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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 291, 5 June 1912, Page 4

POLITICAL PEACE. What New Zealand requires most of all after industrial peace is political peace (remarks the Poverty Bay Herald), j The political warfare that has been die- | turbing the country for the past six months serves no good purpose. It ia I detrimentally affecting our finance and | setting at cross-purposes men who should bo working hand in hand for the good of the Dominion. Unless some compromise is arrived at there can be no dominant party and the Administration must remain the battledore and shuttleeock of a handful of members whose election was only secured through extraneous support brought to their aid by a party that had not the slightest sympathy with their aspirations. These people, then, who are not truly representative of the majority of the electors, bold the key to the situation, and so long as the present division between men of moderate j views obtains so long will they, with the assistance of dissentients and extremists, be able to hold the fate of any Ministry within the hollow of their hand. It is idle to pretend that settled Government will come with the triumph of the Opposition over the present Government at the ensuing session of Parliament. Mr. Massey, if by any fortuitous chance he secured a majority, would find himself quite unable to satisfy the demands of the extreme Labor-Radical section, and there are few members of his party who "would submit to such domination as must necessarily come from that corner of the House. The recent attempt to solidify the ranks of Labor Socialism and to endeavor to obtain through legislative means what it has not yet been found possible, to attain through the medium of the Arbitration Act and strikes, has put a new aspect on political affairs in this country, and there are many people throughout New Zealand enquiring whether it is not time for interests other than those of the Socialistic section to solidify and establish a united front. The essential differences between the two parties represented by the Hon. T. Mackenzie, on the one hand, and Mr. Massey, on the other, are about as tangible as the difference between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Their policies are professedly the same, and both are aiming to govern the country with honesty of purpose and good progressive business-like method. Men could be chosen from both sides whose sterling qualities would command the support of a strong party in Parliament, and wjth a little give and take we have no doubt a strong and stable Government could be formed, capable of forming a legislative programme thoroughly in agreement with the mind of the great body of the electors. No solid argument can be found for the perpetuation of the present party divisions. What is wanted is a strong moderate party, which, whilst truly Liberal and progressive, will not proceed to extremes, but will carry on tli# Government with business acumen. Such a party could be formed from the

ranks of both Government and Opposition if the leaders on both sides would but- sink their personal aspirations and recognise the need for a combination of the solid interests of the Dominion. It is the only means of averting a serious deadlock that will give every opportunity to the extremists to accomplish the purpose to which they have steadfastly set themselves, namely, by every means within their power to dominate th,e legislation and administration of the country until they have it in their own hands.