"This Meeting of Members."

Press, Volume L, Issue 15158, 23 December 1914, Page 6

"This Meeting of Members."

The anti-Reform conference met in Wellington yesterday, and it succeeded in giving us no indication as to hew wo should refor to tho curious amalgamation of "Liberals" and Red Feds. .Sir Joseph Ward, in calling the conference, had it announced that'ho was issuing invitations, not to "tho "Liberal Party," biit to "e%-ery mem- " ber of the Opposition/ In the resolution vrhich it passed the conference did not register its decision as tho decision of "the Liberal Party," or "tho

"Labour Party," or the "Progressive" I Parly.: or, indeed, any party at all. It frankly pufe itself on record as simply •■' this meeting of members of the House j "of ■ Representatives.'' This general atul non-committal form was decided upon, of course, for reasons which will appear from the peculiar situation in which tho different parties to the conference found themselves. "We cannot linger upon tho delightful humour in the readiness of "a strong and united '■party. ,, hopeful of reaching and retaining office, to givo itself tho humble and rather ludicrous title of , "thifi meeting of members of the " House of Representatives." "We rmist attend to tho plain facts behind the use of tho phrhse. Tho Federation of Labour's "'endorsed" members obviously could not permit Sir J. G. Ward to label them as "Liberals." or even as members of a "Libcrnl"-Labour Party, lor the Federation and Social Democratic Parly have hardly insisted more strongly upon tho wickedness of the Government that repressed strike ruffianism than upon the impossibility that any self-respecting party should link up its fortunes with what was described in tho official organ of the Social Democrats as tho ''politically bankrupt" and "cowardly" Wardist Party with its '■ miserablo caricature" of a policy. Obviously, there was nothing for it but to describe tho conference as "this "mooting of members," united only by a burning desiro to oust the Government. And that is the combination— nameless, and without a policy—which sonio hopeful pcoplo O3q>ect the electors to regard as the coming occupants of die Treasury benches! Wo do not ignore the fact that "this meeting of " members" expressed its "entire con"fidenco"' in Sir J. G. "Ward ''as '•'leader" and pledged itself "to loyally "support him in any action he may ''take in connexion with tho present '•crisis, and during the present Parlia"ment." The Federation's "endorsed" uenibers could easily enough promise support of that kind, for they wooild bo in the happy position, in tho unlikely event of "'this meeting of members" coming into power, of dictating exactly what action the new Government would take. The Social Democrats make no secret of their intention to use tho

'• Maoriiand Worker." for cxin-pio. ill* 1\ Frn.so>r, iho secretary of the Social Dcniorrati" Parly, said, on the day before in-? election : "If tho workers wore i; not chiefly and rightly concerned with ' tho osovili-ion of the Miisscy Gorcrn- ' rnciu. .Sir Josenh Ward would bo ■'laughed back into oblivion." What tho "loyal mpport"' of tho Federation's "endorsed" members portends is thus quito p!;)in. nnd it is equally plain that Sir Joseph Ward, who has told a sympathetic intrmewor thai, "'tlio absoluf-o ■• unanimity" of thr> conference made it '■ an •.■x-vilcni o:ip," has frankly accepted hi.s position as. servitor to tho Red Fed.-Social Detno<:rafie Party, and. in return fpr office, has niaeed th 0 '"'Libc- ■• ral" machine »t tho disposal of the Rod Feds for the realisation of their programme- This may possibly be accounted a '.score" for tlio I led and their Fovcn "endorsed ' cicnibcrs, i.-ut i; i.-. rn'ifli more likely in turn oud i.M the end a "score" fnr tho modorato nuMi, who p.rn an cvcrwhclmins majority of tlio jjiibiic.

Our Opposition, frirnds rrill probably not tnkc at ;jU Kindly Mr Massey's frionclly advice to them io rostra in their impatience. They aro too agitated to one;lire plain facts when those fact<s stiind in tho vray ol' their desire to see tho Government out of office. As tho Prime Minister points out, the "Liberals," even with mo Federation of Labour's endorsed members, are of exactly that strength which they theineelves say disqualifies even a united party from holding office. They hold some of their seats, moreover, by extraordinarily tiny majorities, and in some of these cases recounts and election petitions may result in changes such as will alter tho present position. Thore is roason to believo that there may be two by-elections presently, and that the Government will win the seats. Any change- that takes placo must bo a change to tho disadvantage of tho anti-Heforraers. Let us hopo that tho Christmas holidays will afford tho ludicrously impetuous Russells and Wards tho leisure in which to acquire, if not dignity, yet. at any rate, common prudence.

