The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1929. ELECTION PROSPECTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 47, 25 February 1929, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1929. ELECTION PROSPECTS.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the tcrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that toe can do.

The lively and candid Mr. Garvin again discusses party prospects in the coming general election in Britain. Previously lie gave Labour a majority, but now he apparently thinks that Mr. Baldwin may "snatch a ban.' working majority out o£ the three-cornered gamble." The Parliamentary strength of the party, however, is "quite certain to be vastly diminished." This last prophecy is in line with general opinion, even in the party itself. The Conservative majority at the last election was much too large to be permanent, and was out of proportion to the party's strength in the country. In the interval it has disappointed expectations. Mr. Baldwin himself is as popular as ever with the public, lie has nor however, kept a strong hand over his Cabinet. The Government's domestic and foreign record invites attack in several respects. Disappointment of hopes of trade revival will turn manv doubtful votes to the Labour Party. The prominence given recently to distress in mining areas will tell against the Government. The Prince of Wales takes no part in politics, but his tour of these areas is likely to cost the Conservatives manv votes.

The Labour Prty -will benefit by dissatisfaction with the present Government's record, and will win many votes by its promises of a regenerated society. It has, however, prave weaknesses. Mr. Ramsay MacD'uiuld has serious faults as a leader, and he is a delicate man. The party is split from top to bottom by differences about the degree of Socialism that is to be the objective and the period within which it should be reached. Mr. Mac Donald, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Henderson and. other moderates look at Socialism as something to be achieved in the indefinite future. The extremists from the Clyde and elsewhere pour scorn on this idea. They wan: Socialism in full and they want it now. In neither of the other parties is there such a wide and deep cleavage. The moderates have more in common with the Liberals than with these wild exponents of the cla.-s war. For the Liberals Mr. Garvin holds out little hope, but it ipossible that his forecast will be falsified. Their weakness is that the leadership of Mr. Lloyd George continues to divide the party. They have, however, both money and men. They aim at putting up s<>o candidates. They have also ideas. Their valuable studies of the coal and land questions suggest that they have constructive ability out of proportion to their numbers in Parliament. A leading Libera! declared the other day that they were "out for nothing less than a complete Liberal mjority," but few of the party can really believe that this is possible. What they do hope for is that the party will be strong enough to hold the balance of power.

BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

Of late there has been too much talking about Anglo-American relations by public men on both sides of the Atlantic, but Sir Austen Chamberlain's speech, reported in our news to-day, is not in this category. He foreshadows a new offer from Britain to the United States concerning armaments. Britain has admitted a parity between the United States naval armaments and her own. She has never made such an admission to any other nation, according to our Foreign Minister, and the differences which have arisen with regard to parity have not been differences of principle, but merely differences which have come from the many difficulties of applying the principle of rjarity to the different circumstances and conditions of the two countries. There is, however, a verv vital principle involved. If Britain granted what America means by the freedom of the seas she would be giving up the weapon of blockade, which was a great factor in securing victory in the war. In the meantime, two other speeches of ,t conciliatory character may be noted. The British Ambassador at Washington says that George Washington must eventually prove the greatest link in the chain of friendship and common understanding between the United States and Britain; and on the other side Mr. Coolidge said only a day or two earlier that the people of England felt that even in the defeat of their arms abroad Washington carried their ideals to victory at home. This is an aspect of the American victory over '"the unnatural parent" that Americans are apt to overlook. Many of the best minds in Britain were opposed to the coercion of the colonies, and the victory of the '"rebels" bore fruit iu the development of autonomous government in British colonies during the nineteenth century. These almost simultaneous references by the President and the British Ambassador to the founder of the Republic should soften American feeling towards England.

THE CITY ENGINEER.

The City Council will have 'to consider immediately the appointment of an engineer to till the place of Mr. W. E. Bush. It should be obvious to councillors that the proper procedure is to call for applications in Britain and Australia, as well as Xew Zealand. The duties of the position are such that the services of a first-class man of wide experience and proved organising ability should be secured. The city is growing, difficult problems involving engineering skill arid judgment lie ahead, and as time passes the importance of the City Kngineor's position will steadily increase. Whether the city proper expands or the idea of a metropolitan board is realised, there will be a chief civil engineer in the metropolitan area, and it is most essential that he should be a man of outstanding ability. For the right man i salary of .£2OOO a year, or even more, would be well justified; he would save the communi'.y mauv times his salary every year.