THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1912. SIR JOSEPH WARD.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10642, 24 May 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1912. SIR JOSEPH WARD.

When Sir Joseph Ward l°ft New Zealand for Australia 1 , lie made a tentative promise that he would say v*sr,y little on the other ;side about the politios of this country. Evidently, however, the turn which events have taken since, his departure has indacoi him. to (forget Ms promise. His latest attterance, which was taiitamouat to saying that the Mackenzie Ministry could not hang together, and that it would be necessary for hini to ;c----sume the reins of office, has naturally oa'used uneasiness in the Ministerial camp. Prime Minister, in an in . ■teryiew yesterday, hazarded the opinion, that a 'wrong construction had been; placed'upon Sir Joseph Ward',s words, -In. view, of. recent events, however, which have probably been caWed to Aawtralia, iH.-as unreasonable to suppose that Sir Joseph .Ward lias .'concluded that the Liberal Party— or .tha mixtii.e arrogating to itself the •title of (Liberal—is in a parlous condi(tion. The speech made- .by Mr Millar at Auckland left no doubt in the (minds of (the people that the Ministry, as at present constituted is impossi* ibie. It is icomposed of .elements so diverse thtast not even the" lust for' (dffioe can reconcile them. It is even questionable .whether, in the unood of the Qountry, Sir Joseph Ward could do ibetter than the Hon. T. Mackenzie. iThea-e (would 'appear to be only one way out of the present political | difficulty, and that 'way . has been olearly indk'rtted .by-iMr •George Fowids : in .his addresses in various parts of the j Dominion. The line of demarcation ! immst he drawn Ibetween the Liberals Radicals. The Conservative • element is no longer. a ; factor in ' the oif tlie' conntry. There cair oiiily he : two parties, and those, parties .must; ■^e ■; the, LAberals «md... itlie '' ftadxeals. (Strangely" the Mackenzie Ministry .contains a lamatterirtg of hath; but iti is impossible, uncle* the party system which at present ob-

tains, -for such a condition to continue. No legislation of a permanent oharaqFer can ibe expected from a Ministry which is divided in qpinion on the vital questions of the day. Moreover, the state of parties is such that there must either be a change in the administration or an appeal to Dhe eoU'K'vry. There is a very largo «ectidn of the community whfch would be glad to see a fusion of the Liberals I at as early a date as ossibple, so that tho&e important measures which are domiwided iby the country may not 'be unnecessarily delayed, if we are to have a .stable. Government:, there must be mutual seJl-oacrilice and a surrendering df extreme views on either side. A iModei-ate Party is what is wanted — a party which will set its if ace studiously against further exjperimuiiWiism, a'nd which will set to work in earnest to develop the resources of ,the country.. Nobody wifl deny that (the great ambition of Mr Mackenzie and .some of his colleagues? is to promote the settlement of t'he waste areas of the Dominion, encourage the /growth of population, and bring about .a sane and rational industrial system. i*ut then, .Mr Mackenzie has 'behind .him :and around him only a few men who are in sympathy with lu's aspirations. Some >of his Ministers., and the r bulk of his following tare inspired with an ambition to progress- 'ataig ithe linos.of experimentalism at an even greater paoe than we .have progressed in the past, and to subordinate'all 'other considerations .to that «f 'securing industrial supremacy. 'While thin is ;so, it is impossible that ithe Premier's aniibibiont can he realised The more closely we investigate (the (position, the imore thoroughly are we convinced that /the only 'possible solution of ithe problem is fdr the leaders of the Itwo great parties to come together*'and arrange a basis up•on which <a 'Coalition .could be Poi*mod.