The Daily News MONDAY, APRIL 13. THE EVE OF BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 13 May 1907, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, APRIL 13. THE EVE OF BATTLE.

in si political sense, the eyes of New Zealand will to-morrow hi! turned 'l'aranakiwards. and the verdict uf tills electorate district will nut be without its moral clVect on the political situation ill the colony. At 110 time have greater ell'orts been made to cast discredit 011 the pre- ■ sent .Administration than (luring the conduct of the present campaign. From 1 he outset the Opposition have asserted thit the issue before the electors is that , Hi'the Land Hill and alleged makulminis--1 (ration of the 1 lovcrnmeut. We have contended that tile Land question is not a vital one in the campaign, and when the numbers go op we shall be surprised if the leading Oppositionists do not regret that (hey sought the verdict ol the electorate 011 their views of the Land Hill. So far as tic Land question is concerned we ale at one with the Opposition and the (lovernincnl candidates in their advocacy of the o.r.p. tenure, and only break issue with the Opposition on the question when they condemn the proposal to set aside reasonable areas ol unsold Crown land for endowments for the great national purposes of old age pensions, education, and hospitals. We have not heard a single argument adduced by either Mr. Massev or Mr. Okey ill support of their denunciation of these proposals, behind which, we are convinced, is ranged the great majority of | the electors of the colony. While with much of the Land liill we do not agree, we at the same time cannot help believing that the Hill has been by inuendo anil also direct inference, credited, by platform speakers, with containing disturbing proposals of a nature that we cannot by any stretch of imagination read in its clauses. Unfortunately, very few of even those most vitally interested have read the proposals of the Bill for themselves, else many of the groundless statements made on platforms in the country districts would never have gone uncontradicted. We have on a number of occasions dealt with the proposals of the Land Hill with which we do not agree, and have 110 intention at this juniture of repeating them, but those who have only heard one side of the question in its broader sense, we would refer to the positive statements by the Aeting-I'rcmier (lion. W. Hall-Jones), and Hie .Minister for Xative Affairs (the lion. ,1. Carroll) in another part of this issue. We hold that this tight is a party 0110, pure and simple. The issue is plain-. Is Taranaki to continue its allegiance to the present Administration, or is it to throw in its lot with the parly which has unsuccessfully been striving for ollice during the past lifteen or sixteen years? Are the electors to continue to support the parly that has introduced ami carried into ellect the legislation of progress, or the party that has strenuously opposed, ill turn, the many measures of Liberal policy? New Zealand, every New Zealander. is proud to claim, leads the world in its advanced legislation. Would Xew Zealand have led had the Opposition ruled during these years of Liberal rule? Applying the test of their opposition, strenuous and bitter. to most of the policy measures of the (Joverument. we have 110 lesitation ill believing that we would not The legislation we are prowl to claim as legislation for-the masses and all classes, might have been for the classes alone. Has the Liberal pally shown that it has lost its virility, its initiative, discern mcnt and power for good? Apply. again, a test. We have at the'present moment our Premier occupying the proud position of leading, with -practical ideas, the minds of (he greatest of the Kmpire's statesmen. Notwithstanding all the limelight the ollicial reporters and the cabie-grammers threw on Jlr. Deakin and other brilliant advocates of Imperial preference, we have, to Xew Zenlanders. the pleasing spectacle that out of the whole of.the suggestions tabled for the promotion of Imperial trade, the acute minds of British statesmen Slave seized on three suggestion-, every one of which was put forward by Sir Joseph Ward. And nothing, we linhestitatingly allirm. would so conduce to til - prosperity of this colony as 1110 realisation of Sir Joseph Ward's three proposals- Xew Zealand to London in twenty-one days, cheapening Suez Canal dues io admit of the passing of our produce by that shortest of sea routes, and (heap cabling facilities, lin|tc? - ial Xtuk'smen ;icknm\- ; ledge the amines* < f these proposals, ' and the encouragement already given bv them gives every reason to believe that these inestimable privileges and concessions—boon- to every soul in Xew Zealand dependent as we are 011 the markets of the Old Land—will, in the early future, be ours at an expense shared proportionately by practically the whole of the Empire. Whatever side of politics one might associate oneself with, none can but acknowledge the ability with which Sir Joseph Ward is representing Xew Zealand at the imperial Conferonce. Such ail exhibition 0/ ability and sound business capacity certainly cannot be said to betoken any lack of those qualities of leadership and accomplishment that Xew Zealanders have, as a matter of course, learned to expect from the (lovernment leader. To return to the election. A vigorous battle is being fought, with, we are pleased to say, absolute fairness so far e.s the main participants are concerned. In the circumstance of Jlr. Jlalonc's candidature, the Liberals might well exclaim: ''Save us from our friends." (11 the general support he gives to the policy of the present Government, it could easily happen that the seat might be placed in jeopardy. We do not anticipate any such contretemps. however, relying on (he good sense and discernment of the supporters of the (lovernment to show them how fatal any splitting of the 'Liberal vote would hi' to the cause they espouse. At tin's stage, and under the present peculiar cirrumslanccs, the personal element must be obliterated, and the Liberal vote cast solidly in the direction that will retain the. seal for the Liberal party. This is essentially a democratic constituency, as the records of many years have demonstrated. and as will be demonstrated again to-morrow, when the Liberals have closed their ranks, and voted solidly for the selected candidate of (lie Liberal party. In the hands ot the present (lovernment the rights of til'* workers and equally the needs of the farming and commercial community ale. quite' safe, as they have been for the past sixteen years. The sponsors of the tlnest, social legislation in the world—authors of our licensing and local option laws, our Lands for Settlement, cheap money institutions, experimental farms, dairy schools and butter and llax grading stores, our Arbitration Act, old age pensions, workers' compensation, ami advances to workers, etc., free education from primary school to university, penny pontage, and cheap telegraphing, cheap railage, and reduction of Customs duties, foreign markel developers, lirst builders of public works out of revenue, to mention only a few of the lienelicient enactments tiiat even the Opposition dare not state they would repeal—should to-morrow have 110 room left for doubt lliat. so far as this portion ot Xew Zealand is concerned, they still retain the coijlidcncc of the people.'