REFORM AND LIBERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 9 October 1922, Page 4

REFORM AND LIBERAL.

(To the Editor.) - Sir, —"Moderate" and I must agree !to differ. I consider that it is most I unwise and most undiplomatic to let the ' public know all about such "arrangements" as those made by Mr. Isitt. the •; Liberal M.P. for Chnstchurch North; j with Mr. Massey, and he, on the other ■ hand, thinks that the public should ; know. We are, however, evidently both Liberals, so even in our diversity there is unanimity. I think "Moderate" is I using bad tactics when he commends in i such glowing language the patriotism of the Liberals, and particularly when he waxes so eloquent over our leader's (Mr. Wilford) statement on the Near | Eastern question that he (Mr. Wilford) went much further than Mr. Massey. . For him it was "his country right or wrong." Mr. Massey, ardent Imperial- , ist though he is, could only go so far ias "My country is right." Our leader, , however, to use a colloquialism, was prepared to go "the whole hog.' -• Between ourselves, Mr. Editor, this statement is, to put it mildly, just a ' bit over the edge, though I wouldn't ' admit it to anyone else. "Moderate," when he approves such language, is evidently a person, after Mr. WilfpnTs ' own heart. Your correspondent "Lab- ! our" is annoyed because our party j stands, as I said in my last letter, as I a buffer LaTbour and Reform. lln other words, to paraphrase Mr. 1 Veitch, Holland can't give Massey "one in the eye" because Wiirbrd stands in i the way' to ward off the blow. Well, I that is just what we are there for, and, , as Mr. Isitt said, Mr. Massey is most ! unwise to try to reduce the parties to two and squeeze us out. So long as we remain above the political horizon his party -will always be safe, hecause Labour then cannot have a, straight-out fight with Massey. I notice also that Mr. Witty, another Liberal, has made a somewhat similar "arrangement" with Mr. Massey, for, as reported in the Wellington press a few nights ago, he said that if elected to the next Parliament he would be found voting to keep Mr. Massey in power against a possible- Labour Government. Asked how he would vote m the event of a no-confidence motion being likely to put a Liberal Government into power, he said that, as he was standing this time as an Independent Liberal, he would use his own judgment as to how he would vote. This was the gentleman who a few weeks ago asked Mr. Massey if he agreed with the article of Sir John Eindiay (who, by the way, seems also to have gone over to Mr. Massey), outlining what was true Liberalism, when Mr. Massey said he could thoroughly ■agree. Of course, although Mr. Witty says that he will vote with Reform to keep Labour out,, still if Liberalism polls I strongly, he is not prepared to say how Ihe will vote. He cannot give such, straight-out support to Massey as Isitt can, because unfortunately there is also a Reform candidate standing for Riccarton, while Labour's banner is carried by Mr. "Jack" McCullough, formerly workers' representative on the Arbitration Court Between ourselves j I fear, that Labour stands a big chance of capturing the Riccarton seat, because in Riecarton there is a. big Labour vote of railwaymen and others, and unfortunately railway employees in other parts of New Zealand are not €he same sane, loyal workers that we have in these parts: here railwaymen still think (and naturally we do not disabuse their minds), they still think that Liberal means Labour, though in less cultured places their fellow-work-men actually consider our party more reactionary than Reform! Candidly, I don't like the way in which railwaymen in places outside Taranaki are joining up with the extreme Labour party. Here, however, we still man-

age to keep them loyal to the old party, and only the other day I believe when a deputation from the Labour Party at a place not a hundred miles from Taranaki waited on the local branch of the A.S.R.S., the chairman of the branch said he would "rather not" act as .jgha&tsnan for their meeting. That is the way for sane, loyal railwaymen to treat these extremists! Good old Taranaki, the workers are safe from the extreme revolutionary doctrines of Labour while they remain in your confines f They will be tame workers, they will be sane workers, they will not be wild ones. Of course it is rumoured, but rumour is often a lying jade, it is rumoured that this • "same chairman afterwards moved a vote of confidence in the Labour Party, but perhaps he didn't want to be hard j on them, perhaps he didn't want to send them away disheartened, but, of conrse, it is hard to believe that he

meant it. Anyway, he wasn't going to be chairman of their meeting. Good I luck to him! There is one thing I feel ; proud of—that in the midst of the general stampeding from our party, of "arrangements" being made with Mas- | sey and so on, the Sinn Feiners still | remain loyal to Liberalism. lam glad jto say that no matter how decadent the old party becomes, no matter if its policy is, as one of your correspondents asserted a little while ago, wishywashy, no matter if it* members become, as is stated, a coterie of political sterilities, of political ineptitudes, of political humbugs, the Sinn Feiners, of 1 whom I am proud to be one, will stick to them to the last, and this can be seen by the way in which they are even now rallying to us. In my last I mentioned that my ' Labour friend was sending in a few ' queries to Mr. Astbury. He has also sent along five pounds to be handed to you when Mr. Astbury accepts the challenge. My friend asserts that Mr. Asfbury is not "game" to take it on, but, needless to say, I am convinced he is wrong. He stipulates that in judging the answers you must take into consideration not only their straightforwardness, but also whether ! they show up the Liberal Party in a ! favourable or in an unfavourable light. Question I—Does1 —Does Mr. Astbury approve of the "arrangement" made by ; Mr. Isitt- with Mr. Massey as appearing in the Christchurch Press in its interview with Mr. Isitt? ' 2 —lf yes, is Mr. Astbury prepared to make a similar "arrangement" with ■ : Mr Massey? 3 —lf no, is he prepared to repudiate Mr. Isitt as a member of the Liberal ' Party if it countenances Mr. Isitt as a member any longer? 4 —Will he say what he thinks of a ; Liberal member who makes such* "arrangements" without the sanction of ' his party leader? (N.B. —Mr. Wilford said when interviewed on the matter \ that he knew nothing of tne "arrangement" made by Mr. Isitt.) ■ s—Does5 —Does he approve of Mr. Wilford's statement on the Near Eastern question, that he went further than Mr. Massey in his patriotism, and with him it was F'his country, right or wrong"? 6 —lf yes, is he prepared to make the same attestation of his patriotism? 7 —lf no, should he not repudiate . Mr. Wilford as' his leader? j My friend says he has several other j questions, but he'thinks these are enough to go on with until he hears from Mr. Astbury. You understand, sir, although I am anxious to see Mr. Astbury win the fiver, and see my Labour friend ouTect, I want to be perfectly fair to my friend. You are to give your decision on the grounds of (1) straightforwardness and satisfactorf- ! ness of the answers. (2) whether such 'answers bestow credit or not on the I Liberal Party.—l am, etc., I LIBERAL DIEHARD. » ........