THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1912. PROPOSED COALITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10515, 3 January 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1912. PROPOSED COALITION.

A correspondent in. thite isistue suggests asi a solution of the pre sen# political problem a coalition between the Reform Party and tllie mode-rate section of tlws Ward Party. The .suggestion is one which will appeal to aiot a few people, rand one which niigjht readily find favour with Sir Joseph Ward. It seeanis: that, with the (present disposition of parties, neither could carry on for any length of time without .resorting to intrigue, or without another appeal l .to the electors. There are serious objections to either of .the latter alternatives. In the circumstances, (there would be rto loias of dignity or prestige on the part- of either sidie to accept a. reasonable compromise. I.f, as is suggested, Sir Joseph. Ward were appointed 'High Oomanigi&ioner, the way would be clear for- Mi- 'Massey to become Prime Minister. Nothing short of this would!, of course, be acceptable to the country. There seems no reason, however, wihy tlie Bom. T. Mackenzie and the Htaii. J. A. Millar siimild not be retained im tlie Cabinet, providing alllwiays they would subordinate their views to the will of .the majority. *\he suggestion to

fill tho remainedr of the Cabinet by ballot is impracticable. This could be done, however, by arrangement betweem the two leaders. After all, there does not &eem to be a very marked distinction between the &s----piratlions of the moderate Liberals, led by Sir Joseph Ward, and those who arc pi&dfU'u a; follow Mr Massey. I'hare are representatives of rural constituencies on- the Government side of t-lie House whose views on the important land question are almost idonticali with those of Mr Ma-ssey. A.:id, as-tliis is Gasify the most monuntou'S' question, which must engage tiie iniinediat'O attention of Parliament, iit would. be a kwnieaitabile tiling if it were deferred for an indefinite period tJiroup;!) party exigencies. The next most important question its local government .inform, and upon this issue there is ain already expressed sympathy between the leaders of the two parties. llefer-m of the Legislative Coimc-iP-and of the Civil' Service co-uld also be underaken without a sacrifice of principle oat the part of a number of supporters of the present Government. The result of a coalition on the line® indicated would be a guarantee of stability of Government for a definite period, the elimination of the Socialistic element from the control of even a. temporary 1 Adimiiiniistration, the better security for progressive Liberal legislation, and the definite assurance'of immediate Hamd and other reforms. Xt will, otf course, be argued that a coalition was attempted in Australia with ddsL astrous results. I'he circumstances, however, were entirely different. In the Commonwealth Parliament, prior to the ooaliiti'on, Labour occupied a much stronger position than it does in New Zealand at the present time, while the Liberals had no definite poKficy of reform to offer. In. New Zealand we have a RJeform. Party pledged to progressive measures, and a proportion, of the Ward Partyequally insistent upon legislatioi which will make for the more ?needy development of our ihternal resources. If tliese two sections were to combine, a Government could be formed which could resist the ina-h----mat ions of the extremist and relieve the 'Dominion of the Socialist >c pvril with which- it is now threat-> Cv.ie would think that the proposal outlimed above would appeal as mvl'ly to Mi - Mas&ey as to Sir Jo-eph "Ward, for while tlie latter is completely at the. mercy of a small mni'inty, the former is partially so and while th.'S condition obtains, lep !ii<i~io.:i cf -ft permanent and character iss almost- impossible. There is, moreover, no guarantee that another appeal to the electors would materially affect the position) of parties, and there is certainly no dispo-sition- on the .part of the majority of members that public feeling should be further tested.