WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1928, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

UNITED' PARTY’S STRENGTH

(Special to “ Guardian ”.)

WELLINGTON, November 22. Tlio “ Dominion ” still is keeping Reform at the head of its list of elected members of the new House of Representatives, giving it twentyeight seats while alloting twentyseven to United, nineteen to Labour, live to Independents, and one to Country Party. As a matter of fact, however, the voting strength attributed to the United Party by the Reform organ scarcely represents the true position. Three, at least, of the five “ Independent ” members would vote with the Untied Party on a no-confidence motion and the solitary representative of the Country Party is pledged to vote against the Government. The addition of these four votes would bring the United Party’s total up to thirty-one and so place Sir Joseph Ward and his followers in a paramount position. Their party definitely gained a seat yesterday by the recount in Dunedin South placing Mr Taverner above Mr Hall,, and the Reform Party definitely lost the Wellington North seat by Mr Chapman overtaking Sir John Luke. THE NEXT STEP.

At the time of writing the Prime Minister has given no indication of the Government’s next step towards the adjustment of the political affairs oif the country. It is tolerably safe to say, however, that on an early date he will tender his resignation to the Gov-ernor-General—which, of course, will entail the resignation of his colleagues —with a respectful recommendation to His Excellency to entrust Sir Joseph Ward with the formation of a new Government. Sir Joseph .will ask for reasonable time for the completion of his task and meanwhile the existing Government will continue to administer the affairs of the Dominion. It is

possible, though not probable, that

Mr Coates will prefer to take his dis- • missal from the new House direct. In that case Parliament would be called together as early as possible, and probably remain in session for a week. The task before Sir Joseph Ward is beset with difficulties, but it is one with which he is not unfamiliar. THE SPORTING SPIRIT. One very creditable feature of the election is the sporting spirit in which its results are being accepted. During the campagn itself there were occasional undesirable incidents—furnished by the party newspapers rather than by the candidates themselves — but to-day there is peace and harmony on every side. Mr Coates himself chats of the contest as if it had been a hard game of football in which his side had played as well as it could but without a proper conception of the intricate points of the tussle. He has no reproaches for the other side. Sir Joseph Ward, a prince of optimists, is forgetting the opposition concentrated on him during the campaign, and remembering only the revival of the old Liberal spirit throughout the Dominion. The Labour leader, temperamentally less effusive than the two other leaders, is disappointed by the results of the appeal to the people; but his faith in his “cause” remains unimpaired, and he looks forward unperturbed towards its consummation. A POSSIBILITY.

There are a considerable number of more or less well informed people here talking of the possibility of another election in the near future. They maintain that the parties will be so divided in the new House that it will be impossible for any of them to carry on to the advantage of the country. Any one of the three parties, they say, might be put into office by the grace of either of the other two parties; but would be kept there only by the goodwill of its temporary ally. The United and Labour parties have been instanced as a possible confederacy, but quite a number of the members of the former party have announced their determination to have nothing to do with Labour in any circumstance. An alliance between United and Reform might be a more feasible proposition, but here again there are in both parties members who would strongly resent the association. At the moment all propositions to this effect bristle with difficulties.