"The Old Liberal Stronghold."

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17633, 9 December 1922, Page 14

"The Old Liberal Stronghold."

Examining at more leisure than was possible on Thursday night the voting in the Canterbury constituencies, wo aro not sure whether we did not understate the full extent of the slump of the Liberal Party in this province, once boastfully declared by the Liberals to bo their impregnable stronghold. The '' old stronghold'' was shot nearly to pieces in 1919, and to-day the old Liberalism in Canterbury is in ruins. It is true that, if Mr Buddo survives the final counting, Mr Wilford will hold four of the 13 Canterbury seats (or three, if we except Christchurch North, whose member is pledged to support Mr Massey against a Lib-eral-Bed combination). But the facts behind the polling are of more interest to students of politics, and of far greater importance in themselves, than the bare results. In another column we print some particulars of the voting in this "old Liberal stronghold" which demonstrate beyond all doubt that the day of the Liberal Party is over. Before referring to these figures wo should mention the individual seats, and we commence with the one single point scored by the old party. This was Mr Forbes's success in increasing his majority from 650 to 1100. In Kaiapoi Mr Buddo improved the Liberal vote, relatively to the Eeform vote, by 100, but he had the benefit of nearly 1000 Labour votes, which the Labour Party succeeded, by vigorous exhortation, in turning over to him. Without them, he. would actually have polled fewer votes, on a bigger poll, than, he did at the last election. In Christchurch East the Liberal vote fell from 5572 to 3433. In Ohristchurch South it declined from 3413 to 1657. In Riccarton Mr Witty, winning by a narrow margin, was in a minority of all votes by 2500, where in 1919 he was in a minority of 1300. In Avon the Liberal vote fell from 3520 to 2029, and in Ellesmere from 2563 to 2171. In Temuka there was another but smaller fall. The meaning of all this is clear, but it becomes still more clear when the provincial totals are considered. Our readers will find these, as we have said, in another column. The outstanding fact is that, in the twelve Canterbury seats (we omit Christchurch North, because there Liberal and Reformers crossvoted, although if we included it in our totals the figures would tell a more strongly against the Liberal Party)—in the twelve Canterbury seats the polling was:—

1919. 1922. Gain or loss Eeform .. 23,520 37,594 14,074 gain Liberal .. 33,590 25,750 7,840 loss The Labour candidates in Canterbury secured 32842 votes. The Liberal Party, therefore, was at the bottom of the poll in "the old Liberal strong- <( hold. " Most people will ascribe the decline and fall of the Liberal Party to its want of brains, character, foresight, and ideas, and to a certain extent they will be right. But behind all this is the fact that opinion is cleaving .along a line which does not recognise the Liberal Party, and ■what is true of .Canterbury is true of the whole Dominion. The Liberal Party's war-dances, and the incantations with which it has striven to evoke the <3O-years gone shade of Ballance are all in vain. As a party it is finished, and the world goes on without it. '"