ALE THINGS TO AM. MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 73, 26 March 1923, Page 7

ALE THINGS TO AM. MEN.

(To the Editor.. Sir.—The pTeat apostle to the Gentiles St. Paul, promulgated a maxim in favour of being "all things to all men,' in the hope of saving some. It is probabj for the same reason that the Prim< Minister of New Zealand has acceptet the Pauline advice and is all things t< all men in the hope that he will savi <omp from the acceptance of libera doctrines. Even at the risk of emulating a well known character, Mr. Facing-both ways, in Bunyan's immortal book, Mr. Massey continues to controvert the say ings and doings of the Prime Minister and the bitter is equally ready to con tradict and oppose the expressed opinions of Mr. Massey. There are evidently two politicians of that name, each denoun cinq what, the other asserts. As instances may be mentioned Mr. Massey's stronglj expressed objection to the late Mr Seddon entering the Waitemata con ■ slitueney and speaking in favour of th( candidate then opposing Mr. Massey foi that seat. Contrast this with the Primi Minister's present doings in Tauranga and it will at once be realised that I comparisons are odious. This is ar ! example of the Masseyan facility for adaptation to the circumstances of th< moment. Amongst others may bi mentioned that a most successful methoc of land settlement finance, introduced b} the Liberal Government, was denounce, by Mr. Massey when in opposition, a State pawnbroking, but is now acceptei by him and is in fact a measure fo which he now claims credit. All this i in keeping with the traditions o "Reform" —so-called. Everything wa wrong from the Opposition viewpoin when the Liberals were in power. Re form, to be consistent, should hay reformed out of existence all that was s< strongly opposed from the Oppositioi benches. But when sides were changei we find that nothing was reformed Existing enactments were allowed ti stand, and even credit was claimed fo them by their erstwhile opponents. Tlv old bad methods—from the "Reform' point of view—of conducting the busi ness of the country and of Parliamen has continued as of yore, and "Reform has become a term "of derision.—l am etc., , TAURANGA ELECTOR.