Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1940 WAIPAWA’S VERDICT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 300, 18 November 1940, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1940 WAIPAWA’S VERDICT.

A hakd blow to its belief that the people generally support the Government’s policy, particularly in regard to its war effort, which of course has an, important and wide bearing upon domestic matters, has been given by the electors of Waipawa. Rashly refusing to accept the British policy of leaving the representation of a seat unchanged, should a byelection be necessary, the Governmen threw itself heart and soul into the Waipawa contest, both the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Defence reinforcing the Labour candidate in this great effort. On the other hand, while the Nationalist received help from his party, it was not comparable with that of the other side. The Government efforts were in vain, and the prospects it hopefully held were quickly shattered when the early results came to hand. From a majority of 470 gained by Mr Jull in 1938, Mr Darker went to 165 G (without taking count of absent votes) in a poll which was a substantial one for a by-elec-tion. Mr Harker actually received 440 votes less than Mr Jull had in 1938, but his Labour opponent retreated from 4624 to 2974. Nothing could have been more decisive and the vote is one of stern no-confidence in the Government:

Tlie change since 1938 is so marked as to cause the Government not a little discomfiture. It arises from factors the Government itself is wholly responsible for. It has used the war to advance its Socialistic policies——the Small Farms-Amendment Bill is evidence on this point. It has deprived the dairy farmers of rights under the legislation governing their industry. While taxation has been increased to an alarming extent, there has been no sensible policy of reducing public expenditure, and new and costly buildings and construction works are to be seen in all the main cities. Class legislation was never so rampant as it is to-day. Moreover, the Government obtruded party politics into the byelection during a time when the Empire is fighting desperately for its existence. Waipawa has voiced public sentiment which has been strengthened these past months. What New Zealand looks for • is a whole-hearted war effort, not one in which favours will be conferred on one section of the community at the expense of the other, with influences at work outside to which the Government must bend. It is a matter of supreme importance that the public are awakening to _ the consequences of this Socialistic policy to which the Opposition has been directing its attention at every opportunity. Unity of effort" as Mr Hamilton well says, is in the public mind to-day, and anything which tends to disturb it is to be deplored.