THE POLITICAL SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 88, 8 January 1919, Page 6

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

THE DANGERS AHEAD. Sir,—l was somewhat amused at tjie manner in which you disposed of my "violent appeal , ' recently. Your suggestion 'hat one may take comfort from the fact that there will Ire no party truce after the nett session misses my point altogether. My contention is that the damage will be. completed between now and the next general election—a period of, eay, seven or eight months for the extremists to spread their propaganda and complete their organisation, while the rest of us-victims of this infernal truce, deserted by what our opponents term a "hireling.Press — rre going to be sacrificed to this Moloch of party jealousy. . . There is only one line of policy which natters one'iota to New Zealand—i.e., the opening up of our undeveloped lands end the creation of attractive conditions and prospects to i gricultural immigrants. With our already huge and rapidly-increasing debt with no inducpnients offered to the class of immigrant we need, with no suggestion offered as to how to increase the volume of our exports in the face of a-threat;of vast-ly-increased cost of production and transport, where are we steering to? Politicians are gagged, the Press equally so. How is (he necessary public opinion to be created to- grapple with these problems and protect itself against its obvious dangers? ■< : i* • If ever the writing was plain upon the wall it is now, and if the public is (o be hushed to sleep find smothered while unconscious, for the delectation of professional politicians, why, I, for one, want to be sure of my reckoning, and disappear to eonie land with less iendency to social earthquake.—l am, etc., ■ BRITANNICTS. - January 7. . ■ |"Our correspondent has misunderstood our reference to his previous letter. The danger which he foresees must be plain to all who give any. attention and thought to public affairs. What is wanted, however; is not an ending of the party truce, but nn ending of. old and largely artificial party divisions, nud the framing of an active and progressive policy which will appeal to the moderate and reasonable fections of tho community.]