THE PRIME MINISTER

Hokitika Guardian, 1 May 1931, Page 2

THE PRIME MINISTER

HIGH TRIBUTE

WELLINGTON, April 20

Yesterday, without- knowing, apparently, that tin* Prime Minister was about to offer the s ii'rondc“r of his high office in order that the unanimity of Parliament might be strengthened during the present national crisis, the “Evening Post” paid a w >rm tribute to the bearing of tlie bead of the Government during tlie session just elosi'd. “On the rising of Par’iiment to-day,” it said, “public sentiment wdl In divided between a sense of relief at the discharge by Parliament of a. supremely difficult, invidious and momen'ous task, and gratitude to the •nan who led the way. Mr Forbefi lias had to deal with a more alarming economic slump than that which confronb’d Sir Harry Atkinson in 1887 and Mr Massey in 1921 and 1922. He has brouglit to his task just the same coolhl/'ss, courage iand disregard ( i ( onrtv interests that they brought to theirs, and lie has done so in the fnee of far more serious political difficulties. Atkinson and Massey 'We political veterans at tin height ot their pow.-r when they shouldered t.hei • rcs])”e f ive bvirdells, and they had fairly compact majo-Ui 'S behind them. Put, So far as the Premiership 01* f'n. Miritstiv of Fi bailee id concerned, Alt' porbes was a mere novice when his call came.” In the interval M>" Forbes was absent from the'Dominion for four or five months attending the Imperial Conference but this experience probably was of more value to him than the same time spent at home would have been.

Ext uiding its appreciation of the service rendered to the country and the community by Mr F°r!ies, with a minority in tlie House and with no assurance of sustained assistance, tlm “Post” emphasised its earlier eulogy. “If the magnitude and complexity of the difficulties to be overcome, am] if the certainty that the remedies would be unpopular in proportion to their faithfulness be fairly measured,” it continues, “the task undertaken r.t such short notice and put through s f > rapidlv. must appear to be worthy of a! Ssddon or a Massey with a record majority behind him. But it has been accomplished by a man who, as we have said, is a novice in bis high office, 'whose powers of leadership were unknown, even to himself, ard who with not much move than a third of tjie House at bis command, Ims often bean uncertain wlietlm - even the crucial cl aus us of his measures would be carried. In these circumstances it is obvious that tlie Prime Minister ow c s much to the loyalty of the Opposition, but tt lias been ait u n covenanted idyaity. and for that reason it ha* repeatedly loft both tjie GdVefnment atld the country in doubt as to the rG«ult. The .session, litts, ilevfei'tilaless, not only escaped disaster but achieved a great success,” The “Po H t’’ fearing what may happen during the approaching session of Parliament and during the not distant general election, is not very confident of “fusion” emerging from the impending negotiations, but it is not without hope.