COATES' FOOT WAS ON A BANANA SKIN

NZ Truth, Issue 1199, 22 November 1928, Page 1

COATES' FOOT WAS ON A BANANA SKIN

TALE OF COAT WHICH WAS DRY-CLEANED

"lO,U.gii Y^andMe-W Of Sir Joseph Ward's New Party • [ -GORDON IS A GAY GORDON NO LONGER

I^^Hl npHB 1925 elections saw a I rout; the 1928 elections 1 were just as great a l^^ffl * stampede, and a fickle j^^H) public, ever ready to coniHMH demn, have, m •no uncertain manner, shown Joseph H|B( Gordon Coates, whom they W^Bl acclaimed as the hero of the I^^Mb hour three years ago, that he B^H is no longer required as leader H^Hf of the Government. WmH That was the most striking feature of the, referendum of |M 192.8. The people have .shown H|§f at the polls that they are yr thoroughly dissatisfied- with Reform administration. Given a reasonably sound alternative, they were quite prepared to try it, while laboring under the belief that their old- favorites had dismally failed. The hardy Reform political shoot, springing from the bid Liberal tree, has passed the zenith of its usefulness as a capable governing body just as its predecessors did. • The passage of the years with a too X liberal balance of power m the' House has bred a certain in-difference-to the trend of public thought. Reform's colossal confidence m itself has been its own ' undoing. Reform's political catch cry that .the new' party banner waving mi the, win<V Lab r orwin#tlVat the rear fight woura%e .iiMm«..ijjjii(Hmiiiiiiimpiin»i>iiiiii'ii«»iim»i»»'»'»'» | » i """' iiiii ' ii " i^ il " iii ";" f ;"";";;" 1 ,!;!: liilim iiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiTiimiiiiimmiiimi'ii"""""""""""" 11 "" 1 """""""""""""

-*lt It IT n ft ,V „ | |) The shouting and tumult has died; political pot-hunters \\ f! have faced the barrier arid a big percentage of favdrities have jj 11 fallen by the wayside. The walls of Jericho have crumpled |j \\ and among the^ slaughtered lies- the. cadaver of a one-time jj ij hardy political growth-— Reform. The political seed of years || \\ has drifted on to barren ground and the Israelites 'are once f| ll more returning to Joseph fat grain. j| I Reform buckled on its armour and faced the electors four ff I square, but not all the cracking of the party whip, catch j phrases and slogans could ' stem the tide. It will take more^|] J than "all the King's horses and [all the King's men " to Weld /fell ii scattered remnants into any semblance of its pristine glory. ; !| i* ' m „ ti

between Reform and Labor — fell/far short of the mark, nor. did' it have the,, effect desired. , ' That the people- earnestly desired a change of government may Jbe gauged from the fact 'tr>at m a number of electorates where a raw United recruit was placed against a hardened, and popular '-Reform member, the new aspirant for political honors came "home on the bit." ! ' ■?•■.■ .-. Even m three-Gorner<ed contests where sitti ng .R ef arm or Labor caridi - dates had^hlthertol heM : a ■ su pstantiy^ m£jorit:ft<'Uji^ heck-arid-neck, to lose by oniy a very narrow margin. , Constituencies that were reputedly Eefor m. completely '< somersaulted m the interests of : t'he J new party. This has occurred, m more than one instance^ whore the fight was 'a straight-out one between Reform and United. . Thisin itself "is a striking commentary on , the popularity of Sir Joseph Ward. The ' confidence and esteem m which he is held, arid the belief that he is the right man at the right moment has been solely responsible for the crumbling of the Government. .''■'. i Sir Joseph's £70,000,000 loan proposal has been directly responsible for the capture of 14 or 15 country seats that, hitherto had been secured - by Re-, form. It was m the country districts that it might be expected the new party would receive the balance of votes, for there is no . doubting the fact that the United Party leader's proposal to bring cheap money to help the "struggling farmer out of the quagmire ma-, terlally affect-' cd. the issue. : That the farmers have, faith m Sir Joseph Ward's ability to carry out his pledge, thereby justifying hi s pr c - election promises, there can be no doubt. Without detracting from the merits of the Reform Party and the .undoubted financial ability m its ranks; the peop I e, by their yot cs, handed the palm to InvercargiU's 'financier. ■ : ■. The future political prospects of the country are pregnant with possi b i lities when elected members, inde-p-e n den t of party,, come to ca.st their votes m the House." . While losing three seats at the election, Labor gathered ■ m nine new

