A NATIONAL POLICY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 34, 10 February 1914, Page 4

A NATIONAL POLICY.

The new Chiistchurch evening paper, "The Stm," which started shining] over the Cathedral City on Friday last, stoutly announces its intention of independence in politics, and discussing a national policy says;—Tiu outstanding feature of the political] situation m .New Zealand in 1914 is tiie absence of anything in the nature of a national policy. Political controversy is being carried on vigorously by party newspapers. Every day sees them engage;! in the apparently congenial task of tearing each other to pieces and of proving to their own satisfaction, at any rate, that their political opponents are villains or tin

deepest dye; their political friends the saviours of the country. Moreover, it is election year, and members Ci Parliament are going about with the worried expression that betokens a mind working day and night to dis-c-over what the public really wants so that it may be promised in exchange for votes. For controversial purposes our politicians happen at the present time to be grouped into three parties—Reformers, Liberals, and Laborites. It is hard to discover where the first two differ seriously on matters of political principle, and the divisions between them are mainly personal and party matters. The third group is frankly hostile to both, and each is manoeuvring for an advantageous position in the battle thai must be fought after the next session of Parliament. As office is the main thing that any of them are interested in and the prize well worth lighting for, the electors are being treated to an exhibition of electioneering titat would be interesting enough as a spectacle if one could forget how the best interests of the country are subordinated to the exigencies of party warfare.