WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 14 October 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

TH-E REFORM POLICY. I A BIG PROGR'AMME_ \ 1 . 9 . T-—-. (Speclal Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 13. i The manifesto with which the Prime Minister announces the Governments: policy this morning covers a great (1031 I of ground, but occupies comparatively! little space in the newspapers and is! plainly open to the reproach of being‘! superficial. In his anxiety to steer; the happy mean between excessive vcr- I bosity and undue brevity, Mr Massey‘ has laid himself open to the charge of ambiguity and he is not likely to escape criticism on this score. “Careful and economical administration by avoiding waste and extravagance, though without parsimony or the arrest of progress, thus ensuring to the TB".payer full value for his expenditure” and “an immediate and a thorough rc-, form of'the system of ;both direct and indirect taxation so as to make it more equitable in its incidents, with a.substantial reduction of taxation at the earliest possible date,’ are, for instance, planks that may be deacribcd with some justice as platitudinous.

A FRIENDLY VIEVV. Mr Massey’s political friends, however, find no’ fault with their .I.ea:ler‘s pronouncement. “When he left the National Government in August." the “Dominion” says, “Sir Joseph Ward issued a policy statement, so-called, which no experienced observe: could regard as anything else than a spec’.men of political window-dressing. a thing far removed from a practical Working programme. It is to Mr Massey’s credit that in addressing the electors on behalf of his Government and party he has not attempted to follow’ the lines laid down by his political riVal_ In contrast with the extraordinary. jumble‘ «issued by ‘Sir ‘Joseph Wax-d,. "the Reform leader's manifesto deals in a, broad and general way with the needs of the time and the‘ meas} ures by which it .is proposed to-.m_eet them.” _On the proposal. for the nationalisation of the coal mines the Prime Minister preserves “a .pel'l’eCt]y, open mind,” but. is waiting for an eggplanation of what _.nat_ionalisation means. -

THE CRITICS.. [ The “New Zealand Times’_’ publishes‘ the manifesto without comment, reserving its criticism,‘ no doubt, for at later opportunity, but the Liberal and’ Labour politicians are less deliberate in their expressions of opinion. A‘ prominent Liberal, with “independent” tendencies, recalls a certain speech delivered in the Wellington .Town Hall‘ in 1911, which he says, was the founda- g tion of the .Reform revival and thel basis of the party’:-, subsequeent suc—i cess. The speech, according to this authority,_ who is quoted without reference ot the report of the speech, contained promises for the reduction of itaxation, the lessening of the cost of ‘ ‘diving and the prevention of land ag-§ !grega.tion. But both taxation and cost 1 ‘of living increased under the Reform |Administration and land aggregation .went on as merrily as ever. LABOUR INCREDULITY. Ofiicial Labour professes to be intensely amused by what it calls Mr Ma.ssey’s promises of repentance and lreform. It wants to know why during ltheir four years of untrammelled authority, With Liberalism moribund and ‘Labour helpless, the Reformers did not !“get out” and do the things they are new dangling before the electors. ParDticularly it scoffs at Mr Masseys open mind on the nationalisation of the {coal mines and his demand for some zone to tell him what it means. “Surc‘lyj’ one of the assistant—lea'ders of the party exclaims, “it is the duty of iihe Prime Minister of the country to understand the meaning of the fundamental questions intimately affecting the welfare of its people. This is *worse and worse-—worse than Sir !Joseph 'Ward——and We can only pray to Ebe saved from the tender mercies of iboth parties.” And so the discussion iof the manifesto goes on.