NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 33, 2 November 1928, Page 10

NOTES OF THE DAY

One of the most striking features of the present general election campaign has been the remarkable success which has attended the tour of the Prime Minister. Many will recall that at the 1925 elections Mr. Coates scored a great personal triumph. Wherever he came face to face with the electors his obvious sincerity, plain speaking, and grasp of affairs won approval and support. In the intervening three years Mr. Coates has been a very busy man, heavily burdened with the cares of office and closely wrapped up in the performance of the multifarious and responsible duties of Prime Minister. Being a worker rather than a talker, it seemed a few months ago that he had failed to keep himself and the work of his Government sufficiently in the public eye. It is very evident, however, from the success of the present tour through the Dominion that Mr. Coates has not lost his grip on the esteem and regard of the great body of electors who placed him in office. Everywhere he has gone he has been splendidly received, and his personal popularity, if anything, has been enhanced by the evidence his speeches afford of his political development under the strain of added responsibilities and widened experience. Youth, abounding energy, and an unquenchable fighting spirit are carrying him through the heavy strain of the election with a cheerful confidence which marks him out as an inspiring Leader.

In striking contrast to the methods of Mr. Coates are the electioneering activities of the Leader of the Labour-Socialist Party. Mr. Holland has had good meetings in different centres, for the Labour-Socialist adherents attend the party meetings in force; but he has nothing of cheer to say. Everything is wrong with the world, in his eyes. There is no light and shade in his long recital of the wickedness of those who differ from him. To the average wholesome-minded elector it must appear a strange thing—an unbelievable thing—that any body of ordinary human beings could be so consistently wrong and so persistently determined to do injury to their fellow-men, as the Government which Mr. Holland holds up for their opprobium. The Labour-Socialist Leader sees nothing but evil in the world of politics—that is, the world outside his own immaculate little circle of election-tinted-pink Socialism. Charge after charge against the Government which he has made has been disproved beyond question by the facts, but he continues with his stock-speech, repeating the stale stories, and ignoring the exposure of his inaccuracies. If an election can be won by methods of this kind; if such tactics can command the confidence of the electors, then our political morality has suddenly taken a queer twist.

As to the activities of the Leader of the United Party, there is little to record. Sir Joseph Ward, since his 000,000 plunge at Auckland, unfortunately has not been able to take the platform owing to indisposition. He, however, has issued a bulletin or two and promises to speak again at Invercargill next week. It is doubtful, however, whether his health will permit him to. embark on a strenuous campaign, and the signs point to a tapering-off in the United Party’s prospects. One gathers from the speeches of Mr. Seddon and others that the party really has no hopes of anything more than displacing the Labour-Socialist Party from the position of Official Opposition. This in itself is an over-ambitious hope, and the chief influence of the United Party in the campaign clearly will be to split the moderate vote. This is a distinct dancer, but electors no doubt are fully alive to it.