SOUTH AFRICA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 June 1924, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICA

THE NEW GOVERNMENT. MUST HAVE LABOUR SUPPORT. ADHERENCE TO BRITAIN. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT CAPETOWN, June 21. Mr. Hertzog (leader of the Nationalists), interviewed, was reticent as to whether he intended to take Labour into the Cabinet, but frankly admitted that the Nationalists would be unable to carry on without Labour support. He claimed that the result of the election is undoubtedly a verdict for the Nationalist-Labour pact, and attributed their success to the people being desirous of a change of Government. The pact had now; ended, but the country expected the Labour and Nationalist parties to continue in cooperation. Asked if he was prepared to repeat the assurance that the Nationalists would stand by their pledge to make no effort to change constitutional relations with Britain, as provided in the Act of Union, Mr. Hertzog declared that the Nationalists without exception were prepared to stand by their pledge, and added: “I say positively that the Nationalists do not look upon secession as a matter of pra'cticaly politics, and they are not likely to do so till the bulk of the people, especially the mass of British feeling is in its favour. The question lias never been a Nationalist Party question at all. It has been raised by General Smuts deliberately to frighten the English-speaking community. It is due in no small measure to the fact that the people refused anv longer to be frightened by that bogey that the followers of the Labour Party and others had so heartily supported the Nationalists. “I hope the secession bogey has now definitely been laid, and with it the racialism,” added Mr. Hertzog. “The pact has scotched it.” CAPETOWN, June 20. The pact majority is twenty-nine. Many members of the Labour rank and file are opposed to the Labourites join, mg Mr. Hertzog’s Cabinet, as being contrary to the party’s cardinal principles. A Labour conference will he held on June 29 to decide the matter. Colonel Glaassen v has resigned the Standerton seat, which General Smuts will contest.