VIEWS OF THE PRESS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2503, 2 July 1915, Page 6

VIEWS OF THE PRESS

STRONG FEELING IN FAVOUR OF COALITION. City and country newspapers alike have in most cases expressed themselves strongly in favour of the formation of a National Ministry. The comments of the four journals quoted below —two of them on the Government side in politics and two on tho Opposition side—aro typical GOVERNMENT. "New Zealand Herald." ". . . It is an idle mockery for us to quarrel over local issues which are meaningless as long as Germany menaces our very existence as a free and self-governing State of the Empire. The soldiers' ballots were cast for this and that party, but the soldiers themselves have no party when they fight and suffer and die together at, the Dardanelles. They think only of- New Zealand and of the Empire. To the national and Imperial cause they dedicate their lives, and we co-operate wilh them very poorly and feebly if we do not similarly dedicate our national elforts and our administrative abilities. ' The Reform Cabinet, tolerantly assisted by the Opposition, does its best; a National Cabinet, supported in constitutional manner by both sides of tho House, ought to clo better. ... "The readjustments; and allocations of portfolios are naturally a somewhat delicate and difficult operation, but if the party leaders approach the difficulty in a patriotic and conciliatory spirit it will not -be found insuperable. In ' a National Cabinet there must' necessarily be' some party arrangement as a basis for unity, but apart from this the sole question in the allocation of portfolios should be administrative qualifications. Particularly is this essential for the great portfolios which deal with the more important phases of our national energies. We may safely leave this arrangement to Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, whose guiding principle, if a 'National Cabinet is mutually aocepted by them, will certainly be to justify its formation by making its administration creditable to the Dominion and serviceable to the Empire." "Otago Dally Times." "The country feels, however, and the l members of the Legislature must feel, that tlio dissipation of the energies of the leading public meii in the Dominion upon party squabbles at a juncture like this would be unseemly, mischievous, and scandalous. The circumstances of the nation and of tho Empire call for a cessation of domestic fighting over what after all must bo regarded as trivialities by any person with a duo sense of proportion. That cessation of fighting may be most assuredly brought about by tho formation of a coalition between tho leaders of the opposing political forces. The establishment of a non-party war Ministry would at once give the country. the benefit of . the services of the ablest men-on both sides of the House, and admit of the Administration giving its best energies to the prosecution of the task before, it, free from any concern about tho preservation of a party majority and free from the distractions incidental to the emergence of party issues. There are, it is to be acknowledged, difficulties' in tho way of the formation of a temporary coalition, but they are not insuperable and tho Prime Minister's offer has already removed many of them." OPPOSITION. "Lyttelton Times." "We l.opo and believe that the highest patriotism will govern the minds of all members' in approaching this novel situation. . . . It has, in short, been demonstrated that the Parliament is unanimous in the desire and intention of placing the whole resources of the country at the disposal of the Mother Country and her Allies. In these circumstances the first essential seems to us the strengthening of the Cabinet. The principal Ministers have been struggling under an enormous burden of W9rk and responsibility since the beginning of August. Everybody must have sympathised with Mr. Massey and Mr. Allen, particularly during the eventful months that have passed since the war commenced, and everybody must have wished they had boen actively assisted by such able statesmen as Sir Joseph Ward. Dr. M'Nab and others whose names it might not be judicious to mention at the moment. Wo believe the Cabinet in war time should be thoroughly representative of the whole Parliament. and that efficiency ought to be the very first consideration. .We feel that the Opposition can be trusted to discuss Mr. Massey's invitation in the spirit _ of pure patriotism and will determine to sink party feelings in every direction where that is necessary for the better prosecution of the war. If a national Cabinet should be formed, however, all the concessions and sacrifices will not he confined to one side or the other. There will have to be mutual concessions and mutual sacrifices. The politicians, like the people, must recognise that this is a time for sacrifice and for the unity of the nation in the face of a common peril." Auckland "Star." If Sir Joseph Ward and his follower.; accept Mr. Massey's offer—and it will bo observed that, as Mr. Massey i has frankly admitted, the forward stop has been taken ( by the. "Reformers," and not by the Opposition—they will do so solely on public and national grounds, because they feel that in such a crisis a3 this it is their duty to do everything in their power to strengthen the hands of Government, and to aid it in its administrative work, which, in certain important departments, seems to have got altogether beyond tho present official control. There should.be no room loft for a suggestion or suspicion of permanent compromise between Liberalism and "Reform'.' on purely political grounds. Just as in England, tho Coalition Government has been accepted subject to the understanding that when peaco comes the people shall be appealed to again for a fresh mandate, so it should bo here. As<a' temporary expedient, to meet this grave and critical !■ national emergency, we regard Mr. Massey's scheme as practicable and advantageous, so long as it js. carried out on fair and reasonable lines, and wo iiope that Parliament and the people will give the proposal their careful and unbiassed consideration.