WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

ME POLICY OF DRIFT. GOVERNMENT CALLED TO ACCOUNT J (Special Correspondent). Wellington Feb. 17. Commenting upon the movement among the farmers in the Manawatu district to organise against what some of their number style the menace of 1 liolshevisui, the "Dominion" this morn--1 ing lays upon the National Cabinet much of the blame for the growth of pernicious political doctrines in the country. "The policy of drift which seems to mark the closing stages of the life ci the Coalition Government," it says, "has resulted in the Labour Socialists ! having practically n free field for their . propaganda. They are stumping the I country, spreading their socialistic idea*, stressing and exaggerating grievances 1 which have grown up under war eondl- , ,tions, and general striving to stimulate class prejudice and sectional strife. And • the political leader? of the two main ! parties are content to look on." That the Luhor lenders have the field for propaganda work all to themselves just, now there can be no possible doubt and that ther ara using it to tho beat of their ability is obvious to everyone TONGUE-TIED POLITICIANS. \ Hut, as the "Dominion" itself admits, the leaders of the two main parties and I tlieir colleagues in the National Cabinet are not free to do as they would in the present crisi3. "No doubt their position is an awkward one," their critic continues,. "They are tc some extent fettered by the terms of the coalition, but in the meantime their interests and th■* interests of those who perceive the danger of an extreme section of LaborSocialists building up a powerful organisation in the country are being neglected." The whole trouble has arisen, of course, from the long duration of the war. No one expected when the party truce was arranged that it would run into a fourth rear and that party controversies would be tabooed for longer than the life of an ordinary Parliament. To what extent the tntee is binding upon the electors is a matter of individual opinion, but the limitations and nhlipatipns it places upon Ministers are beyond all question. LAND AGGREGATION. Another view of the situation is suggested by an article on land aggregation appearing in the Evening Post. Generally thero has been a good understanding between the newspapers Of the Dominion that party asperities should be suspended during the course of the war and tlieir leading columns often have been rather dull and colourless in consequence. But the Post in one of its spasms of and-reforming !>nal has girt up its loins for another tilt at tho "political insincerity that has helped so greatly to promote revolutionary propaganda . . during the last seven or eight years." The last seven or eight vears, it will be noticed, covers roughlv the declining years of the last Liberal Government and the full terms of the Reform and National Governments- The wrath of the Post is directed against the lax administration of good laws by unsympathetic Ministers and makes one wonder why the editor has imposed upon himself all these years restrictions that were intended only for the politician. THE SMOULDERING REVOLT. The growing candour of these two ' newspapers may be accepted as further ', evidence of the accumulating dissatis-1 • faction with the present political situaThe members of the two main [ parties in the House of Representatives are bound by the conditions of the truce i till the return of the party leaders to the Dominion, but quite a number of ! them have announced their intention to ' proclaim their independence immediately J upon tho arrival of Mr. Masscy and Sir .To=eph Ward. The anxiety of these gen- 1 ■ tlemen is to free themselves from re- ' •monsibilitv for the shortcomings of the * National Cabinet and though their ac- 1 tion may not be very Heroic it is per- ' feetly natural. As for the members of * the Cabinet they probably will bo glad i enough to havo ,an opportunity to ex- ' plain their owr/position. For most of » them it may be said that they have been * '.crupulously loyal to a compact which $ lias hrought them little personal advantage cr personal honor.