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Press, Volume LV, Issue 16695, 2 December 1919, Page 6

| It has boon suggested that the fact that the majority of the Reform members have so far represented North Island -rats and tho rapid progress that has been made hv that portion of tho Dominion in recent years constitute a. case of cause and effect. This argument, it is claimed, is strengthened by the further fact that Canterbury has hrcn tnj- many years a Liberal stronghold and that it has progressed far more slowly than the North Inland — another instance, it is claimed, of cau?e nr.d effect. In brief, tFio North :s progressive because it is Hefrirm; Canterbury is comparatively non-pro-trressive, if not rutuallv retrogressive, bef;>ij?e it :s Liberal. Or. to put it another way, the type of men who vote K pfnrm are keen and energetic in advancing tho welfare of their district and province: the typo who vote Liberal have caught tho Liberal habit of always dwelling on ' ; :he glorious pa-,i" and being satisfied with memories rather than inspired with confident hopes, 9 I'hero lr.av bo something in this argument. It is not very complimentary to Canterbury, it is tme, but that do:>.i not necessarily condemn it as erroneous, and wo should be a poorspirited lot if wo could not boar a little criticism, and very stupid if wo could not profit by it if it is just. And there is enough just.ee in this particular criticism to ninko it worth while to think about. Canterbury's past is so distinguished, so much to tho credit of those who took part in it, and sho has in bygone years had so large a sharo in .shaping tho destinies of tho Dominion, that we'are somewhat too much inclined to rest on the laurels wo fairly won, without giving sufficient thought to tho fact that unloss wo continued to advance other parts of the Dominion would wrest thoso laurels from us. This is far too sound a community to sit still, with our hands on our knees, and watch tho tide of lifo and business and prosperity flow past us in other directions. From tho dafi;/.er of that benumbing solf-satisfaction the Progress League has done much to rcscuo us. Its formation was a proof that the danger was recognised; its work is further proof that Canterbury's old-time vigour was not dead, hut merely lulled to sleep.

As for the political part of the argument, tho fact that Canterbury has not | progressed lately as it should have done can hardly bo dissociated from her obsession by so-called Liberalism. In this young country, crying out for development along many different linos, thero is nover enough money to go round, nnd, as wo have often pointed out, tho fighting North represented in Parliament by ft solid united phalanx of representatives, has scored ngain and again over tho disunited and indifferent contingent from Canterbury. Putting asido tho North Island's climate and large areas of unoccupied lands —advantages which would naturally attract population —thero can be little doubt that tho North owes much to tho men it has been sending to Parliament. Thero is equally little doubt that, on the whole, our representatives hftvo not presented tho eolid front that tho interests of tho province have dcmandod. How much of this situation is duo to tho fact that tho North Island is largely Reform and tho South Island largely "Liberal" may be a moot point, which South Island electors can do much to settle by sending to Parliament every Reform candidate who i 3 offering his services. They cannot poseibly do much less for tho Island than tho Liberal members have dono for Canterbury in £ho past few years, and thoy may do a great doal more.