The Guardian And Evening star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 1929. WINDOW DRESSING.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 1929. WINDOW DRESSING.

jt is being remarked in more than one (darter that the ret'ercnce in the an-

..vi:iL report of the Jjabonr Party setting iii conference at Wellington, liold- • iig out a threat to the Government in . .-yard to a certain course of action, .mat the l mted Cabinet will be put out ui office, is merely window dressing for show purposes, it is calculated that me Luiiour thirty, at all events the political .section, has a better idea ol me situation than that. La lion r at i.iis juncture will not be keen about me unmaking of the Government. To u i so means something of an unholy alliance with Reform, and after that, what ? The “Lyttelton Times" answers one question in this way: It is quite true that the Labour Party by uniting w itil the Reformers—if the Reformers i, mid accept such an alliance —could defeat the Government when the House meets, but the Government would not on that account go out of office. )\ hat uould happen beyond a .shadow of clou ,t is that Sir Joseph Ward would ; hiini, and would lie given, the right to j, to the country, and would take that curse. We do not know on what c. rins or conditions he took office, hut, in tho peculiar circumstances following 11 a; iast election, we cannot imagine l.'.at an experienced administrator li.ee Sir Joseph would dream of accepting office if the existence of his Government depended upon the capn e of either the Labour Party or the i.dormers. He would be entitled to say, and we have no doubt he did say, when lie accepted the commission to form a Government, that if lie were unable to carry on with the House as at present constituted he should have the right to refer the fate of the Government to the will of the people. It is quite clear that government would he possible under no other conditions. The Labour members of tlie House know, quite well that this is the position, and if they were ordered uy the executive of their party to go into the lobby with the Reformers against the Government, the result a mid be an immediate dissolution. Indeed, this is so dear that we have no hesitation in saying that is would e impossible for the Labour Party to t .rn the United Party off the Treasury benches. Tn the first place, the Labour members themselves would be extremely unwilling to risk a dissolution; in the second place, the Reformers would le very unlikely to accept even a temporary alliance with Labour in the circumstances now existing. Hr Coates, in that fine speech that lie made during the short session, indicated quite dearly that he, at any rate, did nob intend to challenge tho 'Government on a confidence issue, unless the i overnniont took an extreme course of action likely in his opinion to involve grave injury in the Dominion. Apart from such an unlikely contingency, it is certain that the Reformers would re bra in from precipitating a dissolution, and it is equally certain that they would not ally themselves with Labour to turn Sir Joseph Ward out of office. It is just as well that the position should ho stated quite dearly. The effect, of such a threat as l\at contained in the annual report of tho Labour Party will, inevitably, lie not merely to mirden supp irt of the t nited Party in the country, but also t i ensure the sympathetic support of the Reformers for the present Administration. We believe that the country is anxious to see Sir Joseph Ward given a reasonable opportunity to carry his programme into effect, and we believe Further, that the Rerfonners in the House, animated by the spirit ol the statements of their leaders during the short session, arc of the same mind. If this is the ease the threats of the Labour Party arc idle vaponrings.