NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT

Evening Star, Issue 23864, 19 April 1941, Page 12

NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT

GROWING NATIONAL DESIRE “ PREMIER SHACKLED BY PARTY “ [Pee United Press Association.] TIMARU; April is! Addressing tnembers of the National Party in limaru to-night, Dr O. C* Mazeugarb, of Wellington, said there was no doubt that a large .majority o| the people wanted a. combined Govern-* ment and the suspension of party poll-* tic§. That desire had intensified and become more articulate during the pasfi few weeks since our troops were nowj definitely in the firing line.: One could not help feeling that the Prime Minister, Mr 'Fraser, ; fully, realised the desirability of forming 4 truly non-party Government and post* ponmg tbe elections. Mr Fraser’s difficulty in the" matter was that he feltj himself bound by the shackles which were imposed on him by the Federation of Labour and the Easter 'Con* ference of the Labour Party. A wise statesman would give a lead to tha party in the matter and not submit to the dictation of those who were moving remits in favour of the repeal o? conscription and such other methods a* the Government had adopted. In response to the'known desires o| the • people all that Mr Fraser , could do was to offer the compromise of a War Cabinet, which was a compromise far short of what the people really desired. When he had been brought face to face with the necessity for making a decision on the offer of co-operation by the Opposition, his answer was to procrastinate, and that procrastination was dictated by the selfishness of hia colleagues who desired to cling to office and of a group of supporters whose chief aim was to further their Socialistic schemes in the grave situation facing the country.