N.Z ELECTIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 27, 31 December 1925, Page 4

N.Z ELECTIONS

SOCIALIST ROUT. LONDON COMMENT. LONDON, Nov. 6. Considerable prominence is given by tho leading papers to-day to the result of the general elections in the Dominion. The Morning Post, for instance, allows the event double-column space in width, and nearly a column in length, under tho star-heading “New Zealand’s Snub to Labour.”

The Daily Mail brackets together “Two Socialist Routs—Scotland and New Zealand.” “Tho Socialists have been routed in tho municipal elections in Scotland, and also in the general election in Now Zealand (says the latter journal). “The most remarkablo result is from Clydebank, one of tho main Socialist strongholds in Britain. Here in tho constituency for which Mr David Kirkwood sits in the House of Commons, ‘ the Socialists have been driven from their command of tho council. The Socialist defeat in New Zealand is attributed largely to tho Communist-led shipping strike, which, although at an end in that country now, is still paralysing Australian business and shipping.” Tho opinion is expressed that the Now Zealand results are certain to hearten Mr Bruce. “The victory of the Reform Government (writes an Australian correspondent of the Morning Post) is all tho more striking, as it has been continuously in power since before the war, and was therefore liablo to the vicissitudes which habitually overtake such prolonged tenures of office. By their vote the people of New Zealand have emphatically endorsed tho policy of scrupulous economy combined with liberal social legislation for which tho regime both of Mr Massey and of his successor has been conspicuous. “The Reform Government has won approval in other respects by its careful attention to the requirements of New Zealand’s foreign trade, by the measures which it has taken to assist her paramount agricultural industry, by its efficient administration of the public services, and by its zealous and exemplary promotion of tho Imperial connection. The Reform Party has gained mainly at the expense of the Nationalists, who until recently called themselves Liberals. Though they have occasionally proved themselves a thorn in the side of tho Government, they have distinguished themselves from it rather in emphasis than any specific differences of policy. Strong elforts have been made this year to arrange a fusion between tho two parties, but

these have fallen through for reasons which appear to bo mainly personal. Meanwhile tho Nationalists had allowed their electoral organisation to fall into disrepair, and their debacle was not unexpected.

INDIFFERENCE TO EMPIRE. “The Labour Party, while losing a few seats, have at length attained the position for which they have long sought, that of official Opposition. In a country so predominantly rural as Now Zealand, their chances of achieving any spectacular success have boon aiul remains small. They had nevertheless latterly - withdrawn somewhat from the region of mere academic Socialism into more practical spheres, and were certainly not expected to return with reduced representation. The causes must be sought first in their studied indifference to the Empire, and secondly in tho shipping strike, which, of course, hampered New Zealand’s essential foreign trade. Apart from that, New Zealanders had no desire to facilitate in their country the violent and dangerous scenes which have for months attended the strike in Australia.”

NEAV ZEALAND’S VOICE. £ 1 In a leading articlo the Morning ( Post comments; — . i

“A strong, stable Government, with < an assured majority for the support of , its politics, is always an asset, and that ( is what the electorate of New Zealand • has secured. Mr J. G. Coates, the Leader of the Reform Party, and the successor of Mr Massey, of honoured memory, has won a victory which suipasses even his own supporters expectations. For three years past the Government in AA’ellington has been depending on a precarious majority of three or four votes, made possible by the support of a few Liberals and Independents. Now Mr Coates finds himself with a handsome majority of thirty over all parties combined. “As in other countries, the Liberal Party seems to bo discredited. In the clash between the Socialists and nonSocialists, there is no room for it. It serves neither tho one tendency nor tho other; it only gets m the way. lhe negotiations for amalgamation with the Reform Party, which were begun after Mr Massey’s death, were a confession that there was no reason lor the separate existence of a third party, but those negotiations failed, and the result now is that the Nationalists lose half their representation. Labour, which is at least positive, lias lost much less heavily, but it retains only thirteen seats, and in a 1 arliamentaiy sense ceases to bo formidable. lhe shipping strike inevitably introduced itself as an issue, and the people of New Zealand have shown wliat they think of Labour’s pretensions in that business. The result of. the election is a moat personal triumph tor Mr Coates—a young man, as politicians go, and one with his career beforelnm. He has a great opportunity to servo his native land, and to become an influence as dominant in Ins generation as Richard Seddon and Mr Massey were in theirs.” PERSONALLY POPULAR.

