WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 June 1919, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE NEW PARTY. DISCLAIMED BY ACTING PRIME MINISTER. (Special Correspondent) Wellington, June 2.

In a guarded but very definite statement yesterday Sir James Allen, the acting Prime Minister, dissociated the Reform Party from the delegates of the "new party," Mr C. J. Parr and Mr Vernon Reed, who are said to be touring the Dominion in the interests of that organisation. "The comj|iet entered into when the National Government was formed," Sir James said, "is still ill existence and will be maintained in its entirety so far as the Reform Party is concerned until an announcement is made by the leader after the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward." This is plain enough and is in accord with the resolution adopted by the recent Liberal caucus which affirmed quite as definitely that the Liberal Party would abide by the "existing contract" between the two parties.

THE EXISTING CONTRACT. This being the case, it may be as well to reiterate that the party truce, which was reduced to writing at the time it was made, provides, l that political differences shall remain in abeyance till the end of the war or till it is renounced by one or by both the party leaders. The CDd of the war has been defined for certain statutory purposes as the termination of a period of six months after the ;.ignirig of the peace treaty, but for the purposes of the truce it generally has been regarded as the time at which the Germans finally accept the Allies' terms. There may be some differences of opinion on this point, and even some quibbling, but neither leader lias diown any disposition to hold the other to the agreement after the time for parting has arrived. THE PROGRESSIVES.

I t justice to Mr Parr and Mr Reed it has to be stated they have not in the course of their present campaign represented themselves as; acting on behalf of the Reform Party. They and the gentlemen associated with them have no grievance against Mr Massey, or, for the matter of that, against Sir Joseph Ward, but they are anxious to stimulate political thought and activity in order to s.afe-guard the country against a uuinb r of perils by which they believe it to ho threatened. The great majority of their recruits have been gained from the Reform Party, but they have not hesitated to approach influential people on the other side of politics and they profess to be so far satisfied with the response to their effort;'.

POINTS OF VIEW. With the prospeet of some measure of schism in the ranks of the two older parties the break between the "Moderates"' and the "Extremists" in the Labor Party becomes. 1 of additional interest and significance. In an address he delivered here last night, ostensibly on the subject of conscientious .objectors, Mr H. Holland devoted most of his time to a violent attack upon Mr W. A. Veitch. Among other crimes he charged to Mr Veitch was the heinouy one of having helped Mr Massey into office—apparently hy allowing himself to be elected as Labor member for Wanganui—but his chief grudge against him was that he had assisted the National Government in its war measures, and liad not subscribed to the pacific doctrines of the extremists. Probably the attack will not greatly prejudice Mr Veitch with his constituents.