Perhaps it is because ali their arithmetical resources aro engaged in tho task of proving that 33 Wardists aro moro numerous than 40 Reformers that our Opposition friends are unable to deal with the ftgures wo haveprinted concerning the growth of tho Reform vote and the shrinkage in tlio anti-Reform vote. On January ivm, 1912, our local Opposition contemporary had an editorial on tho voting at the 1911 elections. It concluded its article as follows: — "As a matter of fact, while ifi0.921 electors voted for them ftho Reformers], 297,557 voted against them. Wo hope that their deeds Tvill justify an improvement upon these figures when they next appeal to the electors." t Tho voting on December 30th last was tas follows (until all the official returns j are available wo must quote the figures 'printed on December 11th, which canj not bo more than a few hundred out [either way):—Reform, 236,121 ; against Roform, 258,653. Wo tabulate all those figures:— In In Gain or 1311. 19M. Loss. For Reform .. 1<>5,921 2.16,121 70,200 pain Against Reform 297,557 235.G53 88,904 loss Sir Joseph Ward's own figures, which differ from our contemporary's, make out a gain of 53,000 odd for Reform and a loss of nl>o:it 45,000 for the antiReformers. We should really liko to know what tho Opposition think of these striking changes.

There is one sentence in a statement mado by Sir Joseph Ward to an Oppo-' sition journal which we think we can noto with somo satisfaction. "If," ho said, 'there are any among our opponents trho think we are divided, they would havo been completely undeceived had they soon the cordiality of tho meeting," etc. That is to say, anybody who supposed that there was no Ward-Semple alliance has .been completely mistaken. This is what wo ourselvos havo been pointing out. for a considerable timo past, and what, whilo there were moderate votes to be got. Sir Joseph Ward strenuously denied. 2sow to tho moderate men, whoso votes ho did got by repudiating the suggestion that there was any conjunction of tho kind mentioned, he does not mind admitting that wo were speaking tho truth. His declaration that there is no division whatever between himself and tho Red Feds is, therefore, quito satisfactory io us. Whether tho moderates who preferred to believe Sir Joseph will bo equally gratified is another question.

Wo hopo school-teachers are utilising tho war cables for tho teaching of geography. As a stimulus to wider knowledge of tbo world's countries, towns, inhabitants, politics, and products, thoro has never been anything approaching this war. For instance, a cablo message stated yesterday that tho Sultan of Trenggonu had. assured Britain that tho Moslem community in Trenggonu was praying for British victory over Turkey. If tho message had not mentioned tho Malay States, most people would havo been nono the wiser.- Trenggonu happens to be ono of tho youngest members of tho British Empire. With other portions of the Malay Peninsula it was handed over by Siam in 1.t0.> to become a British Protectorate, and as yot it has neither a main road, a railway, nor a tolegraph. It is interesting to know that the youngest adopted child of tho Empire takes its stand sido by sido with the older members of tho faniilv.

Quiotly and methodically, elaboratearrangements seem to have been mado to doal * - ith an invasion of England, either by a raid or on a largo scale. Tho probabilities aro heavily against tho landing of any considerable forco in any part of tho Kingdom, but tho authorities aro taking no chances. A cablo message yesterday stated that men were so well paid for digging trenches that farmers in many places were short of labour. In his latest letter in tho "Sydney Morning Herald" Sir Henry Lucy quotes a lecter sent by the War Offico to all rural and urban councils requesting them to find out what labour would be available in

their districts in ease of necessity for (1.) digging trenches. (2) clearing atvay treea, <3) rough limber work. Tho names and addresses of such men were required, and they wouid have to assemble at short notice. The circular j .ifM«xl f.hjit. ''trt nrßrpnr. mivtViintr in 1 ±

tion that the contingency of tho men being called upon is at happily remote. But it is necessary to be propared without delay. ■' The mileage of trenches round tho British coasts would probably astonish many people hi tho inland counties.