The day prior to the polling, the Times devoted a leader to an analysis of the state of the parties. “ft was asking a great deal of a voung man to don the mantle of Air Massey (says tho writer); the old leader had been at tho head of afians for so many years that the people had begun to regard him affectionately almost as a benevolent dictator. But Mr Coates has done well. He began his difficult task in April with the advantage of marked personal popularity throughout both Islands of the Dominion, for the people of a country with «o line a war record were not likely to forget his service with their Expedi- , tionary Forces. Like Mr Bruce Mr Coates fought in the trenches as an infantry officer, and won the Military . Cross while in command of his company. He thus returned to his farm in the Dominion with the right to speak , for the soldier settler instead of at . him. TACT AND COURAGE.

“Since taking over the command of his party ho has shown that ho has tact as well as courage. Most important of all, in a community which both by [ race and sentiment is the most British ■ in the Empire, lie lias carried on the s Massey tradition, and his election have made the conduct of Imrelations one of the first subjects

for the consideration of voters. On the question of Empire defence, lor instance, he made it clear in a speech at Wellington that his Government was ready, if necessary, to make a larger contribution towards tlie burden of keeping the Pacific Ocean safe. But he added the eminently sensible statement that, in his opinion, ‘the greatest service that New Zealand can render to the Empire at the moment- lies in the taking of Great Britain’s surplus population.’ In the disheartening story of Empire settlement during tho last twelve months New Zealand, with a population less than half that of Yorkshire, is the only Dominion to show an increase in the total of British immigrants, and, whatever the result of the elections may be, tho people of this country will think gratefully of the courageous policy which Mr Caotes and his Government have carried into effect. “Naturally Labour supporters were elated at the prospect of a little useful vote-spitting at the elections, particularly as the strong rural element in the Dominion House makes tlieir hopes of an absolute majority somewhat remote. It is true that at tho last election the party increased its representation from nine to seventeen. That, however, is not a formidable force in a House of eighty, and the New Zealand farmer seems to have little time for the sort of Labour doctrines which have had so disastrous effect upon the pastoral industries of Australia across the water. Sooner or later tho true line of demarcation must be drawn between those who hold those doctrines and those who are against them, and it would be no surprise if the present election hastened tho day.” THE LARGER AMSION.

Tho National Review for November publishes some comments written in advance of the elections in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The writer believes that the supreme issue for Britons at Home and abroad is the maintenance, consolidation and development of our Imperial inheritance. “Therefore, when we find Dominion parties divided on this issue, wo are bound to wish God-speed to whichever side is able to look beyond its parish pump and to realise that outside and above Dominion party politics is the crucial question of cultivating the political and economic unity of the King’s Dominion on which the security and prosperity of Mother Country and daughter nations equally depend. Thus when we note the lukewarmness of the present Canadian Prime Minister—Mr Mackenzie King —whose attitude at the last Imperial Conference was detached to the point of indifference —and the reciprocity inclinations of many Canadian Liberals, we cannot help hoping that those prophets may be justified who predict a Conservative success at the Canadian polls, though in the present peculiar state of Canadian parties, prophecy is more than usually dangerous. Little lias appeared in the London Press about the New Zealand general election. The British people are as isolated nowadays from New Zealand as regards news as they are intimate in sentiment with New Zealanders. Mr Massey’s successor in tho leadership of the Reform Party—Mr Gordon Coates

—is giving a first taste of his quality, and it is expected to strengthen the Parliamentary position of Ins Government against the Socialists who in New Zealand, it should in fairness be remembered, are less ‘anti’ everything, including the British Empire, than Socialists elsewhere.”

SOCIALISTS IN CLYDEBANK. The most notable result in the municipal elections in Scotland has been the complete rout of the Socialists :n Clydebank. This town has become notorious for its resistance to the Rent Acts, a movement which owed much to the sympathy of tho local authority, which hitherto was the only town council in Scotland with a Socialist majority. Seven Socialists stood for the six seats, and every one was defeated, four Socialist seats being captured by tho Moderates. The Socialists have now only five members in a council of fifteen, where before they had nine to the Moderates’ six. On all the municipal councils in Scotland the Social-

ists are in minorities, representing generally less than a third of the full membership. In Edinburgh they have only six members out of seventy-one. The Communists fought in four towns, Dundee, Greenock, Kilmarnock and Johnstone, and in every instance they were severely beaten.