THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 131, 29 November 1902, Page 5

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

THE STRENGTH OF PARTIES. ]SfR. MASSEY'S ESTIMATE. In reply to our request, Mr. Massey, the member for Franklin, and a piominent- member of the Opposition, has been good enough to give us his estimate of the strength of parties in the new Parliament. It will be observed that Mr. Massey puts the Government parly at 44, while the Premier pronounces the number to be 49. (By Telegiuph.) AUCKLAND, This Day. Until the new Parliament meets it is scarcely possible to be quite certain of the relative strength of parties, but I have gone carefully through the names of the newly-elected members, and I believe the position to be : Government supporters, 44 ; Opposition, 24 ; and Independents, 8. That, of course, leaves the Government with a majority of twelve over Opposition and Independent members, taking them together, so that in the meantime the Ministry is quite safe ; but 1 am inclined to think that the new House, is a great improvement on the old, and during the next three years the Ministers will not find a majority of members so ready to follow them into the lobby. Ifc is quite evident that the public is beginning to realise that Liberalism and Seddonism are not sj'nonymous terms, and that honest administration is much more likely to result from independence on the part of members than from a huge majority bound hand and foot to the Ministry of the day. In the Afuckland district particularly, it is very significant that those Government supporters who ■were returned have had their majorities reduced compared with last election, while several have not been able to secure, re election. It is almost certain that if two good Opposition candidates oad been aA'ailabb foi Auckland City they would have beea successful ; but Messrs. Kidd and Baume, the two new members, have repeatedly atserted their independence on the platform, and 1 believe they will act up to tkeir profession. In A'arnell, no one imagined that Mr. Shera MWild get within a hundred of Mr. Lawiy, but so it has turned out. The defeat of Sir Maurice ORorke by Mr. Kiiklirule .was owing to the alters tion of the boundaries, which gave Manu kau a large agricultural district formerly part of Franklin, and the farmers in which had made up their minds to ie represented in Parliament by a, man of tieir own class. Mi. KirkUride a»d Mr. .AJauder. the elect of Marsden, will both be useful men, with a thorough knowledge of the wants of the country districts. Looking at the position from the Opposition point of view, while we regret losing temporarily men like Messrs. "Pirani, Atkimon, M'Guire, and Haselden, who have done good service to the country in ike House, we hay© good reason to be encouraged with the result of the election. We had no money and littla or no organisotion. Our candidates had to contend with the whole weight of GoveramQut influence, paid organisers, and indirectly the use of public money for tho purpose of securing the return of Government supporters ; and yet we have gained ground very considerably. Oppo Mtion member* are not anxious to get on the Treasury Benches — they are quite satisfied to do their duty wherever the electoi'S may choose to place them, and I am quite sure they prefer to be left wheie they are until the people of tlie colony hsve brought Home to their the results of the extravagance and ruinous fi> ancial methods of the last few years. In the menntime. I believe we have a Hou«o which will resent being trifled with, and which will insist on all possible information with regard to the expenditure of' public money. THE PREMIER'S LATEST OPINION. In an interview published in our morning contemporary, the Premier is reported to /have said that, through positive information in his possession, he pronounced the number of Government supporters to be forty-nine. He spoke of an Independent member in the .North Island who was fondly claimed by the Opposition to be one of their band. As a matter of fact, that particular member •wired to the Premier yesterday morning congratulating him on the decisive victory the Government had achieved on Tuesday last. ' Further, Mr. Seddon knew of several members marked down Independent Liberals by Conseivative journals, who had intimated that on crucial questions they would vote with the Uoveriiment. lv was such little things as lhe=e, said Air. Seddon, that showed the dependence to be put upon the optimistic forecasts of the Opposition. In response to an invitation, about sixty members of both sexes, members of Mr. F. Pn-ani's late election committees, met in the Petone Masonic Hall last evening. Mr. Pirani explained that he had invited them there so that he might thank them for the enthusiastic support they had given him during his short campaign. He had taken part in some political contests, but had never met with j such uns nerving faith and single-hearted support. Unfortunately they were not in a position, owing to their lack of personal acquaintance with him, to champion his cause as effectively as they might hare done under other circumj stances. When too kte, he had discovj ered that his name was being connected with the Stoke School scandal, it being reported that he was the instigator of i the enquiry. This was incorrect. All j that he had done was, in company with another member of Parliament, to satisfy himself by personal enquiries on the spot a« to the merit of the case to enable him to deal fairly with the matter in -his place in Parliament. (Cheers.) He did not make ajjy reference to the matter in his .speeches, as he had no wish to injure the feelings of any section of the community, and he did not wish to rake up the ashes of a dead scandal. (Cheers.). As, however, the question had been opened by his opponent, it was his intention to carry it on and urge a more complete change in the condition of Industrial Schools. He objected to barrackroom discipline being adopted with childlen, and the setting up of cottage homes for from 12 to 20 children under a master and matron. He believed that this question could be treated fiom a high standpoint, and without injury to any section of tke community. " Again referring to the work done for him by his committees, Mr. Pirani stated that though defeated at the polls, he did not believe that the people in their hearts were satisfied with the present condition of things. It was not his intention to desert the district, but at the present time he could not make any promise that he would contest the seat at the next election. This he would say, that they should not be left until so late in the day without a suitable candidate for their suffrages. During the, evening a nuwibar of musical items were contributed, and the proceedings were closed by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," and hearty cheers for Mr. Pirani. The official figures for the Otaki election are— W. H. Field, 2006; Rev. F. W. Isitt, 496. [UY TELKQRAPir — PKKSS ASSOCIATION.* TIMARU, This Day. It is rumoured that the Geraldine election may be upset, on the ground that the successful candidate's committee gave a ball on the night of the election.