The Franklin Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1933. THE POLITICAL PARTIES.

Franklin Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 98, 23 August 1933, Page 4

The Franklin Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1933. THE POLITICAL PARTIES.

Office and Works:ROULSTON STREET, PUKEKOHE. Phone No. 2. P.O. Box l<i "We nothing extenuate nor aught set down in malice."

IF present indications arc true, the political arena at the next election will be filled with mushroom parlies all training their fire on the Coalition Government. Some, 'months ago it was announced that Liberal-Labour and All New Zealand parties had been formed in Auckland. They appeared, then to languish and in the meantime Lhe New Zealand Legion gainer] a firm fooling and set its campaign machinery going steadily. Now on the same day lhe Liberal-Labour and lhe All

New Zealand parties have been revived, the latter under the unromantie title of the New Zealand Political Federation. The announcements of the two parties carry with them an air of business and it seems that both will make an earnest atLempt to woo the fickle electorates. A glance at the preliminary programmes shows that they have been drawn up with a view to answering the popular clamour and -to winning votes quickly. ■ How adoption of the programmes will lead the country into prosperity is not so evident. The Federation appears to rely on monetary reform, and land settlement to he the panacea, while the Liberal-Labour party, while subscribing to the same views plans to.win the votes of workers with their proposal for shorter hours at standard rates of pay and. appeal courts-for workers. But comprehensive as the two parties' planks are they lack a bold scheme of reconstruction; in fact the man in the street will fail to see that if elected as the Government either of the two parties could succeed in hringing back prosperity to New Zealand by means of internal reforms. It is interesting to notice that neither party has the courage to condemn the exchan 0 e rise, although Auckland as u city is bitterly opposed to the Government's action. One party does nol condemn wheal duties and the other favours their retention. Thus the two new parlies are of little use where public opinion is definitely arrayed against the exploitation of the majority of lhe people to assisl a small section in an uneconomic industry.