The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1928. THE UNITED PARTY.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 November 1928, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1928. THE UNITED PARTY.

Thu United Party promises to be the dominant party in the three Party House being elected this week. When the final ligures are available alter the official counts next week, Sir Joseph ward, if not actually in the lead, will be in the position of deciding what is to he done as regards any inter-ar-raugement of parties, either to permit Reform to carry on, or to assist Labour to oust Reform, if an inter-arrange-ment is not reached whereby Refoim may carry on after a reconstruction of the Ministry, then it will be inevitable for MY Coates to call Parliament together and submit his fate to a vote of the House, which in the ordinal\ cou.se would he decided on a no-con-

fidencc motion. There would of course lie one other alternative for the Prime Minister, namely to resign and recommend the Governor-General to call upon Sir Joseph Ward to form a Ministry, and that combination would in due < nurse have to meet the House. As i here is thus the evident possibility of Dir Joseph Ward being the determining factor in the present difficult situation. it is of interest to reprint his message to the electors on the eve of polling to indicate where and for what lie .'.lands. He said:

“We are now on the eve of the general election, and 1. confidently ask the people of the Dominion to consider seriously the policy of the United Party. By your votes you will he asked to decide whether the exodus from the lands in the interior is to continue, the unemployed problem to heroine more acute, the financial stringency to increase; or wliether you will boldly adopt a policy enunciated by me which, will ensure to settlers and workers the necessary finance on long-dated, easy, and safe terms, give a fresh impetus to settlement, open up new avenues of employment, and generally stimulate enterprise and production so that the Dominion will lie able to absorb its unemployment and prevent serious troubles arising from this cause--troubles which were greater last year than at any time during the last 35 years. For some time now it has been generally admitted by large numbers of business men, farmers, and workers that < c < change of Government was necessary. T would strongly recommend them not to lose their opportunity of helping to restore a substantial financial condition and so improve the opportunities for people greatly to better their position by their own efforts. The United Party consists of people of all classes—Liberal. National. Reform and Labour. The United Party is much more supported than our opponents. I regard tin’s election as one of the most momentous in our history, and confidently await the issue.”

Sir Joseph Ward it will he seen, stated the position in the Dominion more accurately than most people in the individual sense were inclined to believe. The “set’- against the United Party hv both Reform and Labour was very pronounced, yet as we indicated yesterday, had Sir Joseph Ward been able to stump the country as the leaders of the other two political parties, the “set” would have been still less effective. Both Mr Coates and Mr Holland covered a great deal of territory •expounding their policies, and the former in particular, did not spare himself in the task of making the best impression possible. However, ns far as the United Party was concerned, the leader of that Party did not have the same opportunity (owing to health reasons) to expound his vigorous policy for the political regeneration of the country. The policy of Sir Joseph

Ward is a forward policy, without suggesting anything radical or confiscatory which is the dangerous portion of the Labour policy. 'There is of course more in common with Reform and United than with United and Labour. It is often said of Reform that it is a Liberal policy. Mir Massey used to make that claim. But Sir Joseph will make it plain and the verdict ol the electors indicates especially in farming districts that there is a marked difference between Reform and United in regard to the land policy, and also in respect to major finance, it was admitted by Mr McLeod as Minister of Lands that a progressive laud policy could not lie made effective. The Minister, so capable in many respects, was not able, with all his experience, to produce a policy which would give relict in a material way to the country. Sir Joseph by Ins hold financial proposals proposes to do so, and incidentally the same stroke must go a material way in relieving unemployment in a practical way by providing the means to place more people on the land as prodmers, instead of keeping them merely employed on relief works. Sir Joseph’s advent certainly promises to be history making.