Parties Rise and Fall

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 512, 15 November 1928, Page 9

Parties Rise and Fall

THIRTY YEARS OF ELECTIONS Ghosts of Yesteryear THE struggle for political power in New Zealand has been keen, and at times has reached the dimensions of national crisis. The rise and fall of the chief party factious in the House of Representatives have been attended with the thrills of uncertainty, the buoyant hopes and the shattered illusions which necessarily accompany the caprice of popular thought. Depression—history has shown —brings with it discontent and desire for change; prosperity produces quiet satisfaction with things as they exist.

Because New Zealand is a prototype of Great Britain, its political system has been based largely • upon the party structure of England, and in the main, history has repeated itself fairly accurately here as well as in the older country.

Yet, in spite of all historic and political tendencies, there never has been so much uncertainty in the minds of a people as that with which the result of to-day’s poll was forecast. Liberalism in its various phases enjoyed a long period in power, and after it had tottered in the balance for a short while, a wave of conservatism swept the countrs 7 , and sent to Parliament the biggest majority the Reform Party has ever had since its inception. The Liberal Administration of Sir Harry Atkinson and John Ballance held the country’s affairs for some time, and this regime was taken over by Richard John Seddon. who spent 13 years in the Premiership in carrying on the policy introduced by his predecessors, and formulating additional social and industrial reforms. LIBERALS SWEEP COUNTRY So great was the Liberal wave at the elections of 1905 that the Opposition—which formed the nucleus of the present Reform Party—possessed only 15 of the 80 seats in the House. In 1908 the popularity of the party was still high, though its strength had dropped to 46 seats. It was in 1911, three years prior to the war, and five years after the death of Mr. Seddon, that the scale of political favour turned from the Liberal Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, and swung toward the late Mr. W. F. Massey and his Reform Party Opposition, who for years had struggled doggedly for power. This election, which was conducted on the second ballot, gave the Liberals 33 members and the Reformers 37. The remaining 10 members, comprising Labour and Independents, were pledged to respective parties on a noconfidence motion, and the Clovernment was compelled to resign in 1912.

Sir Thomas MacKenzie then formed a Ministry, but he held office for four months only, ultimately giving way to Mr. Massey, who took over the Government in July of 1912. and remained Prime Minister until his death in 1925. The precarious state of the Administration in 1911 and 1912 provided one of the most interesting phases of Parliamentary history in New Zealand, the uncertainty of the balance of power creating intense excitement in political circles. WAR COALITION FORMED This uncertainty of tenure was transferred to Mi*. Massey and his party in 1914. when, about four months after the war began, he was returned with 40 members, while the Liberals had 31. Labour eight, and Independent one. It was then that, in order to carry over the strenuous years of the war. the political resources of the two chief parties were pooled, and Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward formed a Coalition Government. Sir Joseph Ward broke precipitately from the war coalition, and the Liberal Party suffered severely at the 1919 elections. Reform securing 46 seats. Liberals 20. Labour IJ. and Independent 3. and Sir Joseph losing his own seat at Awarua. With this comparatively comfortable majority. Mr. Massey carried on until 1922, when the electors again ran him to the borderline of political uncertainty, giving him 38 members, against 22 Liberals and 17 Labour members. On this occasion the life of the Government was preserved by the timely votes of Mr. L. M. Isitt. Mr. Alan Bell, and Mr. G. Witty, three Independent members, who undertook to support Mr. Massey on a noconfidence motion. Another Independent. Mr. Charles Statham. accepted the Speakership, and the net result was to give the Massey Government a majority of three in the House. CONSERVATIVE REACTION A review of this political history emphasises the difficulty which beset the path of the late Mr. Massey, who never at any stage of his career as Prime Minister had a really comfortable majority of members. His ascension to the Treasury benches was accomplished after a long and tedious struggle as leader of the official

Opposition, and it was not till aftc* his death that the country literally opened its heart to the Reform Party, and made definitely sure of a clear working majority for tho leader. This occurred in 1925, when the elections produced a wave of Conservatism equal in fervour to the Liberal vote which swept the country in 1905, and Mr. J. G. Coates, only a few months in office as the successor to his late chief, cleared the polls with 55 of the 80 seats, the Liberals—now sailing under fresh colours and a new party name dropping down to a mere nine. Since 1923 the Government lost two by-elections, the Labour Party winning the Eden and Raglan seats. Sir Joseph Ward, once leader of the greatest party in tho New Zealand Parliament, re-entered the House at the 1925 ecctions, not as a party member with his former associates, but as tinsole representative of the old Liberalism—a party unto himself. At to-day’s poll Sir Joseph approached tho electors at the head of the United Party, which claims to embrace the Liberal tenets of the original Rallance-Seddon-Ward regime.