The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1928. MR WILKINSON STILL AN INDEPENDENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 21 September 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1928. MR WILKINSON STILL AN INDEPENDENT.

Delivered every evening by fr o'clock In u'awera. Atanair.. Normanby, Okaiana. Eltham. Mangatoki. Kapcnga, Alton, Hurley ville Patea. Waverley. Mo_oia, Wbakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Fraser, Road, and Ararata.

Upon his return from Wellington, where he attended the conference of the United Party, Mr C. A. Wilkinson, Independent candidate for the Egmont. seat,.made an interesting statement to our Eltham contemporary, which we reprint on this. page. In the course of that statement Mr Wilkinson makes one or two interesting revelations regarding the party and his own state of mind towards it. In regard to the selection of Sir Joseph Ward as leader of the Unite’cls, he confirms our own opinion as to the motives which actuated the candidates in appointing the leader of the erstwhile Liberals as the generalissimo of the ,new party. Mr Wilkinson says that' the appointment • of iSir Joseph was “a tribute to his special knowledge of national finance and to his outstanding personality,” adding that it was more especially to be commented• bv • the fact “that an appeal to the electors ’by Sir Joseph Ward would be a clarion call for action in support of the new party.” We had outselyos suspected that the decision to appoint Sir Joseph as leader was the outcome of a study o'f publicity methods rather than the result of a firm conviction that the old-die-hard form of Liberalism which he represents was the best thing after all for the country. We claim no special credit for perspicacity in arriving at that conclusion, however; there must bo many people throughout, the Dominion who are quite ns certain as we are that the appointment was made with th’e object of impressing the electors .with the idea that - ' where there was such a leader .there must be also, somewhere, a party and a policy. Everybody will not feel with Air Wilkinson and the Uniteds that the appointment of Sir Joseph Ward is in fact a very remarkable tribute to his ability in regard to national finance and to his outstanding personality. The Uniteds may be congratulated upon securing his services, but all his admirers will not feel that he has chosen a happy means of returning t.o the political limelight.. However, it is with Mr Wilkinson and some of his naive admissions with which we would .rather deal here. In the first place he makes it dear that he has not thrown in his lot witlj, the United Party, though lie has a very friendly feeling towards it and believes that it can no longer bo brushed aside or explained away; indeed, he goes so far as to say that tho new, party, whose members are mostly newcomers to politics hopeful of getting into Parliament, and whose policy is still shrouded in mystery, is a “living and vital factor in our national life.” Mr Wilkinson may, perhaps, bo forgiven that rather flamboyant statement in view of his recent attendance at the Party conference, where much similar stuff was spoken (after the manner of the small boy who whistles to keep up his courage), but there are many people who cannot close their eves to the obvious manner in which he is playing for safety as an independent candidate. Mr Wilkinson declares himself confident in the belief that those who support him will be prepared to trust him to do tho best thing in the interests of the whole Dominion should he be returned to Parliament, but he apparently does not recognise that ho is placing a great strain upon the loyalty of even his best friends by Ins unwillingness, or inability, to define his position more clearly. He is not. prepared to denounce tin 1 policy of the present Government, lock stock and barrel; on the contrary he has indicated that there are features of the Reform administration, to which lie once- gave his whole-hearted support, which he still supports. He has declared that he is not a iSocialist, nor a Lib- < oral, nor, up till the present, a United • Party candidate, though lie “has a j friendly feeling” towards that organ- ,

isation and believes that 'he would receive a warm welcome to that party if he eventually joined it. On the other hand, we have witnessed the withdrawal of Mr Green, as Liberal candidate with a leaning towards Labour, after consultation between his supporters and the friends of Mr Wilkinson. Under the 'circumstances, those who contemplate supporting the candidature of Mr Wilkinson, as an Independent, in his contest against the sitting member, who is at the same time a. member of Cabinet, would do well to. pause and ask themselves if they do really know anything about the manner in which they ere using the votes they propose giving him.