Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27th., 1931. HOMELAND POLLINGS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 October 1931, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27th., 1931. HOMELAND POLLINGS.

THE importance of the Homeland pollings, to-day, cannot be gainsaid, but owing to the general expectation that the National Government is assured of victory, most public interest is directed to what will be the extent of the Ministerialists’ majority, and on the results in certain constituencies, notably at Seaham, Derby, and Burnley, where Messrs MacDonald, Thomas and Henderson are encountering strong opposition. If each suffers defeat, none need be surprised, although perhaps the two former are in more danger of rejection than is the Labour Party’s leader. Presumably, “safe” constituencies will be found for any of the trio, if defeated to-day. Mr. Henderson can less afford a personal reverse than the others, and should he be beaten, and the other two Win, the Socialist prestige will have received a severe blow. Mr. Baldwin and Sir J. Simon should be re-elected without much trouble, but the chief Liberal in the National Ministry, Sir H. Samuel, has cause for anxiety at Darwen, mainly through Conservative opposition, a paradoxical situation, indeed !

The revelations made by Mr. 'Snowden and others during the elections campaign, have been of a startling nature, and it is clear that

Britain was in a. very dangerous position, financially, and that, foreign investors were justified in being seared, and withdrawing their funds from London. Unpleasant as these discluosures are to national susceptibilities, it is well that the people should be told of the peril averted, and the consequences of Socialist financial policy. Each member of the Labour Cabinet is deserving of censure, but Messrs MacDonald, Snowden and Thomas have since lessened their fault, by admitting past errors, and cooperating with the other Parties to stop the wanton extravagance, and to bring about a better state of affairs. Nevertheless, it will be a long time before Britain will have finished paying the penalty of Labour misrule, and her experiences, and those of Australia, give warning to New Zealand, now faced with a general election. Considering the fact < that the Homeland elections are being fought mainly on economic and financial causes, it is somewhat surprising that so little has been heard during the campaign of ‘ ‘ businessmen in the Government, ’ ’ a. slogan that a few years ago was popular, this prescription being acclaimed as a cure for most administrative ills. Can it be that practical experience has proved that no matter how successful a man may be in commerce, he will not necessarily repeat this prowess in political affairs ? In theory, such triumphs should come as a logical consequence, but something, apparently, upsets expectations. One explanation is given by Colonel Edward M. House, the friend of exPresident Wilson, who recently said: “Handling men in politics is a very different thing from handling them in business. Business methods are also very different from those of politics. In the latter the very first thing to remember is that you are dealing with human beings. A Government must be run for the good of its citizens and with a regard for the future. No Government can be run for the benefit of business as such, or for any other class in particular. It must be run for the people, and when that is done business of itself will prosper. This approach to government only the man who has been trained in it can know. Over and over again we have seen men prominent in other Avalks of life enter politics and turn out dismal failures.”