The Press Monday, December 4, 1922. Keeping up their Courage.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17628, 4 December 1922, Page 8

The Press Monday, December 4, 1922. Keeping up their Courage.

Various remarks made by the Leader of the Opposition during his tour of the Dominion regarding the result of the elections suggest very strongly that Mr Wiit'ord is whistling to keep his courage up. ' His visit to the .South Island, lie lias said, revealed to his gratified gaze ''a wave of Liberalism" that was au eye-opener to him. The same wave, it appears, is aiso rising in tho North Island. In the circumstances in which ho finds himself Mr Wilford is, of course, obliged to sea those beautiful waves. He is aided and abetted in tho somewhat hopeless task of inspiring such confidence in the success of his party as to induce the electors to, at least, send a strong Opposition back to Wellington, by assiduous rumour-mongers in several districts who have dono their best to cheer the spirits of tho Liberal remnant by reports of an approaching Ket'orm debacle, in which Mr Massey's supporters will be swept into oblivion by the aforesaid wave. Some little time ago it was Taranaki that was going to return a solid Lib-Lab phalanx, now it is being put about with great assurance that olection day will see Auckland Province turn over to Wilfordism. Down

here there is the rising •wave, previously mentioned, with wavolets in such electorates as Elleamere, Kaiapoi, and Temuka sufficiently strong to waßh the respective Liberal candidates into 'Wellington. These waves aro composed of "eye-wash." The reports about Taranaki were soon shown to be baseless, and so far from Auckland's giving any indication of turning its back on Mr Massey, it is quite possible that the Auckland members in the new House will contain a larger proportion of Reformers than in the last Parliament. Coming closer to home, there is no fear of Sir Heaton Rhodes losing his seat unless it is through the over-confldence of his supporters. The same may be said of Mr David Jones in Kaiapoi, and of Mr T. D. Burnett in Temuka. No one grudges the Liberals any satisfaction and consolation thoy may draw from, listening to tales of the imminent defeat of these good Reformers. The Reform Party is, indeed, under some obligation to those who invent the stories and spread them so industriously, since their only effect on Be form supporters should, and no doubt will, bo to make them spare no individual effort to prove on election day the utter inaccuracy of Liberal prophecies. If every Reformer, man and woman, votes for the candidate approved by Mr Massey, the wave of Liberalism will be revealed for what it is, namely, a small band of Liberal supers bobbing about under the stage canvas.