MR. WILFORD'S OFFER

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 130, 5 June 1925, Page 8

MR. WILFORD'S OFFER

"IT OUGHT NOT TO FAIL" COMMENT BY "OTAGO DAILY ';••--. TIMES.,". (BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL TO THE POST.) " : ';-■"•" DUNEDIN, This Day/ Commenting on Mr. T. M. Wilford's letter to the Prime Minister (the Hon. J.'.G. Coates) the "Otago Daily Times" says: "Mr. Wilford and his party, yes, and the Reform Party also, should recognise that the country as a whole will have scant ground for satisfaction if the project of conciliation fails. Ifc ought not- to fail. If a genuinely patriotic feeling prevails in the inter-party councils it wilt not fail. We are convinced that a. large majority of the electors favour some sort of anti-extremist alliance.- No doubt it cannot be dogmatically said the initiative of alliance should come from this quarter or from that, but it can be said most emphatically that no minor considerations should stand in the wav of national, design. If the pressure of long-established prejudices can be got rid of, mere punctillios should be unimportant. It should matter little ;\s to Which party makes the decisive advance. The suggestion of a. joint Reform and Liberal Committee to' deliberate on the subject of party relationship is worthy of consideration, but not of consideration so prolonged as indefinitely to delay decision. There is danger of copious talk endunng m nothing, but if anything-is to be done in th© direction of establishing stability, of Government during the present year, now is the time." There are divergencies of opinion, no doubt. Reformers may not be unanimous on the merger question, and some Liberals pathetically cherish the notion there is work for Liberalism to do on its own account, if it could only get the opportunity of doing it. The idea of work and he idea, of opportunity are alike fantastic, but there is nothing fantastic in the present opportunity of patriotic co-opera-tion. It, is ■ quite . true, as Mr. Wilford suggest*, that a. co-operative -movement should not be directed against legitimate .Labour. The new national party, whatever name it may assume, must be a progressive party, representative of all interests, Reform, Liberal, and Moderate Labour Imperialist in the best sense of terms that are sometimes misused."