Manawatu Herald [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1904. Commonwealth Politics.

Manawatu Herald, 28 May 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1904. Commonwealth Politics.

Mr Watson’s Labour Government still remains in power, despite the forecasts of political wiseacres that It would enter office only to retire again to the Opposition benches It was generally thought that Mr Deakin (the ex-Premier), and Mr Reid (the leader of the Opposition) would form a coalition Ministry, and that in the face of an overwhelming majority, the position of the Labour party would be untenable; but Messrs Reid and Dpakin have not yet effected the looked-for combina-

t-ion, and therefore the prospects of Mr Watson and his followers are considerably’ brighter. The chief obstacle in the way of a union between the parties of Mr Reid and ,Mr Deakin respectively appears to be the same question that is dividing the ranks of the Balfour Government in the British House of Commons. Shall our fiscal policy be based on Protectionist or Freetrade principles ? Mr Reid and his supporters are strong Freetraders, and will not listen to anything in favour of a Protectionist policy, while the majority of the Deakin* ites on the other hand advocate Protection, and are equally ardent in the support of their theories. The Tariff question is not, however, in the foreground of Australian politics, and the difficulty might have been overcome by .allowing the question to remain open; but another, and perhaps more foi'midttbk stumbling block has arisen. Mr Deakin will not accept office in a Coalition Ministry, stating, as his reason for so doing, that he is desirous of terminating the present ' unsatisfactory condition of affairs, and merging the two Oppositions into one, thus leaving only two parties in the House—the Government and Opposition. This action is peculiar, and it is hard to Say how it will affect the political horizon It does not seem probable that the Deakinites will be able to fill Mr Deakin’s place while it is still moi'e improbable that they will be willing to unite under the leadership of Mr Reid. The object of Mr Deakin’s retirement is praiseworthy. No other Australian politician is in a better position to know the difficulty of managing the “ three elevens,” and his recent speech seems to be an acknowledgment that he is not prepared to undertake the task again. With three parties pulling in different directions, a strong Government is impossible, and the interests of the country would be better looked after if there were only two opposing parties; but it I seems doubtful whether Mr Deakin ' has succeeded in his purpose. Its only result so far is to make the situation more mysterious than ever. At all events Mr Deakin is not prepared to take up the reins of government while the triangular struggle

continues. In the meantime Air Watson and his party remain in office ; and although the members of the Cabinet have little political experience, they are certainly carrying out their duties in a very commendable manner. According to the policy outlined by Mr Watson,'the Government does not intend to take any risks this session, and Mr Watson is undoubtedly wise in adopting this course. A purely Liberal Administration is without precedent in the annals of constitutional history, but at any rate it is acting in a very hopeful and prudent manner, and should at least be given the opportunity of showing whether it can rule in a way that will be most conducive to the best interests of the Australian people.