WITHIN COALITION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 43, 13 October 1931, Page 3

WITHIN COALITION

MR. CLINKARD MAKES CHARGE AGAINST REFORM MEMBERS ANXIOUS ABOUT POSITION In a statement made to the "Morning Post" yesterday, Mr. C. H. Clinkard, M.P. for Rotorua, expressed anxiety over the . political situation, in that, in his opinion, the Reform section of the Coalition are over anxious to secure party advantages through bargaining and are seeking every opportunity to make political capital in view of future political eventualities. j Mr. Clinkard said: "I had hoped, at one time, that the various parties might, in this time of national disaster, have completely sunk their differences, though, of course, the attitude taken up by Labour made it doubtful. Had all parties joined for the public good, it would have been clearly impossible to have found a question on which to have gone to the country. Labour has now taken up the attitude of the quack doctor who, when the patient is suffering under the hands of kind but conscientious surgical treatment, assures him that he is a cure-all and that a change to the treatment of the quack is the only way of meeting the case. Labour, at the same time, is piously hoping that the public will forget that similar quack treatment has failed in other cases." "Many people with whom I come in contact express the hope that the election will be deferred, having the opinion that, if the parties go to the country, each warring against the other, it will render future agreement still more difficult. What I should have prefel-red would have been a true partnership as proposed by Mr. Forbes, for all those who placed the country before party to join in one common caucus and elect their leader and for him then to form, his Ministry. This partnership then could have faced the electors as a National Party. "I am anxious about the present position of the Coalition. Our new partner is seemingly very concerned with party bargaining. Obviously, if members are constantly watching for political opportunities in view of future election contests, it will not be in the best interests of the country."