ELECTION NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2519, 16 December 1922, Page 4

ELECTION NOTES.

REARRANGEMENT POSSIBLE. On the figures as they stand, says tlie Napier “Telegraph,” Reform is a spent force. But it s questionable whether it is safe to take the figures as they stand. The now Parliament may not he convened for over six months yet. During that interval there may be, there almost certainly will be, some “rearrangements.” We may expect to learn later of what a hard world calls “intrigues,” in which various forms of persuasion and argument will be utilised to bring about conversions. If conversions do not result, if the House assembles next June divided as to party, much as it stands today, a rather curious tangle will be presented. The suggestion is, of course, another General Election at an early date. But this is by no means to be counted upon. Few, if any of those elected will contemplate with pleasure the prospect of another with its attendant worry and work and expense, and — more telling still —its apprehensions as to results. The chances, then, seem to favour a combination. All the facts seemed in favour of a decisive Reform victory. An organised Liberal Party was absent. Wellfounded dread of the programme represented by Mr Holland naturally induced many electors usually fond of opposing Reform to vote for Massey candidates in preference to risking “Red” trouble. Y 7 et with all these elements working in its favour Reform has failed to get back with a majority. It looks as if Liberalism, now in the wilderness, will have to be relied upon at the next elections to dam back revolutionary Socialism.

“We predict that a result of this election must lie a definite alignment of parties along the true line of cleavage—the line dividing moderate men from revolutionary Labour. The Liberal members will have to make up their minds that the old labels must be discarded, and that they must choose definitely between the side of sane and Liberal progress under the guidance of Mr Massey and the side for which Mr Holland stands. The fact that the Government’s majority is so narrow will force this rearrangement of the old Liberal party, which can no longer hope, and will hardly attempt in any serious spirit, to persuade the country that it has an independent. mission.” Christchurch “Press.” PARLIAMENT SHOULD DECIDE. “Frankly, we cannot conceive the development of any circumstances which would warrant a postponement of the first assembling of the new Parliament until the middle of next year,” declares the “Otago Daily Times.” “It is true that there may be an attempt to establish an entente between the Government and some of its nominal opponents on the Liberal side. Such a project is one of the most obvious and promising contingencies in respect to a situation which requires to be dealt wth in a bold spirit, unhampered by mere convention, for it is supremely, important that instability of government should be avoided. The prime need, as we conceive it, is that a plan may be devised whereby, with the view of securing the desirable stability, such trifling differences as exist between the two most numerous parliamentary groups may be smoothed over. An appropriate motto for the negotiations might be found hi a recent utterance of the Earl of Balfour: ‘What I want to know is this: Why should we invent divisions where divisions do not exist? Why should we substitute divisions for co-operation, when cooperation has obviously advantages in practice? I believe in co-opera-tion.’ But even if, by an alliance or fusion of the Reform Party and a section of the Liberal members, the stability of the Government were to be practically guaranteed, we should still (having regard to the election results) be of opinion that Parliament should have an opportunity of considering the situation at a reasonably early date.”

THE LIBERAL PARTY

The increased strength of the Liberals —only one numerically, but presumably more than that because of the increased solidarity born of an election fight —may tempt the party to try conclusions with the Government,” observes the “Dunedin Star.” “Sections of the New Zealand Press have kept on advising Liberalism that, being defunct, it had better bury itself decently. The Liberal vote as a whole shows the old party to be very much alive. It remains still the official Opposition, possibly numbering twentyfour members to Labour’s seventeen, instead of nine as in the last Parliament. Labour’s gain of eight seats, without loss of any old ones, is likely to give that party an assurance that will provoke resentment among the Liberals since it amounts to a challenge. That is one safeguard against the likelihood of the Government’s vulnerability tempting the Liberals to conspire with Labour for a joint attack. Though Mr Wolford’s temperament, might, sooner or latex’, egg him on to making overtures in this direction there are wise and sober heads on the shoulders of so many of his followers that the committal of the Liberal Pai’ty —one need hardly hesitate to say, its betrayal—must not be contemplated. The only permissible occasion for such an alliance, short of unconstitutional behaviour by the Government, would be to force on a revision of our electoral system.” .