The Hawera Star. TUESDAY. MAY 15, 1928. POLITICS AND PLEDGES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 15 May 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY. MAY 15, 1928. POLITICS AND PLEDGES.

Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera. Manair.. Normanby. Okais.wa, Eltham. Mangatoki. Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyville Patea. Waverlev. Mokoia. Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Fraser Road, and Ararata.

The pledging of political candidates to support the platform of certain partieularist organisations has created a very real problem in the polities of the Dominion, and already there has been evidence that some keen students of political affairs feel themselves to be in a quandary as to the outcome. It was reported recently thta the pledge question is the source of the trouble said to ibe brewing in one of the South Island electorates at present represented by a Reform member. This member was ■elected by a substantial majority at the last elections, but since the licensing issue was before Parliament last session, some of his former supporters have been working against his interests because of his support of the bare majority. It is not contended' that he broke any pledges, but that his stand on the licensing question was not known at the time of 'his election, and some who would still support him politically fear now that by doing so they are committing themselves to an. endorsement of his attitude towards licensing reform. Because similar positions exist, or are likely to arise in other electorates; the problem which has arisen in this southern electorate has been the subject of wide comment, without, however, one really practicable suggestion having been advanced for its solution. It has been suggested that the two most prominent issues outside the real scope of party polities which might influence votes are the licensing question and the Bible-in-Schools issue. Neither of these is a party question, but no one can say how far they will influence the selection of the personnel of the next Parliament. Supporters- of either one of these two issues are not likely to be convinced by the arguments that are being put forward in some quarters that they should not introduce the questions into the election campaign; they have devoted many years of their lives' in many cases to their causes and they realise that they can get nowhere without the necessary legislation. So long as there is a majority of members of Parliament opposed to their views on these questions there is no possibility of their attaining their objective through the ordinary legislative channels, therefore they set themselves 1 out at each election to ensure the return of men who -will support their cause. It ■may be the only means of fighting which they have to hand, but it is unfortunately a fact that, by adopting them, the organisations which seek to pledge candidates' to their cause lay themselves open to the charge that they are willing to sacrifice every other political interest of the country to their one ideal of reform—one of a social nature and the other of a religious character. Those who believe that the men responsible for the Government of the country should be elected because of the soundness of their ideas on finance, land settlement, public works and other policy questions, regret, the intervention of these other issues, not. because they desire to strangle the expression of opinion of those with whom they do not see eye to' eye, but because the introduction of questions which cut across all party lines confuses’ the issue for those who honestly desire the- return to Parliament of the men best fitted to contribute, something to all the questions which come before the House. It has been suggested that the party leaders should refuse to have their candidates bound by pledges to outside organisations, but it does not appear that such action would definitely close the avenue now open to political manoeuvring. The obvious solution is, of course, the taking of a national referendum on these vexed questions, but the friends of the organisations have an objection

which is equally as obvious —they have no guarantee that legislators not pledged to their cause would make it possible for such reforendums to 1)6 taken. At the present juncture, with the political issue so clear-cut between Labour and anti-Labour, the duty of the elector who does not wish to see the government of the country given over to those who would experiment with the nationalisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange is to act on the principle of “sound politics first” and stand loyally behind the political party which 'has brought the Dominion through one of the most difficult times in history.