LIBERALS AND LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 138, 9 December 1919, Page 8

LIBERALS AND LABOUR

COMPLIMENT FOR MR. VEITCH

The Leader of tho Liberal- Party again affirmed his attitude towards Labour at, Martinborough last night, and, incidentally, he gave a clear indication that, should he ever be called upon to form a Cabinet, he would by no means be adverse to including in it Mr. W. A. Veiteh, the sitting member for Wanganui, or men of his stamp. The country, he said, needed to be governed strongly. Ho was not in favour of direct action, and was opposed to anything in, the, shape of an irrational '.policy, being forced upon the country by -a section who/-of course, were entitled to their ideas, but whose views were far too extreme for him. To his .mind, those views would be unsafe for the country to adopt. He did not call the members of that section names because of their views; they were entitled to their opinions. What he did hold, however, was that at 'this critical period there was needed■":a strong-, Government, in which moderate: Labour would be represented. If peace was to be maintained in the Dominion that was essential. Whatever Government was in power would have a stupendous task to perform, and he thought the professional community and -the" farming community ought to recognise that the old idea held by some that force should simply be met by force was done with, and that there should bo adopted a plan allowing moderate Labour representation.' In England moderate Labour represented in the Ministry by: four members. As an instance of the sort, of representation he meant he teferred to Mr. Veiteh, whom he eulogised as a-stamp of man one would like to have as'scxyated with him in governing the country:"