“SHOOTING STARS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 342, 1 May 1928, Page 1

“SHOOTING STARS”

NEW PARTIES ON HORIZON “LONG NAMES—SHORT LIVES” (Special to THE SUN) CAMBRIDGE, Monday. “Cutting across the political sky like a shooting star, but without a star’s lustre and brilliance,” is the quip which the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, directed against the new political parties in general and the United Party in particular, while he was speaking at Cambridge this evening. The Minister, who is noted for his capacity to score heavily off his political opponents in the House and on the platform, waxed good humouredly satirical as he described the marshaling of political forces and the sharpening of weapons in the Auckland province in readiness for the .General Election. “Past experience seems to show,” he said, ‘‘that all these new parties which spring up with long names, have a ■hort life. “A year or so ago we had an organisation which called itself a LabourLiberal Party of some sort, but it had ime only to be baptised when it died. (Laughter.) “Now we have the old National Party under a new name or a new leader—it is alw-. s changing its name or its leader. It is not time yet, however, to debate its platform because, so far as I know, it has not put forward any.” L Tlle Minister compared the Country warty’s ideals with those of Reform, and said the true points of difference Were free trade and the agricultural bank. He had advanced his arguments ftpon the futility of free trade, while, In respect to the agricultural bank, the tural credits scheme had provided •verything which was desired by the original advocates of the agricultural