Manawatu Evening Standard. CIRCULATION 4000 DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1914. "THE NEW ZEALAND LIBERAL."

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9743, 7 March 1914, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. CIRCULATION 4000 DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1914. "THE NEW ZEALAND LIBERAL."

Ix the course of a reference to the present parlous condition of the 'Liberal" Party in New Zealand, Mr Frank Morton, in his weekly letter appearing in this issue, remarks that the Opposition

appears to have neither wit nor conscience. The truth of his comment is

stii kingly illustrated by the first issue of a publication we have received, entitled '"The New Zealand Liberal," evidently intended to bo the journal of

the party now in opposition. As a literary production it falls far short of

the excellent magazine issued by the Reform Party, and known as "Light and Liberty." Judged from its first issue. "The N.Z. Liberal" is to bo a periodical re-hash of the leading art-

icles of the daily newspapers that support Sir Joseph Ward. It does not seem to matter whether the statements therein contained have been exploded and completely refuted by an overwhelming weight of evidence—in "The Zealnnd Liberal" they will bo unblusbingly paraded again with every artifice calculated to commend them to

the public. That is the impression that is gathered from tho issue under notice. Almost the first statement in the journal is one that Sir Joseph Ward has himself admitted was incorrect. It is

the allegation regarding increased taxation bv the Reform Government, and particularly that the increase last year was 10s .'d more per head of the population. The Leader of the Opposition first used these figures, and omitted to mention that a considerable part of tho increase was attributable to the Mackenzie (Liberal) Government, which held office for a hundred clays of tho financial year. The "Liberal" prefers

to let the original statement go forth as an accepted fact. It then proceed® to revive the old argument that the Reform Party does not represent the people, and performs some astonishing juggling feats with the figures in support of its statement. It does not yet appear to have dawned upon "The New Zealand Liberal" that the Independent! and Labour votes were cast as much against the present Opposition as against the Reform Party. On another page this enterprising journal revives the article from a small Main Trunk line paper, alleging that land aggregation had taken place under Reform auspices. This is a very unfair method of attempting to discredit a political opponent, for these allegations were last year the subject of a Parliamentary enquiry, and were proved to be unwarrantable. It further endeavours to make party capital out of the gift of the Dreadnought and the Public Service Commissioners, and relies largely upon legislation that was enacted years ago, and that the Opposition as at present constituted can claim very little credit for. Altogether "The Newj Zealand Liberal" is a very uninspiring • production, and it will take something more than this to galvanise into life 1 the disorganised and moribund remnant of a party that now follows Sir Joseph Ward. ■ a* J-'l LJ.-L.'" 'J lU—-JS*