LABOUR IN POLITICS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 119, 16 November 1911, Page 6

LABOUR IN POLITICS.

This summer time of 1911 ie the sea,* son of reforms. The Government gives a vague promise of New Year resolutions, but is chary about specifying definite lines of improvement. An admission of a Heed of reform is an admission of defects, and ib is naturally the Government's electioneering task to extol and exalt itself in shining raiment, and have nothing to do with any grey winter garment of repentance for alleged bins, "Whatever is is right" is the Govern nient's positive about it« own. administration, to which the Opposition or "New Zealand Reform Party" gives the negative : "Whatever is is wrong." The New Zealand Labour Party, as awprc' eented by Mr. D. M'Laren, takes the middle course of holding that "Whatever is is half right." This party wishes the Government to go further along the road recommended by Labour thai* Sir Joseph Ward is willing to go. Mr. M'Larcn claims that his party is the real "Reform Party" (ho denies any connection with the other "Reform Pa,rty"), and he puts i the^ objective thmsj.^'JXo .endeavour b£

legislative, educational, and admimetra tive meanß to so mould the character o£ our national life that the economic, social, and industrial fields shall bo open to all on tho fair basis of equality of opportunity." Thfe is all "v<*y fine and largo." We give Mr. M'Lawm credit for earnestness in voicing that sentiment, but the little word "so 1 ' precediug "mould" is the baee for a mountain of difficultiwi. It is such a "so" as other "so's" that have perplexed thus old world from time immemorial. Mr. Massey'e "Reform Party," in addition to demanding a straight-out freehold policy, principally asks for reform in the methods of administration. Labour is not po much worried by the present methods as ib is concerned for new things new leguslation, new schemes, some more steps tovvarda the "co-operative commonwealth." Indeed Labour upokeemen have expressed themselves as hostile to some of Mr. Maseey's sound proposal* for minimising the evils of political control of public cervices. Mr. Maesey'a party wiehes to reduce State "paternalism" j Labour ia eager to increase it. We believe that the New Zealand Labour Party is i» too great a hurry to reach the Eldorado of many a dreamer. Fancy, fondly fed with rosy hope, ha* flown ahead of common-Gense, and the public lags behind in comfortable doubt. Wo do not believe that Independent Labour wiU capture many seats next month, but it ib plain that Independent Labour's etrength outeide of the new Parliament will not be a negligible quantity, Labour has determined to take a road separate from the route of the Ward Liberals and the Maasey Liberals. A new Radical Party is forming, and it is possible that Wardism and Masseyism may be side issues within fiv« years. It is to be a struggle of Radicals againet non'Radicala, the wOrld-old struggle. The new Parliament, however, will be nearly all composed of Wardites and Masseyites, however variously Government Liberals and Opposition Liberals may now label, themselves. Independent Labour will have only a corner in. the House, and who will deny that Independent Labour is not entitled at least a corner? We believe -that New Zealanders in the main admit ihe justic^of proportional representation, and on this principle Independent Labour's army is , humorous enough, to have the. right to have its case officially presented on the floor th« people's House of Representatives. This is one reason why we believe that Mr. D. M'Laren, the organiser of the party, has a claim not only on th© people of Wellington East but on the people of New Zealand. We had i once hoped that the leaders of this party, profiting by the lesson of reverses at the polls, would abandon their project of withdrawing from the Liberal-and-Labour alliance, but they are determined to go their own way, and the movement has to be recognised as a, serious one. In the past three years Independent Labour has been at great pains and at great expense to convince 'New, Zealand that it ie a respectable entity, and though New Zealand is not yet willing to' put that party in power, New Zealand has to give its advocates a fair hearing. Wellington East has therefore an opportunity to do an act of justice on the whole country's behalf. Mr. M'Laren has displayed far. more than I average intelligence in the House of Representatives. For three years he did his duty honestly and solidly. He has striven conscientiously to serve his party, but in his work for his party ho has not been blindly "class conscious." He has had an honourable regard for the general public. In brief, he has been a clean and industrious representative of the people.