MINISTERIAL CONCERN.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1918, Page 5

MINISTERIAL CONCERN.

THE WAYiV'AUD ELECTOR. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, Feb. 18. Both party leaders are millkifiuly concerned lor the resist 01 the Wellington North election to take something more than an incidental interest in the campaign. Mi'. Massey realises that in spite of the war and the prevailing indifference to domestic politics, the tendency of the electors to grow weary of a Government that has been in oilice for two or three years pei jists. Only Mr. Seddon among all the Dominion's political leaders has discovered the secret of definitely delaying the desire for change. Air Alassev is as well qualified as would have been most of his other predecessors to deal with the difficult position that has arisen in Wellington hut up to the present his efforts to fire the enthusiasm of the electors on helmlf of his candidate have signally failed. Aluch may be affected during the next few days, but at the moment his appeals appear to have been addressed to indifferent or reluctant ears. SIR JOSEPH? AVARD'S EFFORT? The leader of the Liberal Party, of course, has approached the situation from a somewhat different standpoint and, it must be confessed, without much more apparent success Sir Joseph Ward himself was not favorably disposed towards the formation of a National Cabinet. He saw objections to the merging of the parties, and was prepared to enter into a compact with the party in power that would have assured its continuance in office during the course of the 4 war without depriving Parliament! altogether of the advantages of an organised Opposition. But finally his objections were overcome by the intciU'ention of His Excellency the Governor, and the concession of equal representation of the two principal parties in the Cabinet. The agreement by which seats becoming vacant during the life of »the existing Parliament' were to remain at the disposal of the party that had filled them at the general election was part of the subsequent, arrangement between the leaders. LABOR'S POSITION. This agreement, whether it was in the interests of the country or not, has been hunorubly observed by the party leaders, and fully respected hy the, gvcat majority of their supporters. But neither the Labor members of the House nor the Labor electors in the constituencies committed themselves to the compactMr. A'citch and Air. Ilindmarsh took a broad Imperialistic view of the arrangement, and, though taking a little ;noro latitude in ihe wav of criticism than did the members of the other parties, studiously refrained from embarrassing the National Government in the administration of the country's affairs. The rest of the Labor members, however, owned to no restrictions upon their criticism or their votes, and during last session they often were encojiraged in this attitude by Liberal members who had tired u." restraints that appeared to be lessening their individual importance in the House. THE CONSTITUENCY'S FEELING. In these circumstances it is not surprising that the ultra-militant section of the Labor Party, which always is ■'agin the Government" on general prinicples, and just now particularly "agin" it on the military service issue, is asserting itself with much noise and vapor. Mr. Holland is in the field as the official Labor candidate, making a much better show on the platform than do any of his opponents, and Dr.- Tliacker is leading about Mr. A. N. Poison, a young man who has been deluded into lea iug the public service to seek political dislhietion Probably Air Poison's chances are negligible, thanks largely to his patron's indiscretion, but with Air. Brandon, tlie Independent Reform candidate, he possibly maji detach sufficient votes from Mr. J. P. Luke to bring about the catastrophe of a pronounced opponent of military effort entering Parliament at a most inopportune moment. Mr. Afassey and Sir Joseph AVard, at any rate, have good reasons for taking a hand in the campaign.