POSTPONEMENT OF THE ELECTIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 16 October 1941, Page 4

POSTPONEMENT OF THE ELECTIONS

A general sigh of relief will go up throughout the country at the an-' nouncement that there is to be no 1 General Election. Democracy could ill afford an exhibition of domestic; cleavage when we are surrounded with threats to our existence from the outside. One of the most agreeable j features was the way the Parliamentary leaders rose to the occasion ; in their speeches yesterday, placing! the issue on the high plane which its j paramount importance deserves. Both Mr Fraser and Mr Holland, as well j as the other speakers, saw ahead only i the great task of winning the war and in this their opinions are a true reflection of the wishes of the people; who have made it plain for months | past that they do not want an elec- | tion. It is very doubtful whether one will not be just as much out of' place in a year’s lime as it is now.! i That is why most of the people ! would have preferred the formation i of an all-party National Government' j and the suspension of the elections j | for the duration of the war. i As.it is there has been no sacrifice j j bv Labour of its party political or- : ganisation. Mr Fraser’s claim thatj | a National Government might well! have brought greater disunity can; icier only to the difficulty of making! adjustments within his own party. So far as the people are concerned ! there are no barriers to coalition but only advantages, the greatest of* which would be the example to the j nation of unity at the top. Whether | ; Mr Fraser was in favour of a National I j Government or not the fact remains that he has been unable to move his j followers. His diagnosis of the ! people’s mind about the necessity for I avoiding political strife is correct, but jhe is wrong in believing that New j Zealanders were not waiting for j unity to be achieved by the formation ! of an all-Party Government. ! Much now depends on the leader--1 ship of the Prime Minister. Little | can be gained from enlarging the | War Cabinet. No one will think for ; a moment that the right of the people ! to elect their Government has been i denied to them. Mr Fraser has given no undertaking that the scope of the j present Government’s activities will I be narrowed in any way, but he has j said that he will take all sections of j the House into his confidence. Mr Holland asked for an assurance that ino “contentious” legislation would be introduced, but this undertaking ; was not given and would have meant little if it had been for “contentious” is a highly elastic term. But the : Government must always remember that the people were against an elec- ! tion because of the war. They agree : with Mr Fraser in extending the life ! of Parliament so that the war may be fought more efficiently. They do i not agree to a prolongation in order that the Government may go forward with domestic legislation harmful to I the conduct of the war and productive ! of dissatisfaction among the people. In avoiding this the guiding and restraining hand of Mr Fraser will need to be fully exercised. By | choosing the course of action lie has j also assumed responsibility for holding the balance between contending factions and for cajusing as little i friction as possible by doing the right thing. The success of the arrange- ; ment now made depends on how it is i interpreted in practice. Before coming to his decision the Prime Minister has tried to plumb the public mind and discover what they think about it. Should he be pushed on 1 from behind by radicals in his own ranks to do things which his caution tells him are out of joint with the j times then he will do well to look i! again beyond the opinions of those • closest to him and ask himself what 1 i the people think about it. i; ~ Shipment of Island Tomatoes. 1 The distribution of a shipment of ; Island tomatoes at the Auckland Mari kets on Tuesday caused a substantial drop in prices for local hothouse varieties (states the “Herald”). Two ’ j weeks ago quotations for New Zealand ■ : hothouse tomatoes ranged from 2s 6d to 13s 3ld per lb., compared with Is 6d to .! 2s 3d on Tuesday. Cases of Island " j tomatoes sold on Tuesday from 12s to ■ 30s. Retail prices for locally-grown i■ hothouse varieties were as high as 3s ) '2d per lb., while tomatoes from the I Islands were being offered at Is 6d per 1 i Allred Gould advertises an auction s si'e ol furniture and effects at the j Rooms at 2 p.m. to-morrow.* 3 - Seasonable Undies! Ribbed Cotton j Vests, no sleeves, from 3 11; Silk Cotton 3 i irom 4/3: "VedoniV" from 6/11. At Mc- ?| Kay’s.* ? i "Konerav!' Ae Tailored Skirt with f | lull gra I urings in Plain and Checked Wool- • Mens S.S.W. to Women's, 42/- to 47/6. i I McKay's.*