Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 1925. REFORM'S PHENOMENAL SUCCESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 285, 5 November 1925, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 1925. REFORM'S PHENOMENAL SUCCESS.

\ jssTJiiiDAY s pollings gave the .Reform Party in New Zealand the greatest of its successes, and once again demonstrated the patriotism, loyalty and devotion of the great mass of our people to those ideals of constitutional government which make for obedience to the laws and the good of the community. Under its new leader, the Hon. J. Gordon Coates, the party candidates have simply romped home. Of their number not a single notable personage of those appealing for the support of the electors is found amongst the onsualties. All the Ministers who went to the poll were returned by triumphant majorities. The Prime Minister’s majority of 45U0 votes was only eclipsed in a bigger constituency—that of Parnell—by Mr J. S. Dickson, five Senior Government Whip, who polled the phenomenal vote of 8125—more than double the total polled by his Labour opponent, Mr 11. F. Way. The Minister of Education, the Hon. Sir James Parr, concerning whose chances of re-election misgivings were entertained in certain quarters, polled 2UOO votes more than the combined total of his two opponents. The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. 11. E. Pollard, obtained a majority of nearly 1700 over the total vote polled for his three opponents, the Nationalist candidate . only securing 808 votes against Mr Pollard’s 4284, while the Country Party candidate was dismissed with the contemptuous vote of 211 out of R 845 votes actually polled. The Hon. A. 1). McLeod secured a triumphant majority in the Wairarapa. The Ministers of Finance, Customs and Labour (the Hons. W. Nos'worthy, W. Downie Stewart and G. J. Anderson) each obtained such majorities as to indicate the confidence felt in them by the electors. The North Auckland constituencies each sent in the Government candidates by substantial majorities; 18 out of the 23 Auckland Provincial seats appear to have gone to the Government, the- remaining seats going to Labour. The Taranaki seats all went to Reform. Hawke’s Pay returned three Reformers and the foui’th seat hangs

in the balance, Mr Ransom, 1 lie Nationalist candidate and exmember bolding' the advantage; but, as there are absent voters to be still accounted for, the final result vill not be known for a day or two. In the Wellington province, Reform holds ten out of the fifteen seats, the Nationalists secured three and Labour two (Wellington Central and Wellington South). The Marlborough and West Coast provincial seats (five in number) are held by two Reformers, an Independent and two Labour men, although there is a chance that Mr Seddon may displace Mr O’Brien in Westland. Canterbury has returned six Reformers, two Nationalists, and (on the present count) four Labour members, although Mr McCombs’s return for Lyttelton will remain in doubt until the choice of the absent voters is made known. Nine out of the thirteen Otago and Southland seats are now held by Reformers, the most notable of the successes there being the Hon. E. P. Lee’s capture of tlje Oamaru seat with a thousand majority over his opponent, Mr Macplierson, and the election of the two Hamiltons (Adam for Wallace and ,T. R. for Awarua), while Major Waite captured the Clutha seat from Mr Edie with a majority of 1300 over the ex-member. The Invercargill seat is apparently held by Sir Joseph Ward, with 4032 votes against 4509 polled by Lieut.Colonel Ilargest and TlB by Mr P. H. Hickey, but, as there are 450 absent votes to come, the position may be changed. As matters stand at present there are 50 Government supporters in the new House of Representatives, 11 Labour members, 11 Nationalise and two Independents, Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Ransom being included with the Nationalists, an; Mr O’Brien with Labour, the fina result in each of these cases being doubtful.

THE LESSON OF THE ELECTIONS.

The outstanding feature of the campaign has been the ascendancy established by the Prime Minister over the popular imagination. The wave oi enthusiasm which took its rise in the South Island when Mr Coates opened his electioneering campaign at Oamaru, and spread with almost overwhelming force ' over the whole country—“the Coates wave,” as it has been termed —was the main factor in bringing about yesterday’s decisive victory for Reform. But it did more than arouse enthusiasm for Mr Coates himself. It materially helped the Reform candidates who had arrayed themselves beneath the Coates banner. In striking fashion it also settled the absurd pretensions of the Lib-eral-Labourites to call themselves “Nationalists,” and showed that the demand for fusion fostered by a section of the press was as unreal as the Lib-eral-Labour leader’s idea that, by calling his party a National Party, he could expect to gain the confidence of the people and the place he coveted as the head of the Government.

The country has shown its readiness to give the Reform Party a renewed lease of power under its virile and capable leader, who is proving such a worthy successor to Mr Massey. Put —and this should not be overlooked — yesterday’s elections in their result will come as a direct encouragement and incentive to the loyalist peoples of the Pritish Empire. A party which, for its o\> selfish ends, was prepared to sacrifice sound and stable government at an undoubted crisis in the history of the country in a desperate bid for office which they knew might result in the Labour Socialists making further advances, has been soundly beaten, losing more than half its members in the late Parliament. The good sense of the people has asserted itself, and the Labour Socialists have also been routed with the loss of at least six of the seats they formerly held. That may be accepted as New Zealand s answer to the Moscow conspiracy for the overthrow of Pritish trade and the Pritish Empire. It is the reply of her people to the impudent messages, sent by certain of the State Labour leaders in the Australian Commonwealth, and of the Federal Labour leader (Mr Charlton) urging upon their acceptance the Labour-Socialist programme. It comes as a stinging rebuke to the New South Wales and Queensland Premiers for their uncalled for interference in the politics of another country. Pest of all, it is an assurance to the loyalists of Australia that New Zealand is with them and its sympathies are theirs in their endeavour to establish the government of the Commonwealth on such a basis that the agitators, who have held up the trade and industries of the country so repeatedly, will be not merely held in check, but forced to abandon their obstructive and destructive tactics. It will give them greater confidence in their appeal to. the electors to stand by the principles of sound constitutional government, and will be accepted throughout the Empire as a further proof of the loyalty and good faith of our New Zealand people.

THE LOCAL SUCCESSES

It is very gratifying to note that, with the single exception of Wanganui, all the Coast seats at yesterday’s elections were won by the Reform Party. The member for Palmerston, who was returned for the fourth time in succession has the very handsome majority of 3009 over his Labour opponent, Mr W. Bromley, the vote he secured, 0170, being the biggest on record locally and exceeding his 1922 total by 1437 votes.' Mr Nash is to be warmly congratulated upon the result, which indicates that he unmistakeably holds the confidence of the electors. Mr Linklater also re-won his seat by an increased majority, and in Uroua Mr Gordon Eliott had quite a handsome win over Mr Cobbe, the Nationalist candidate, although his vote was smaller than that polled by the Hon. Mr Guthrie in 1922.' Mr Field, in Otaki, improved his position appreciablv, his vote increasing from 2810 in 1922 to 3779. In ltangitikei Mr Glenn also made good with a considerably increased majority. In the Wairarapa the Hon. A. D. McLeod and Mr G. R. Sykes also obtained a considerably increased vote; from all of which it may be gathered that Reform stock remains a giltedged security in the political world.