OPPOSITION TACTICS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 280, 24 November 1914, Page 3

OPPOSITION TACTICS.

[To The Editor Stratford Post.] Sir, —Soon after the' return of the Hon. James Allen from abroad last year, ho announced to Parliament that, on behalf of the New Zealand Government ho had, whilst' in England,' made an offer' ‘to the Imperial authorities to equip and supply, in time of war, an expeditionary force of 8000 men. The offer was* accepted, and that while in Canada, he had, dr, behalf of the Government, purchased 15,000 rifles at the cost of one dollai each, and thajt he had also discussed matters with the Imperial authorities re the desirability of establishing a small local navy in New Zealand. Now, sir; did the Opposition concur and congratulate Mr Allien on the good work that he had accomplished. No, they did not. They loudly chorused-in unison their disapproval of his action until the Parliamentary Chamber echoed with their jeers and abuse. The rifle barrels were crooked and obsolete, and the proposed expeditionary force was but mythical and too costly, and could not be conveyed to Europe, was the verdict of the Opposition. It was only when they had exhausted their vocabulary of lung power did this unique combination cease to play to the Red Fed element. The biased section of the Opposition press followed suit, and with a few well-chosen words re-echoed in parrot fashion the objections of the Opposition, but notwithstanding these trumped up party objections, expressed by the irresponsible Opposition, the expeditionary force is now well on its way to Europe and will, without a doubt’, prove both a credit to themselves and the Dominion. The much-despised Canadian rifles are doing good work in the hands of the Territorials and Senior Cadets, and would have proved a bargain at treble the money. The only mistake made by Mr Allen in this business was that he did not buy the lot. What attitude did the late Opposition take up when England declared war on Germany, and the Government decided to fulfil their obligations in regard to the equipping, despatching and maintaining during the waj in Europe an expeditionary force of 8000 men? Did they object? No, sir; they did not. They dared not, and for a few weeks remained as meek as motherless lambs. They were too much afraid of their constituents to again voice their objections at this critical juncture. They had made a false move previously by opposing this patriotic movement by opposing now anxious to retrieve themselves in the eye of their constituents and were therefore obliged to trim their sails to suit the times and make the best of the very awkward position that seriously threatened to envelop them. They therefore suggested, and tactfully agreed, to sink party strife and assist the Government in this matter until the end of the session. They diplomatically desired the Government to postpone the elections un. til time and the oounter.distraction of the war had diverted the attention

of the electors from their unpatriotic opposition to Mr Allen’s military and that their attitude in this matter did not reflect the voice of the electors. Did the Opposition keep this party truce? Not much, for during the stay of the expeditionary force in Wellington a number of oppositionists, composed chiefly of budding Cabinet ministers and professional politicians, made a daily practice of interviewing and questioning a few disgruntled naval proposals of 1913, for they knew troopers and prospective deserters. They lent a willing ear to the many imaginary stories that were purposely manufactured for and retailed to them by a few men w r ho were wealing and disgracing the King’s uniform. I am pleased to say that this small coterie of unworthies were ultimately turned out of the force bj their disgusted comrades in arras, and with their legs well pulled and their fertile minds well filled up with trumped-up grievances, the Opposition would, in a mechanical fashion, fire them off in the House in the form of questions and complaints, solely for the purpose of embarrassing and discrediting the Government. Added to these military' questions were an endless variety ,of time-wasting questions and interjections for the purpose of harrassiug the already-over-worked ministers, and to placate and secure the support of their prospective masters, the Red Ted representatives.

After the ejection of the disgruntled troopers the Opposition were unable to unearth or obtain' any real or imaginary grievances, and were therefore compelled to resort to the well-known American system of manufacturing fairy tales to suit their purpose, and continued intermittently until the end of the session their bombardment of the Government in the now recognised German fashion. Did the Opposition concur and assist to initiate that protection which has now proved, without a doubt, to be an absolute necessity for our safety (a small local navy)'. They did not, and for the purpose of condemning and belittling the scheme, referred to the proposal in scathing terms as the “Tin Pot Navy.” The attitude taken up by the Opposition in this matter, further proves their lack of patriotism, for it was either their desire to glorify Sir Joseph Ward and his costly Dreadnought gift, which- has and never will he any protection to our unprotected seaports; or it was their sheer inability to grasp the position and to. see for themselves that our secondary seaports. and local shipping were and are still in danger of being destroyed by the enemy’s cruisers. The possession of one or two fast cruisers during the present crisis would have been invaluable, and it is absolutely essential that the Dominion should posses one or two fast cruisers and submarines for the protection of our seaports. The Opposition, who are masquerading .under cover of the dead and gone Liberal party’s legislation, are obsessed with, the mistaken idea that they are part and parcel of the strong Liberal Party who governed New Zealand in the nineties and are therefore, in consequence, the legitimate and hereditary heirs to the Treasury Benches. This mistaken notion was partly dispelled in 1908, when the electors gave the then decadent Government a gentle hint to mend their ways. In 1911, the hint was put into execution. The elections of 1914—17, a/ill probably go one bettei, by proving to the so-called Liberal candidates, that there Js ample accommodation for the genuine Liberal, but absolutely no room for the shoddy article in New Zealand, and that they must quit, to make room for their legitimate offspring, the Red Feds. I am, etc.,

F. J. JACKSON Stratford, November 23rd, 1914