THE AUCKLAND STAR: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echa. MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1929. POLITICS AND PARTIES. POLITICS AND PARTIES

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 285, 2 December 1929, Page 6

THE AUCKLAND STAR: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echa. MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1929. POLITICS AND PARTIES.

POLITICS AND PARTIES

For"the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

The gathering of the New Zealand Political Reform League on Saturday afforded a convenient opportunity for the leading members of the party to encourage their followers and to advertise their views. The contribution of Mr. Harris to the gaiety of the occasion was an attack upon the United Govenr.ncnt for a long list of omissions and commissions—among other things for not having solved the problem of unemployment. If Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues could work that miracle they would indeed deserve imperishable fame as legislators and administrators. But while they never professed to perform an impossible feat, they have succeeded in mitigating unemployment and ameliorating , the position of the industrial classes here to an extent never attempted by Reform during its long term of office. Another quaint feature of the function was the contemptuous reference by Mr. Coates to the United Part}'. According to him, "there are only two parties worth counting—the Reform and the Labour Parties." Considering the terrible shock experienced by Reform at the last election, and the sweeping victory gained by the party now holding office, Mr. Coates' logic is rather difficult to follow. Before the election the Reformers did their best to persuade the people that the United Party was an entirely negligible factor, and that it had no possible chance of success; and apparently even the disaster of last November has failed to convince Mr. Coates that tactics of this sort are not likely to impose upon the intelligence of the average voter.

Unfortunately, far moro objectionable methods of political warfare are being employed just now by the Reform Party to discredit the United Government and to damago its reputation. We refer particularly to the statements made last week by Mr. H. F. Johnston, as Eeform candidate for the Hutt seat. Mr. Johnston is evidently convinced that it will pay him and his party to make a bid for the support of the civil servants. Among other things, he has said that "the Civil Service is peculiarly the care and trust of the Reform Party," and he talks pathetically about "seeing what could bo done for these men Avho had made sacrifices years ago." Nobody ignorant of tho facts could guess from this that the Reformers were in office for six years after tho famous "cut" was made, and steadily refused to restore the salaries or grant any redress. But an even more shameless misrepresentation was contained in Mr. Johnston's reference to the £100 members' bonus. Tho Reform candidate threw the whole responsibility and blame for this step upon the United Government. Is Mr. Johnston not aware that the proposal for the £100 bonus was made to Sir Joseph Ward by a joint committee- of members, that, as Mr. Harris has publicly stated, he refused to act till he had proof that members of all parties were practically agreed about it, and that Mr. Harris on behalf of tho Reformers gave the Prime Minister Mr. Coates' assurance that, though some members demurred, "the proposal would not be objected to from their side of the House"? If Mr. Johnston does not know all this, Mr. Coates should tell him at once. But if he does know it—we can only leave our readers to draw their own inferences.