Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1911. A CHANGE WANTED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10258, 9 June 1911, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1911. A CHANGE WANTED.

I There is a concensus of opinon throughout New Zealand that a change of Government would be in the hest interests, of the whole community. Even the working classes, wiho have consistently supported the Liberal Party, are heartily sick of the make-foelrieve Democrats who occupy the Ministerial benches at.the present time. The Wellington Evening Post, which has been isatting on the political rail for some years, hais fallen light over the fence, and in an article in its issue of Wednesday says:— ' 'lt was a theory of the late Mr Ballance that it was not for the good of the country that the same party should remain in office much longer than the term of a- sdnjle Parliament. What then would' he have thought of the victory which he won for his party in 1890 if he * hud known that it was to he renewed at successive elections, until the ideal period of three yeans had been extended to twenty-one? Possalbly he would have varied, in prosperity, a theory which was,. doubtless, in the ,main, the fruit"'of the gloomy 'days of opposition. The fact, however, remains that so long a reign as the present Liberal party has enjoyed is good neither for the country nor the party. This statement would hold • good of any country, but it has a

special application to one like New

Zealand, whore the functions of the State and, therefore, the opportunities for the manipulation of public trusts for private .purposes, have been so widely extended. A change of Government is badly needed, and there is prohafhly a general concensus of opinion in New Zealand to this

effect." This is undoubtedly <a fact. The question, at issue, however, is as to the successors of the present Party. The Labourites in the country are >eliammirdng for a repetition of what happened in the Commonwealth. They have not, however, either the organization or the men to achieve this objective. TTley are hoping to return a. sufficient number of .straight-out Laibour candidates to dominate the .political situation as between, the existing panties. Should they succeed—and it is quite within the range of possibility that they will,—the alternative to handing the country over to a minority would be a fusion of the moderate element in the two stronger parties. This is precisely what happened' in Australia, and it is probably what will happen in New Zealand. .Meanwhile, if the Opposition concentrates its (forces.and canvasses its progressive policy from one end of the Dominion to the other, it will have an excellent chance of returning to power at the next polls. At the present moment, with Laibour as a separate unit, it has a much larger following .in the country than does the decadent Ward party.