft” of the Reform “thunder” which has induced many impatient. Liberals to look hopefully towards Mi Coates for the realisation of some ol their deferred hopes. “M«v I sav with all sincerity.” the Prime Minister declares interrogatively, “that I look forward to seek in" a mandate from the people of Xew Zealand when the gencra I election takes place P I. its the Leader of the Government. will then ask the support of those who are in lemur of the progressive and national police which i have already, in the Ihm • anil out of it. set as the objective ot the (lovernniciil. and which will et'siito equal oplMtrl unit ics lor all sections ol Ike communilY." Politicians, and parlieulnrlv Ministers of the Crown, cannot lie held to the literal interpretation nf the phrases they coin on such occasions: hut Mr Coates's promise ot “equal opportunities for all sections oi llie coinniiinitv” has tiekh-d the eats ol those "out! folk who regard an overhaul of the electoral system as the mu.xf urgent of' all ike reforms that have I,eon propounded., first hy one side am, tin'll IIV tl«t* Ot luM\ I 't' l ‘‘‘ l !nt> people maintain that 111 ** _ “flr.d-pasi - t lie-post” system of election always opera les against the hettom-do" and that the “country quntii.” unknown lo any other part of the world, is the inequity of inequities in nil class Icpi.lution. .Now they are praying that Mr Coates may he as pond ns his woid.

WiIAT’S IX A NAME? Even some ot his political It ieuds. aic not rep re 11 ill" that ihe Trime.Minister has been forestalled in hoistmp the “Xalional” lla". The name, one ol them recalled while disettssi up the situation litis iimriiinp. did not serve thel party very handsomely in llm old days when it appeared in the title oi its organisation. Iho revival ol the “Xalional Ass" would not he a desirable development. Then, the friendly critic continued, ''national'' was a word that suggested ot Iters wltielt were much less harmonious to the majority of the electors. Tlmre were nationalists, nil t tonal izi up. nationalism and other derivatives, some ol which would sound anythin" hut sweet: in the ear:-, of a majority of Mr Coates's supnnrtei's. “Ami it has to he borne in mind." this good Reformer went on to sav, “that our party is incurring » "Dud d 'ltl of criticism by it-; excursions into a new form ol Socialism. lee Guverumeiit is allowing itsell to I; 1 puslied into a corner over the State Hank agitation; it is giving startling powers to meat, and butler hoards; it is again guaranteeing prices to wheat growers; il is sulMdising Irtiil growers, and now it leaks as il it were going i" !.■'•<>' h' l ' testing farmers' cows. With this sort of tiling going on ‘National’ might b* a somewhat eoinpronitsittg title tor our party to hear.'’ The same reflect ion may In-in" cc.nsolat ion to Mr Coates lor i he ho of Ihe name. DETERIORATED lAXRS. S-i far as can h-e judged I rout the speeches in the House of Representatives which greeted the presentation of the report upon deteriorated lands on Eritlay. a large majority of Ihe members would approve ot getter.ms assistance being given to the settlers nlieetcd. The report makes it lairly plain that the lit ilk of the deterioration is line to optimistic people having taken up larger areas ol bush land than they can manage with their limited capital and restricted credit. Wo me of the sillIVrers, were foredoomed to failure I rota the first, the absence of experience and temperament. being added to the lac.-. capital and credit, and probably their failures would not he repaired by auditing the Government might do. lint the Slate. t,o mailer how good it* intentions may have been in the erst insulin e, must shoulder a large pan oi ihe rosnonsbbility tor having allowed men to miter upon undertaking* they had little or no chance of I ringing to a sal isfneiory conclusion. Ihe blame lor what lilts happened rests with no particular Government. The report presented Lo the House on Eriday dealt with the sins of omission and commission of successive Governments, and the party spirit should not enter into ils discussion at all. Rut tin* autaoritics of to-day ought to see. lirst of all. Ihat rensiinahlc reliel is given to the stilferers. and then that the recurrence of sm b eases is made practically impossible by searching impiiry and hopeI til supervision.