MINISTRY'S PRECARIOUS TENURE. OPPOSITION MAY CONGRATULATE THEM SELVES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 144, 15 December 1911, Page 7

MINISTRY'S PRECARIOUS TENURE. OPPOSITION MAY CONGRATULATE THEM SELVES.

HAS LABOUR COMMITTED SUICIDE? («T XXtiXeßAftt— SPECIAL SO THE PCST.} NAPIER, This Day. Commenting on the results of the election, the Herald says: "The final result of the elections must be most unsatisfactory to the Government. The Gc-> vernment hold thirty-five seats, Opposition thirty-eeven, and Labour four. In a-ddition there are four Native seals, making up a total of eighty. Tho Native seats will probably go with the Government, although if the Government were to ' resign from office they might support the side in power. We may | assume for the moment that they are Government. Of the Labour men two have declared they would vote against the Government, on a no-confidence-motion. Whether the other two would follow suit is not certain,' but there would be a strong inducement for them to do so under the present circumstances. I! they divided the Government would have forty-one as against thirty-nine, or a. majority of two. If all the Labour votes go with the Opposition the latter would liavo forty-one to th© Governm«nt's thirty-nine, or a majority of two. In any case, the tenure of tho Ministry is exceedingly precarious. The Opposition have every reason to congratulate themselves on the result of their campaign. To an old political cHmpaignor tho position presents points of great interest. It reminds him of the. crisis of 1884, when, within a period of a few weeks, there were practically four Governments. What are the true 'causes that have led up to what wo see? First must be set down the pursuit of titles by, if not the Ministry, members of the Ministry. But there now comes to 4 be considered the second and, in out* opinion, more importanj/ factor. This is the attitude of what is known as 'organised jLabqur.' This set itself the task of presenting two ends, either of which it has persuaded itself must be good. One is Labour playing a 'lone hand' if possible, and, if not possible, then tho other— the destruction of the Government. Lone-hand tactics were doomed' from the first. There are toemany farming communitiee in New Zealand for the trade unionism of towns to reckon with. The other aim ha* been almost achieved. The Government it, not destroyed, but it has been rendered powerless for good, though still strong enough, as it seems to us, to retain office and carry on t}ie administration of the business of the country. Ib cannot hope- to promulgate, still less to carry out any progressive policy. If, therefore, the views of Labour are ihat the country needs a progressive policy, Labour has committed political suicide. It lias condemned the country to a period of etagnation certainly, and. possibly to an era of reaction."