The Press MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1935. Democrats and the Election

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21639, 25 November 1935, Page 10

The Press MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1935. Democrats and the Election

Though the election forecasts which have appeared in most New Zealand newspapers in the last week or so reveal wide divergences of opinion on many points, there is one point on which there is fairly general agreement. It is that in the closing stages of the campaign the Democrat party is tending to lose ground. For this change several explanations suggest themselves. One is that the controversial methods of the leader of the Democrats have not appealed to the electorate. Charges of "juggling with the public accounts" and of "downright political corruption" are effective if they can be substantiated and very dangerous if they cannot. All who have followed the controversy over the public accounts must by now be convinced that either Mr Hislop was ignorant and unpardonably rash or that he knew the real situation and used the AuditorGeneral's reports to create a wrong impression. Mr Hislop's attacks on Mr Coates have also done him more harm than good. There are many electors who disagree with some of the measures Mr Coates has sponsored; but there is a very general feeling that in the last few years he has proved himself an able, courageous, and energetic administrator. Another explanation of the decline in the fortunes of the Democrats is the realisation that a reduction of the exchange rate, to which the party is unequivocally pledged, would have a disastrously deflationary effect. The Labour party, always quick to detect changes in public opinion, has stopped talking about exchange. Mr Hislop, unfortunately for himself, has burnt his boats and cannot retreat. But probably the main explanation is the feeling 'that the Democrats have nothing useful or new to contribute to New Zealand political life and that the election of a few Democrat members can only produce a deadlock in which no party has an absolute majority. The prospect of holding a balance of power in the new Parliament may appeal to the Democrat party; it does not appeal to any section of the electorate. The voter who has faced the realities of the present political situation must see that his choice is between the Labour party and the Coalition Government and that every vote for a Democrat candidate is a vote for confusion and uncertainty.