Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1914. STATE OF PARTIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 9020, 16 December 1914, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1914. STATE OF PARTIES.

It is certain now that the Government's majority is only two, and that finally settles the question of the need for another election—a fact that the public will be profoundly thankful for. In the ordinary course of events,. Parliament will not" 1 meet till June, and.the Lyttelton "Times" suggests that in the meantime a political truce should be observed. The necessity for this is not quite apparent, under the circumstances, because the sessional interregnum imposes a truce without reference to party opinions. Mr Massey's majority, small though it is, entitles him to [retain office until such time as I the Opposition is able to command a larger following than the Government hds. Members of Parliament are not immune from the operation of natural laws, and ii may happen that before June! Sir Joseph Ward will, be in a position to ask that .Parliament shall be called together.' In that event, what are his chances of forming a Ministry that would be acceptable to the > members pledged to support him? And it must be remembered that almost the only point upon which he can olaim support from the Social Democrats and the Labour members is on a vote of no-confidence in the Reform Government. On other issues their votes are untrammelled by party ties, though it is possible that if it came to a question of a vote that would put Mr Massey again in power these extremists would prefer to sink ' their private beliefs and vote with the Liberals. In any Cabinet Sir Joseph Ward might form he would have to find a place for a Labourite or a Social Democrat. If Mr McLaren or Mr Fowlds had been elected the choice would have been a simple one; but is there one of those at present associated with Sir Joseph's party who is capable of fulfilling such an important position as that of a Minister of the Crown? Is there.'one who would be acceptable to the party as a whole? What, for instance, would have been the outcome of the great strike last year if Mr Webb had been Minister of L.ab■our: at • that time? These are questions -that Sir Joseph Ward will have to answer when the time comes, as.it may during the next 12 months., for him to form a Ministry. He, will realise then, as many staunch friends of the Liberal cause realise now, that perhaps the price to be paid was hardly worth the support that the Social Democrats are prepaTed to give. In another three years the political pendulum probably will have swung* back to where the late Mr Seddon left it, and then the Liberals will come into their own unfettered by a'more than doubtful alliance.