THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1908. THE FUTURE IN POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9028, 15 January 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1908. THE FUTURE IN POLITICS.

Mr U. M'Laren, a pruninent figure in Labour circlts in Wellington, writes an able and interesting letter to one of the pap?rs in that city. The recent utterances of the Hon. J. A. Millar in regard to what the Minister considered the advisability of Labour and Liberalism working together have caused Mr M'Laren to criticise Mr Millar and the Government party generally. He says:— "The Minister invites us to carry our memories back a few years, and, no doubt, many "'ill oblige by going back in thoughtj as far as 1890. I submit that what we learn by this remembering- is that there never was a properly constituted Labour party in New Zealand." After' remarking that Labour parties in Australia and elsewhere are possessed of leaders at least equal in calibre to tlu: men at the head of our wondrous Liberal party, Mr M'Laren goes on to say:

"Whatever ex-.uses can be ma de for the submersion of Labour in the Liberal party, which took place after the great maritime strike, there does not appear to me to be any high honour attaching to the self-appointed leaders of Labour of that time, who were so weak in grasp as to allow an alliance to be effected without any definite statement of terms and conditions. The Labour parties of other countries have from time to time entered into alliances with the Liberals, but they have at least required the terms of alliance to be set out plainly. It remained for New Zealand to have leaders of labour who i

were content to sink the essential identity of Labour in another, party, one bossed and controlled by men who are not above the practice of exploiting labour for their own personal and class ends. Mr Millar may have understood the Labour movement in 1890, but of the movement in New Zealand to-day, he appears to lack knowledge. The men who are now seeking to form a Labour party are not coming out of the Liberal party, for, with few exceptions, they never were in it." In the letter under notice Mr M'Laren remarks somewhat sarcastically: "It is assumed in many quarters that WC have a party system of Government in New Zealand at present. This is a mistake. If one is to judge on what obtains in Parliament—and out —we have, I estimate, about a party and a-quarter; and Mr Millar, speaking, no doubt, for his big j.arty, says:—''We are not afraid of a fc.ir fight.' n ih3 Liberal party is not afraid of the oid Opposition, but the giant who is ready, with a spurious kind of valour, to meet a worn-out old stager is somewhat disturbed in mind to hear of the likelihood cf a fresh young opponent entering the lists." Mr M'Laren speaks with absolute truth of the real object of the Labour party when he says:—"Our present movement is not for measures or platforms, or watch-words;" and he continues, "the people of this country are beginning to understanJ that the greater part of government consists in administration, and the workers are well advised that the administration is not likely to lean their way unless they are present, in the persons of their pledged delegates, to see it properly done." We scarcely share Mr M'Laren's optimism on this last point. Wa believe that if-the people of this country, as a really realised to any appreciable extent the tremendous importance of administration, and that in fact, generally speaking, good government is simply nothing less nor more than good administration, a very different political condition would obtain to-day in this country than is at present the case. The prosperity of the country would, also, be very real and very phenomenal, but as a matter of fact our prosperity to-day if, regarded from some view points, a subject a little alarming, rather than congratulatory in character. . Mr M'Laren combats the inference made by the Minister that the present economic conditions in New Zealand are due to permanent reforms* instituted by the Ministerial party. To quote from the letter once again"The present activity in trade here is no more due to peimitient reforms than the Melbourne boom of a few years back was due to the application of the prinicples of Marxian Socialism. It does not take a genius in finance to understand that if the prices for cur commodities in outside markets are high for a considerable period of time, and, in addition, land values in the country are inflated by a continuous large expenditure of borrowed money, that the result is what we term 'prosperity,' and this is not brought about by any reforms having the real element of ecor.omic change in them. What utter absurdity it is for the Minister to draw a comparison between this and other countries, as if no other land on earth had ever experienced the b'essing of 'good times.' I have stood on the Dunedin wharves and seen the people flocking- out of New Zealand to Australia in much greater numbers than they are now coming in, and it is quite within the range of possibility that I may witness the same again, without the abrogation of any of the sacred rights about which Mr Millar speaks so emotionally. The difference between the present Government and Opposition parties is so line that its existence is a matter of debate; a little later it will he one ot general doubt, and later on one of absolute nor.-exisence." Mr M'Laren is firmly convinced that the Labour party is going to form the new Opposition. Should he prove to be correct a very interesting situation will he developed, and no'; a few "humbugs" exposed. We ourselves are certainly of the opinion that there is going to be a new Opposition in this country and in fact a new species (if we may use the term) of politicans altogether. A wave of depression would give a great impetus to the woik of carrying out the much-needed reforms, but whether depression be experienced, or not, we arc convinced that the reforms to which we refer are coming, and that they are going to be of a very sweeping character.