WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1931, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

LABOUR’S OUTLOOK. LEADER’S DIFFERENCES. j (Special Correspondent). Jr, , WELLINGTON, April 27. 'Jhe Labour Party in the House m Representatives is hopeful —one cannot say sanguine—of occupying the Opposition benches in the next Parliament should a general election take place in November or December cl this year. Air H. E. Holland and his considerable following in the House of Representatives argue that Air Forbes has so affronted the Civil Servants, Sir Joseph Ward’s former supporters and the Reformers who were disposed to give the “new man” a. chance, that the United minority will simply fade into j insignificance at the polls and that Labour’s battalions will be very considerably enhanced, possibly to within a few seats of Reform’s increased numbers. Just what will happen then the leaders of the present third party have not yet divulged; but they jfrs insistent upon the disappearance If the present Government ana a very Considerable accession to the strength their own resources in the new Parliament. ! ft . STILL ALIVE. |v<The concluding days of the special {idssion of Parliament, however, have ! |rat shown that the Prime Minister and Ills colleagues have lost their grip of the grave problems with which they ] sre' confronted or that the Reform Leader of the Opposition has with- 1 held any of the assistance he promised ~~™*Ko the Government when its difficulties wore first disclosed. The Labour members of the House of Representatives, and their allies throughout the Dominion, were not the only people who deplored the necessity of making a very , heavy impost upon the salaries of the Civil Servants. Sir Francis Bell, who. would have had a considerable amount to lose and nothing to gain had the Civil Servants. been ~e xempted from this impost, made qn eloquent appeal : - pn their,.behalf ’which savoured neith- ; v||r of class nor, 'of electioneering. The j [Minister, agaip, cheerfully con- ■ ciiryed, When it was suggested. that in ‘ casejslof particular hardship; concession!;! should b 9 made fto the sulfercrs.; . ~ I i - '•. 'l, THE PARTIES. A obscure statement j going the round of the various news-': papers concerning the relations between the- United and Reform parties suggests.*that the leader of the Opposition and his followers are not giving the Prime Minister the support jve has a right* ttrexpecfc'-front-;them in view of their early promises:,of cd-operation; “It is ah Open .ywy.kebfet,” , tlle author Of this colnplaint tssttfU, “that Govern mMit supporters ®*’ A -have been extremely surprised at the grudging nature of the support given by the Reform Party to the Prime Min. jster’s financial measures—an attitude -'“"fvhich makes it extremely doubtful whether the full programme necessary for the balance of the Budget can be through.” This surely is not a plaint' .from the Prime Minister iimself. Mr Forbes realises that he *is dependent upon the assistance of the !gsßeform Party, as everyone else does, <i,and it would be unlike him to he “grousing at this stage of the proceedings with so much accomplished. WHICH SHOULD LEAD. Yet this authority attributes to the Party jealousy of Reform’s appearance upon the scene. “The feeling prevails,” he goes on to say, ’“'•“that what prevents a closer co-opera-tion of the parties, whose methods for ,x dealing with the emergency are substantially the same, is that of leaderv *ihip. It is a question whether the forces should be led by the UpPrime Minister or by the leader of the ijgjOpposit on. Such a delicate and difficult matter cannot apparently be resolved by mutual discussions because the g|two parties are held apart to-day by over the niggardly nature the assistance so far given under ; jthe direction of Mr Coates.” No one who knows the two men at all intimately will think of either of them making party capital out- of the grave troubles besetting the country. But this observance of the gravity of the position does not mean that either of the loaders must necessarily accept without comment or suggestion the viows of the other.