The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, August 2, 1935. FROM BENCH TO HUSTINGS.

Grey River Argus, 2 August 1935, Page 4

The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, August 2, 1935. FROM BENCH TO HUSTINGS.

One day a judge and the next a political candidate, no time has been lost by Sir A. L. D Herdman in an effort to stage a political “come back.” An old campaigner, he perhaps felt more than once during his sedate occupancy of a seat on the Judicial bench that he might be more at home back again in the political hurly-burly, but his Tory record scarcely would have prompted expectations that he should come out so pronounced a critic of the present Government. To place him politically to-day is a problem for the solution of which some definition of his positive views must be awaited, as yesterday he merely expressed opposition both to the Nationalists and the Labourites. H e can be taken at his word when he denies having any sympathy with Labour. As for the Government, he would appear to lay all the blame at the door of Messrs Forbes and Cootes, but the whole rank and file of their following are in the samp boat. Sir Alexander is following meantime what might be taken as rather an independent line, and that may in his case be oitp that appears to offer the best prospect of attaining whav is naturally his first objective. This if. to get himself elected for Parnell. If there are others who agree with the stand he intends taking, he is ready to join up with them, but is otherwise ready to go alone. It may be said at. once that it should be at least no disadvantage for a candidate at the coming elections to be opposed to the Government. Yet the public may be excused if they should be sceptical as to the wisdom of electing independents to Parliament. The present Government asked last election for a mandate to do whatever they deemed best without _ givingbeforehand any indication of what such a free hand might mean. Sir Alexander Herdman, for one, proclaims that what has been don e has been no good for New Zealand. He hands Messrs Forbes and Coates the biscuit for being the heads of th P worst administration in New Zealand history. It requires no very lon<_thy political memory to give rise to a query as to whether they mny not have been simply carrying on the tradition of llm Pe form Party in the counsels of which he used to play so predominant a part. Certainly this Government has come down crushingly upon the poor and it will be interesting to learn if the erstwhile Refortn Attoviey-Gen-oral holds this up against them as their greatest mistake. It also will be worth noting how he r.ensures up to the idea of Mr Davy’s latest political enterprise Among Auckland constituencies, ’’"rneli is one of the few 4 hat have Government representatives. A fair question at the first meeting of the new aspirant would be as to what way be would vote in a n< tonfidence division. He is at leas a witness to one thing. It is t< the reasonableness of Labour’stand all along that the Govern ment has been following a lint which could only bring stagna tion and intensified poverty. Tn the long run that policy has hit almost every interest. Probably Sir Alexander is still a shrewd analyist of public opinion, and perceives that the Government prestige is still on the decline. His denunciation is thus more interesting as an indication of th? trend of opinion than in any other respect. What however, has brought home to other people the failure of the administration most effectually, apart from the obvious consequences of its policy, has been undoubtedly the unfaltering and forceful endeavours of the Labour Partv noth to halt that course and + o institute a more enlightened one. Eleventh hour endorsement of the Opposition to this extent from independent candidates may be

veiwed by the electors as telling more lrl favour of the Opposition than of any other political element. In the meantime, there will be no regrets that Sir Alexander has decided to re-enter the political arena, as it is a time when any light which he may from his experience have to shed upon the situation is to be wHcomeil.