The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1928. WHICH SHOULD COME FIRSTPARTY OR COUNTRY?

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10754, 27 November 1928, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1928. WHICH SHOULD COME FIRSTPARTY OR COUNTRY?

On every hand, the attitude that is being adopted by. the, Member for Gisborne in connection with the unsettled political situation is being widely endorsed. Put shortly, Air Lysnar rightly says 1 that it is the duty of all Reform, United and Independent members to exhaust all possible avenues through which a rapprochement might be effected and a good stable Government formed from the heist elements® of those parties before the question of a fresh appeal to tho electors is considered, ft may bo remembered that, in 1925, shortly before Air. Aliassey’s death, Air. iCysnar used bis best- endeavors to secure an amalgamation of the Reformers and tho Uniteds (then the Nationalists) to end the three party system. A committee of Reform members, including the Afember for Gisborne, was set up by Air Massey, to confer with a committee from the Nationalist party and considerable headway was made until the Nationalist delegates dropped a bombshell in the, shape of a threat that they would • proceed no further unless it were conceded that Air. Alassey should drop the position of Prime Minister. The Reform Party, it will be recalled, would not fall in with the suggestion and the negotiations came abruptly to an end. In that year also, Sir Joseph Ward, by the w r ay, expressed himself as strongly in favor of a return being made to the two party system. He was at that time, however, unattached to any party, claiming to he the only true blue Liberal in Parliament. To-day, there is a marked change in his attitude, for he is back again to the state of mind be was -in sipon his return with Afr Alassey from the Homeland in 191-9, when he broke up the National Cabinet and left Mr Alassey to carry through the .final session of that Parliament, with what result is now a- matter of history. Not only did Sir Joseph AYard lose his own seat at the subsequent General Election, but his party also suffered severely. If the Uniteds’ leader' persists now in once again placing party before country, his attitude may bring about for his side results not different from those which overtook it nine years ago. Difficult it is, indeed, to credit that the whole of the members of the United Party, together with four of the Independents, are really . unanimous in the attitude that there should lie no coalition between Uniteds and Reformers. ,In the circumstances, developments will be awaited with very great interest.