THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1912. THE ONLY ESCAPE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10622, 30 April 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1912. THE ONLY ESCAPE.

In. the course of an address at Auckland ,the other evening, tlie Hon. Geo. jPawkls, wiho has .arrogated to himself tlie apostolie'title lot' "The New Evangel," but w'h'o l has seen fit to throw in. Ins lot with the United Labour Party, declared tibait the time had arrived -when the Hue df demarcation in politics, hi ;New Zealand wou'lcl hiivcto he .clearly drawn. In other words, Mi- FowJds vioiccd the opinion ■wfludli is growing thutiughbnt the Dominion that there is,room only ibr two parties in. the polities, of this country, and th<ose parties will he the Liberals and the Labourites.. The pirooesw of evolution has produced these clearly-de-fined parties in An strata, and the (saano process must he attended with similar results in New Zealand. The p-oint for consideration at the present j mloment i;s. liow to hasten this straightout (liviskwi, so that the business of the country not l)e obstructed. It, is impossible to think that the Mackenzie Government, as at present .constituted,, cam place I'lpoa the Stat.ute Book those measures for which there is isuch a clamant, demand in the .constituencies. Ja the way of importance tiJ the future development *.if tlhe Country, there i« no unwe .momentous issue than thuit of the speedy and effective eettlenient of th land. On this- .question, the views of the Prime

Minister are almost Identical with those of the Pyciform Party. And yot itllie Hon.. T. JVll:uikenzio is surrounded by a body of colleagues who will stre-n----oio-uisly oppose the -settle men fc of the land on equitable and ■scientiiu- lines. Tlio Labour Party has v.penly stated l'Ji-:i't it lb as no confidence in the bead of .the present. Ministry. It is out with the firm determination, of (min- j ing temporary advantages from the evenness c'f political parties, and of I estiablislii'ii-g itself in power as soon as ] opportunity emirs. j'he Han. T. ' Mackenzie must know and realise I that every concot-sio:! made to l--a'bonr iat tiiii? present jainotnro, and every month that clr.ip.sos -bctw< en, i;mv and .the char dentiitlcn of parties on the major issues, will (place the future Liberal Pai'ty ;vt a du= advantage. No useful puipcro can be served by toying with the political problem and attempting the inijx.'i'tv'ible. The time lhas reinie When .the leaders-of the two great parties .sftienild confer upon. th,e possibility of -a coalition.. By fclir-s •means tonly can a direolivticn. .be avoided. And, in-the event of another appeal to ,tfli? country, there is rot' the •slightest guarantee that the position I would be improved for either party. Why, then, should not Mr M'assey and I Mji- Mackenzie form a joint Gio-'vern- ! mc-nt, itifow fug the Kfadicals of either party to drift into their proper place ' —the labour camp. This "would, at any.'ate, produce the lino of demarcation wlildh the (Hon. (J. Fowklsand | the Untcd L'a'bour Party are seeking. i It would .a'bo un'ako .for 'a stable Govj eminent-ft/i- -a penod of some years, for there woul'd nlct be a -shadow of I hope of -tho Lwlkhi rites gaming the ascenelalucy for at least a decade, if, indeed, they silifniild ever come to power. Tjbero aire mot a few on. the Government .side of idle rtouso who wonlel flavour 'an immcclki.te fusion 'of patties, and the Reform Party should not, if it has the 'true .interests of the country at (heart, obstruct am amalgamation of this sort'. There is no reason why isfucli im-en as Messrs Myers and MdJoroaild xlhoukl v.c<b rcimain, with their chief, in itflie coalition Ministry. A Ministry composed of Mir Macken<- ■ '/ag (is Premier aaid Mink-tor -of Ag>riciulture, Mr M&csey as Minister for , Lands, Mr Myers as M-n'ster for Defence, Mir Allen, as Minieter for Finance, Mr McDonald as Minister for Wicufe, Mr HcTdmaii as Minister of Education amd Internal Affairs, Mr Millar as Minhttea' for Labour, and Hemes as Minister for Railways and Nat'ro lAffairs, would be practically invulnerable. In <t<he -main-, the political aspirations of tlic-se gentlemen are identic-nil,- and their long public service would gain for them the respect and confidence of a large section c'f lidie community. Unless an iamiaigair-Jatlon of itihe Liberal forces, ion, the lines indicated aibove, is speedily con&umimaited, the politics ■ of. the country- .will continue in, a stato of absolute chaos.