The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1928. POLITICAL POSSIBILITIES.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1928. POLITICAL POSSIBILITIES.

Uun •Wellington corrcsi>ondciit tins week indicated that political possibities were again engaging the attention of the press anil the public in the North Island This is not remarkable, seeing that this is “election” year in the ordinary course. Since the close of the protracted session of last year Ministers evidently iimc.l lull'd not without reason that the people had had enough of politics for the time being, anil the .Ministers have been holitlavntaking. chietiy in the north, with naturally their eyes on the main chance. Howe'er, things are not so satisfactory in the political world that the obvious cnii be disregarded indefinitely. The fact that unemployment is so general is concern enough to engage the attention of the Government. I he Prime Minister has professed to seeing the silver lining on various occasions and anticipated getting ‘‘round the corner,” hut the silver lining is not yet visible to other folk, nor is the corner negotiated yet. Reports from Auckland arc very condemnatory ot the general situation. It is a fact too that that is a region where the greatest public expenditure has been going on for many years, and ol late the yield from produce has been abnormal. But at the. moment the province is in the grip of drought. Nevertheless the unemployed totals are abnormal and quite out of reason at this period of the year. For a long period the public works expenditure has been enormous in the north, and there has been the very heavy expenditure by local Ixtdios, particularly power hoards. No doubt this class of expenditure lias attracted population, and the first pinch of retrenchment has made itself fell. The Government, however, has no panacea for the present day troubles, lieyond relief works involving the expenditure of public money for works not necessarily urgent. There is no policy or indication of policy to indicate statesmanship in the effort to grapple with the serious situnion. A like set of affairs is apparently existing in other centres of the Dominion, and the need for work has grown very acute. The Government is not offering any real lead in the matter, nor formulating any definite proposals to relieve the position. This negative attitude is not increasing the popularity of the party in power, while the farmers and others are also criticising the finance. Commercial men likewise are critical about the financial position. which is believed to he affected hv extravagance in administration, dust now the Government would hardly make themselves popular by a retrenchment scheme, hut there are no signs of any willing sacrifice in that resiiecl. At the same time the Opposition will have at hand a good deal of ammunition with which to assail the Government, which swept into power at the last general election on promises which have not materialised. The Government had a difficult time last session, hut the next will lie more eniharassing. A fa tiers, however, are really affected by the three-party system, anil from this Government may in the end draw its chief inspiration to success. The political household is too greatly divided without the presence of an outstanding leader commanding public confidence The lack of the latter discounts the prospects of the Opposition and gives the Government the temporary strength to carry on. But it is apparent that state of affairs exists only on sufferance and events now shaping themselves in the political world might alter the whole aspect of affairs in the near future, On that

account the future appears to be pregnant with possibilities.