The Hawera Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1925. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 22 August 1925, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1925. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Delivered every evening by 6 o’clock *o Hawera, Manaia. horrnanby, Okaiawa, Eltharn, Mangatoki, Kaponga. Alton, Hurleyvilie, eaten, Waveriey, Mokoia, Whakamara, ohangai. Mereinere, Praaer Road. an Ararata.

In a. message published yosteiday, The Star’s Parliamentary lepoeter, whose, knowledge ot wlui.L i.s parsing in Llie inner <iircle» of the parties is considerably above .the average, predicts that the .session will oml j.n another four weeks, ami that, the (iene.raJ Election will ho held in the first week of Noveinher, .some six weeks earlier than is usual. From next week the (lovernment. is .baking over private members’ day—'always an ind.iea.tion that the session has reached Lbs .serious .stagehand probably Monday sittings will, he instituted the week after next. But, n.o matter limy hard 1 the Hbu.se may bo driven, the session appears likely to rank as a .lean one from the point of view of legislative achievement. Nothing of outstanding moment bias been enacted so far, and, with the Railways

Statement/, the Public Works State- , .ment and the Supplementary Estimates yert to come down, legislation will by no. means have the held to itself. Ordinarily bite final session of a Parliament runs well on towards the end of October, anti sometimes trespasses on November. This year the Dunedin Exhibition otters a convenient excuse for an earlier election land, as preliminary, an earlier prorogation of Pari Lament. .We are dnoLined ito think, however, jthat tlie Exhibition is only a>n excuse. .The real reason for the Government's decision will be found, more probably, in the .present unsatisfactory state •<1

.panties and the lack of a majority sufficient for proper working. In taking this line of action, Air. Coateis has .undoubtedly done the wise, thing. 11 .only he will follow it up with an an.nouiioeinenb that he intends going to fhe country as the leader of a National ;Party, there need be no fear of the .verdict of the poll. .It may be objected that, with ‘‘The” National Party juitid “A” National Party already in the field—or struggling to open the .gate —-Air. Coates has nothing left to .him, mile. sis it be to defy the rules of grammar anil .speech and launch “An” .National Party. In reality, however, .no confusion exists. The .Liberals under Air. Forbes were wbolly prepared to adopt the Prime Minister as a Nationalist I.eader, land their support would be assured if Air. Coates now took the step suggested. Then, too, would bo born “A” National Party as advocated by Air. Ahmore, and lie would stand in with it. So far as the Prime Minister himself is concerned, we believe he is for fusion. Just who. or what interests, are dogging the machinery, we are not prepared to say; but we istill hold to the opinion that it is folly and madness to hope for amalgamation unspoiled by biitterliess, alter an election campaign of the traditional partisan type. If Messrs. A anil B be Nationalists (Libera',ls) and Ale sis rs X and Y Reformers standing in adjoining electorates, Air. A will fight Air. X, and Air. II Air. \, with every weapon in the political armoury. If feeling enters into the contest as—more’s the pity!—it .v*meiliiimes does, the opposing ciandklu.tes will get as n«tr to calling each other liars anti blackguards as the forbearance of the; electors a,nil the law of defamation 'will (perm it. [Anil through all thus, remember, A and B in the one camp and X and Y in the other are political brothers, each (.sympathising with the other s hurts. The numbers go up: A and Y are elected. A who has maligned Y’s friend X, and Y who lias done (all his power to bilacken the name of A’.s friend B. 1« it to lie expected that A and Y will now draw together in the bonds of Nationalist brotherhood? To any reasonable man the .idea i.s preposterous. Either ,tihe coining election must be contested on a Nationallist platform —with or without prior amalgamation of the two leading parties—or all hope of voluntary fusion abandoned. When it comes down to that-, the seimsiibie tilling to do ii.s to form the National Party first, land to ask the electorate for a mandate to govern the country for the next three years. In the decision of t.ho Govern me mt to close the .session early and to get the election over, there is some justification for hoping .that the issue (at the ballot-box may be: [The Empire and constitutional progress versus the Empire’s enemies and social! upheaval.