ones and even m the Kaipara district, the electorate of the man who had his coat off, 1 the. substantial polling of . Labor votes indicates a decided dissatisfaction with the present regime and its leader. 'The':', 'defeat' Of three Cabinet ministers', t\vb by United and one by Labor Candidates m stri^ignt.-out fights speaks volumes for the unpopularity into which Reform has . so ignominiously slithered.,-. . : . ..■■■■ ■ Labor's .^successes, as usual, were iiiostljj; .in:,t.he cities, where the masses .Qf'\yt)rior%ihave' voted en, bloc, for the surprise seats such as Tlhiii.ru,, where the Hon. F. J. Rolleston, Reform Minister of JuSt i c c, couldn't place him self ahead of the astute and capable orator, Labor's Rev. Clyde Carr. . Although. 'the policy propounded by the new. party was responsible for the securing of quite a number of seats by a majority of a' few hundred, on the other Hand, seyeral seats were almost within ' their grasp. The proof of the pudding is m the eating,, and the elections have ciearly evidenced the , trend of present-day thought. In some instances three-cornered, contests resulted m split votes, but both Reform and United have been the losers m equal proportions. With all sincerity, and with the quiet conviction o f an, old political war horse who . "knows his onions," Sir Joseph Ward, m his preelectional address to the people of Dunedln, said he was quite confident that his party would be returned with a majority. How true his . prognostication , was last week's battle royal has proved. . With practically the 1 S;ame representation m - the House as Reform, his statement wasn't a me re empty boast. With several of the Independent. a.n d Country Party members electk ed to : swing his V- way, his l^\ rnrty will be ! \in ■ a- posit i on, c. yen shpuld there,be a fusion, to hold the balance of power m the House. '.'■■■■ As. 1 -a politician' of experience, • Sir Jos e;p;h . ; Ward's career is color.-, ful:- He was t he. : Colonial T.r c as.v r e r away back m 1893 - 6. \-The country, then had evidence of his ability to ■ a v c c c s sf ully juggle ; Wri/t h ; th c financial • side of- it s provfing pains. ■He It was who, ■ despite adverse criticism, went ' Home In 1901 . and raised a special 1 o"a h before

The Failure

attempted m Australasia) to place on ,a sound footing his pet scheme, the State Advances Office. Optimistic always and a great gambler m the broader sense of the word Sir Joseph, m turning up the trump card, as he has done, threatens to make the closing stages of his political career .< as brilliant and sensational as his early initial advent into the political melt- [' ing-pot. * Verily, history is repeating itself. When, he prime Minister m 1912, the Ward Government was defeated on ; a no-confidence motion by the then sturdy Reform sucker — offshoot from the Liberals which had held the reins of power for ' 3'ears. Since he filled the office of Minister of Finance m the Coalition Cabinet during the war, the United Party's leader has not 'raised his , "say so" m the affairs of the country except as a private member. Who now is going to wield the big 1 stick? Assuredly not Reform's coatless leader. Gordon "naturally regrets \ the result" as he very succinctly put it . over the iiir on election night and after 1 he has "consulted his colleagues" may gracefully retire from his hitherto unassailable position. k Whatever the. result, power m the j House. |s . limited and the next three , years '• shp'uid sec some interesting r the -partiea do not' gu to the country again !