MR. CORRIGAN AND MR. COATES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 20 July 1925, Page 4

MR. CORRIGAN AND MR. COATES.

(To tiie Editor.) Sir, —It avus most obliging of Mr. Corrigan to make a speech in the House in response to Mr. Oawith’s urgent appeal for a statement of his views, and most appropriate that the tenor of his remarks should correspond so closely to Mr. O’Dea’s prediction as to the future attitude of the Liberals. Both Mr. Gawith and Mr. O’Dea will be congratulating themselves, the former on having at last “drawn” Mr. Corrigan, and the latter bn having predicted the neAv attitude of the Liberals at the A-ery time Avhen Mr. Corrigan must haA r e been expounding his A r *iews in the House. There -can be no doubt that Ave are going to hear a. great deal in the future in the way of abuse of the Reform Party for blocking- the way to a fusion; but surely the average elector Avill not be misled as Mr. O’Dea suggests. Surely anyone can recognise such tirades as that directed against the Government by our member as merely the petulant outburst of the jilted .lover, and will not mistake it for a calm and reasoned judgment- on the political situation. Why, it was only last Aveek that I heard staunch Reformers, after reading that Mr. Corrigan had seconded Mr. At more’s motion in favour of fusing Avith Reform, rejoicing over AA'hat they called Mr. Corrigan’s “great change of heart” (but which I preferred to call his somersault). And when I recalled to them that on Mr. Coates’ elevation to the Prime Ministership Mr. Corrigan had been on© of the first to send him a telegram of congratulation. Avhich was published in the leading city papers in company Avith similar messages from most of the leading Reformers in the country, these Reform friends Avere delighted and prepared to wager that our member AA'ould soon be right inside the Reform camp instead of lingering on th© threshold. But Mr.. Corrigan has shoAvn himself to b© a “quick-change artist” of no mean order, and the GoA'ernment Avith which he last Aveek desired to fuse his party is iioav “an absolute calamity” and “a curse to the country,” while Mr) Coates, who only th© other week Avas th© recipient of a telegram of most profuse congratulations from Mr. Corrigan, is. now described as “a bungler, blown up by the neAvspapers, and noAV relentlessly pricked by-them, so that his balloon came doAvn with- a thud.” Naturally, my Reform friends were surprised and disappointed by this outburst; but 1 have pointed' out that as Mr. Corrigan has turned one remarkable somersault, there is no reason to despair, for one so skilled in political acrobatics will almost certainly giA'e us another “turn” before December, and next time may land right in the Reform camp.— I am, etc., ICONOCLAST. TlaAvera, July 17, 1925.