The Daily News. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1922. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1922. THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

The Prime Minister, the Leader of t]je Opposition, and the Leader of the Labor Party, have now placed their bi’ls of fare before the electors. The first two are obviously designed to cure all the ills to which the electors are heirs, and if translated into action would convert the Dominion into an Utopia. Past experience, however, shows that election manifestoes must not be accepted at their face value, filling but. a transient purpose, that of impressing the electors before they register their votes. Mr. Massey certainly offers an attractive' programme. He promises, if he is again returned to power, to effect greater economies, reduce taxation, increase production, and ameliorate the condition of the people by divers means. But Mr. Wilford goes much further. He indicts the Government for creating the conditions that make a reduction of taxation and economy imperative, and advocates the instituting of a State Bank, electoral reform (proportional representation no doubt), and the Whitley Council in relation to the adjustment of Labor troubles and the management of industries. Then he would, if given the opportunity, “legislate to enable the Government and the producers to establish their own shipping line.” How he proposes to find the money for this and the other schemes he does not enlarge upon, but it is a matter upon which electors would like full information. Mr. Massey affirms that between the Reformers and the Liberals “the differences are more those of men than of measures, of party rather than of principles.” Few who have -watched the trend of things during the war years and since will be disposed to dispute the statement. The Reformers are no longer the old conservative die-hards; they realise that in order to retain their seats and their majority they must keep pace with, the progressive forces. In some respects they have gone further than any of the old Liberal leaders would have dared to. They imposed taxation of an exceptionally heavy nature, and they interfered with the greatest abandon with the economic and financial laws. At the same time it, has to be admitted that in the last three years at least they- have been faced with unprecedented difficulties and problems, and have tackled them with courage and an honesty of purpose wholly commendable. They now begin to realise that they overshot the mark in regard to taxation, and are taking steps to reduce it. Naturally the’Opposition, in their present campaign, will make the most of this and other weaknesses in the Government’s administration. But the point electors will have to decide is, Is there any practical alternative tb the present Government? Are the Liberals, led by Mr. Wilford, likely to prove an improvement upon Mr. Massey’s Government ? Would Mr. Wilford himself prove a reliable, successful Prime Minister? He certainly proved a capable Minister in the Coalition Government, but then he had none of the responsibility attaching to the head of the State. Some of the' old Liberals that ranged themselves under the banner of Sir Joseph Ward evidently do not feel any particular confidence in Mr. Wilford as a leader, for they have forsaken him entirely and are standing as Independent Liberals or going right over to the enemy camp. Still, the essence of sound government under our democratic constitution is to have I a good, strong Opposition, capable I of criticising the Government and : offering a potential alternative Government. This, in the ordi-

nary course of things, may have been provided by the Labor Party, which is a compact, determined body, but it suffers from the fatal disability of having as its leaders men imbued with Socialistic and revolutionary ideas. Mr. Massey, in his declaration, says they are “wedded to revolutionary principles and action, which, if successful, would tend to disintegrate the Empire, and substitute for orderly self-government, which the country now enjoys, Soviet rule and class legislation of the worst possible kind.” In the House on Monday night, it. may be added, Mr. Holland, the Labor leader, repudiated such a suggestion, affirming that his party believed in effecting changes only by constitutional means, certainly not by physical force and action. To this Mr. Massey rejoined that it was possible to confiscate property by taxation, apart from physical force. This is quite true. It has been done in Queensland, and to a less extent in New South Wales, where Labor’s extremism brought about its downfall. Were Labor led by sane, moderate and patriotic men, they would offer a strong opposition to both Reformers and Liberals. As it is the party, as constituted at present, is not likely to gain the support of the great moderate and patriotic section, without which it can never be a force in the land. This section will determine the issue, and it will revolve almost entirely upon the question of leadership, Mr. Massey, tried and experienced, and Mr. Wilford, full of vigor and enthusiasm, but lacking in some of those essentials which his predecessor (Sir Joseph Ward) possessed in abundant degree.