WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE FUSION PROPOSAL. AX IMPATIENT STALWART. (Special to “Guftr<L*ji”.) 'WELLINGTON, July <). “Sow that the fusion is stone dead and only waitin'' decent burial, I don't mind saving I think it the silliest proposal that ever has been seriously discussed by a body of sane men.” So said to-day a Rallance-Seddon stalwart with a warm regard for Air Massey, who might have been in Parliament at any time during the last forty years had he seen his way to oiler his services to any one of a dozen constituencies. " I don't believe for a moment.” continued this veteran of the strenuous unities, " that the idea ever commended il.sc-ll' to the strong men of the House. Un-ion is the suggestion of the timid souls, who talk of socialism. of the evil kind, communism, bol.hevikism, and red ruin of every kind, as if these perils were at our very doors. These timid souls hove bed their heads its well as their hearts and scheming politicians have seen their wav to torn their iears to account. Why, bless your soul, the Labour Party to-day is not hall as "red ’ as the Liberal Party appeared to he to the good old Conservatives of thirtythree or thirty-four yours ago. when John liallance proposed to impose a land tax in place of a property tax and m " burst up " some of the big estates. And yet Mr Massey, the lineal de-eemlant <U those dear old Tories, before he died, all honour to him, had become as much ol a Socialist as l!alInnce or Sodden ever hail been. It is only the small man that can remain small in the face' of ineontravertilikfacts.” •RED RUIN." ‘•Riit ii tor. fusion you asked me about,” this authority recalled. "Well, got it out of your head that the Labour Party is striving to bring about a slate of alfairs in Lliis country rather worse than the excesses which marked one stage of the Erench revolution, and wlust possible reason have we for abandoning every other progressive in order to block the way of Mr 11. E. Holland. .Mr Peter Eraser, am! the oilier strangely simple members ol the House uho imagine they have discovered a shorter cut to the millciiium than any ol the rest of us have. Rut ii' Labour really U a menace to law and order in this country, how much strength hits ii gathered in during the last few years? Between tlie elections of 1010 and 1002 it increased its voting strength by less than decimal one per cent. Does that look as if we were hastening by leaps, and hounds to a sanguinary upheaval that would separate us from the British Empire and exclude us from the community of civilised and law-abiding nations' The truth of the matter is that this Labour menace in polities is simply an invention of timid politicians who want to malm their own positions secure, not by service to their constituencies and the country, but by playing upon the tears of the electors. You do not hear the strong men of the House talking such rubbish; it is the gag of the weaklings.” WHAT AX OPPOSITION I "‘Then if we riel ourselves of the bolshevik nightmare what possible advjaiilage.” this veteran asked, "can we obtain from fusion I' Yes. for n session possibly. Bill think of the Government with sixty-three votes and the Opposition vitli seventeen. That is the lielonniTs and the Liberals on one side and the Labour members cm the oilier. Is there any record in any enii.-litul ioiially governed country in the world where .such a distribution of voting favour was productive of good results? It would he a Government without an Opposition without urn- effective criticism and absolutely without nnv check. Such conditions might, he tolerated by the country for a .session. but by that time the morale of the 11 cm -e would have assumed some-

thing ol the atmosphere of a bear-gar-den and its continuance would lie intolerable. The only approach to stick an arrangement we have had in this country was the National Cabinet during the war. which always had the saving graces of necessity and patriotism at its back, but still was intolerable to a niaioritv of its members long before it was dissolved. It i- a political axiom that a good Opposition is only a little less necessary to the welfare ol a country than is a good (lovernmoiit, and yet during the past month we have bad members of Parliament fervently urging there should be no Opposition at all.” THE ALTERNATIVE. " I lie position is plain enough for everyone to see,' - , the pride-taut -aid in conclusion, "and i; should present no difficulties to people who will accept I '■ as it. stands. The Reformers are in possession ol the reins of governII ‘’lit. flicy have as a leader a young man of many parts, frank, earnest and singularly popular, and he ought to have a chance to prove himself. It may be that the name of the dominant parly in the House lor the time being requires changing. It would be a good move on the part of Mr Coates to change it, particularly if he could at the same time broaden the policy of bis party and make it acceptable to a J larger number of progressive people. Ibis would lie no reflection upon the bead of his dead chief, who always was a little ahead of his policy and his party, and would have boon numbered among the •Seven Devils of Socialism’ had lie entered Parliament with the keener vision and wider outlook lie developed in ids later years. But the Liberal Opposition must remain while the process of evolution on the other side goes on, and in good time (ho amalgamation which seems wholly unnecessary and indeed highly perilous at the present time, may become practicable and desirable in the best interests of the country. Meanwhile it is to ho Imped that the approaching election will give the country a Parliament capable of dealing wisely with t.l:e great problems by which it will ( be confronted."