THE PAHIATUA BY-ELECTION.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13651, 19 August 1916, Page 4

THE PAHIATUA BY-ELECTION.

Tlie result of the polling in the by-elec-tion at l J ahiatua-for the soaf rendered vacant by the death of Mr,]. Jl.E.seott —resulted, an everybody had hoped, in a victory for the Government candidate. Although ili- Smith carried, tile endorsement of the National Government, and .Mr Ross contested the seat in defiance of the edict of the Liberal leader, the Government nominee carried thepoll'tvith a majority of less than uh« hundred votes. The voting was small, and the contest, except for the presence of a heavy battery of Labourites, aroused little interest. There are, however, several lessons to'be drawn from the result of the poll. It is rather significant that the successful candidate, why professes- Reform principles, and who contested a seat held by the Reform party since the late .Mr Escott defeated .Mr.Hums at the second ballot in 1911, by »SS2 votes to 2;iU!)," as well as having the backing of the National Government, should have scored only lij2l votes against the combined vote of 1071) of his opponents, We realise, of course, that the people have no mind for politics just now, and that the progress of the war overshadows all other interests. The fact remains, however, that the National Government should view the polling with deep consideration and take from the result, the lessons that the electors sought to convey. It is not our intention to indulge in a criticism o'f the work of the National. Government. SuH'ii-c it to say that there is a very large section of public opinion that is

wholeheartedly disappointed with the work of the political amalgamation that now holds the Treasury benches under the■ liaiiiG of a National Government. Mr Boss, who stood as an liulepcmlent, was not avowedly hostile to the National Government, but he was not accepted by the leaders as the accredited candidate and resented the dictates of the Liberal Party. The most salutary lesson is for the Webb, MeCoombs, anti-war, socialist, anti-mili-tarist party.' We have always held that the irresponsible members of the Parliamentary Labour Party do not represent sane Labour. The figures of the Pahiatua by-election, eloquent in many respects, need no comment in respect to the smashing defeat of the representative of the anti-compulsion, anti-everything party. Mr . Macfarlane's candidature, endorsed and supported by the Red Fed coterie was a direct, deliberate and impudent challenge to constitutional government, and the electors of Pahiatua have given their verdict in a most conclusive fashion.. The apparent lack of interest ■in the by-election for Pahiatua supplies ample proof of the folly of those who claim that the country should proceed with the general election at the appointed time next year, regardless •. of the war. and unmindful of the fact that tens of thousands "of our young nianhood arc away in foreign lands fighting the Empire's.cause in the greatest war in the history of the world.