Eden and the Liberals.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18635, 9 March 1926, Page 8

Eden and the Liberals.

For the> moment the most interesting featnra of the election contest in Eden is. the discontent of Miss Melville and sordid of the other prospective candidates who were unsuccessful in obtaining the Party nomination. The dispute ifl one which those concerned must settle for themselves, but to southern observers the complaint of Miss Melville and the other signatories of the protest against the procedure at the nominating conference seems to be _ utterly absurd. The main point is that the delegates preferred Ski James GunsOh, and nobody seems to have suggested that the procedure adopted made any difference to the conference's choice. Of far more real interest is the fact that, although some Liberals have offered to stand, the National Party has decided not to contest the seat. This fact will Suggest to many people that it is high time the National Party made some declaration of its political intentions and gave some account of what it thinks the future may hold for it. To begin with, it is not a little absurd that it should keep the name ,0f the National Party, because there is in our country's political history no more conspicuous example of a Party so ill-entitled to bear such a resounding name. It is now fourteen years since the Liberals, after a long period of domination, went out of office, and, slowly at first, but in later years at an increasingly rapid rate, the Party's strength has been melting away. The Party knows that no candidate it could put up in Eden could be anywhere except at the bottom of the poll; but it seems to be unwilling to realise that its position in Eden is the same as its position in the country. We recognise, of that circumstances to some degree hamper its freedom to declare its aims and purpose. Its Leader, Mr Wilford, is absent from New Zealand, and its, acting-Leader, Mr Forbes, probably does not care to bear the responsibility of making an announcement, even though the Party is so small that that burden can hardly be thought of as oppressive. In their hearts, one may suspect, the Liberals feel that it is absurd of them to maintain the semblance of a real existence as Party standing for some definite programme, even for a programme much less pretentious than would justify their new label. There is no real issue of any importance which divides the Liberals and the Ministerialists, and there are

no signs that the Prime Minister Trill produce any policy proposal which will alienate Liberals as Liberals. One useful result of the non-appearaiice of a Liberal candidate in the Eden contest will be—provided that Miss Melville is not so foolish as to insist upon going to the poll that the moderate vote will not be split to the advantage of the Labour Party. The best service the Liberals can render is to make the unification of that vote general throughout the country.