PARTY TRENDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 December 1946, Page 9

PARTY TRENDS

50 YEARS OF POLITICS

fluctuating, margins in parliament I

LABOUR'S RISE ANO DECLINE

The sway of New ?efdand political opinion over the past 5o years -fropi the days when aTUs;on of the Liberal and trade union forces ushered ip the long and famous regime of Ricliarfi John Seddon is revealed ip a eopiparison qt party strengths in the Huusa of Representatives after 17 elections, The emergence of Lahqur af|er the First World Wm ! a n a Vs development from a' third party to official Opposition and later to Government' office are particularly marked, as is also its steady decline since 1935. Because the barest majority is sufficient to win a seat—even if q successful candidate should poll q minority of the total votes cast—the CQpir position of the House does not always reflect accurately the political pqnvictions of the country. The reql gauge is in the ovei’-all voting figures, and it is not unusual for a party with a moderate majority of the total poll to secure a much larger proportion of the Parliamentary seats. This effect was not eliminated by the second ballot system which was employed in the 1908 and 1911 elections. Composition of House. Details of the composition of the House immediately after the''past 16 elections are as followsir-

The effect of a two-party system in ensuring a clear-cut working majority for a Government in office is clearly shown. Opposed by a single Opposition, Mr. Seddon’s party was unchallenged from 1893 until 1911. The Liberal leadership passed to Sir Joseph Ward in 1906. By comparison Mr. Massey’s Reform group was never comfortably entrenched against a combination of Liberal and Labour benches, except between 1919 and 1922. It was this factor that contributed to the formation of a National Government in 1914-19. More Recent Trends.

Among the more recent trends public reaction against the depression administration with all its stringency was shown when Labour under the leadership of Mr. Savage, swept the polls in 1935. It was still a powerful Government that went to the country three years later, when a definition of Socialism was a predominant issue placed before electors. However, the National opposition made slight, though appreciable, gains. The election in 1943 brought marked signs of public disapproval of the socialisation policy. Labour was returned with a much-reduced majority of only 11 seats over the Opposition, and its vote fell from 55 per cent to 47 per cent, of the total poll. The decline continued at the recent election. Parties other than National and Labour have played no predominant part in politics since 1931. A Democrat. Party was slaughtered in 1935. Tn 194.3 the Democratic Soldiei’ Labour Party had 50 candidates in the field, but gained no seats, and secured only 4 per cent, of the total poll. Two other small groups, the People's Movement and the Real Democracy Movement, each achieved less than 1 per cent of the country’s votes.

TWENTY FARMERS IN THE NEW HOUSE

One quarter of the members of the new House of Representatives, on theprovisional count, are farmers. Of the 20, four are in the Labour Party and 16 in the National Party.

The next largest group are the lawyers, who number 10, two Labour and eight National. There are five former miners, all in the Labour Party. Of three former ministers of religion two are in the Labour Party, and of three former school teachers two are in the National Party. The Labour Party has. two former printers and two former seamen. Other Labour members were formerly a Post and Telegraph Department enmployee, a railwayman, a herbalist, a boot designer, and a clicker. The National Party includes a former employee of a stock and station firm and a music teacher. It is not possible to summarise neatly the occupations which all members of Parliament have followed, because most of them have tried their hands at several things. The National Party has a member who, after working in the Post and Telegraph Department, went farming; and the Labour Party has a- man who turned from mining to the trade. The leader of the Labour Party Mr. Fraser served an apprenticeship as a carpenter, but in New 70alnnd was a labourer and waterside worS before he entered active pontE He edited the Maonland S k Xj°se?ved r an apprenticeship in Se WK Sori he e itaS k Kl

Liberal. Opposition. Other. 1893 . , 52 (Seddon) 16 o 1896 . . ‘11 (Seddon) 26 3 1899 . . 53 (Seddon1 16 .1 1902 . . 18 (Seddon) 19 3 1905 . . 5(i (Seddon) 16 4 190S . . 48 (Ward) Lib. 26 6 Reform. Lab. Others 1911 . . 38 (.Massey) 30 3 3 1914 . . 40 (Massey) 31 8 1 1919 . . 46 (Massey) 20 11 3 1922 . . "8 (Massey) ' ' 17 3 1925 . . 55 (Coates) 10 12 United. Kef. Lab. Others 1928 . . 2d (Ward) Coalition. 29 19 lj 1931 . . 51 (Forbes) —— 24 Labour. National. Others 1935 . , 55 (Savage) 19 fi 1938 . . 53 (Savage) 1943 . . 45 (Fraser) 31 i