POLITICAL BICKERINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16213, 26 April 1916, Page 6

POLITICAL BICKERINGS.

ENCOURAGING TO ENEMY. NECESSITY FOR UNITY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION'.] Wellingto-V, Tuesday. " There are two classes in the community I object to at the present time," said the Prime Minister, speaking at the Commercial Travellers' Club to-day. " They are 'croakers' and 'shirkers.' I believe ' croaker.?' are the more objectionable. There would be no ' shirkers' if there were no ' croakers,' because ' croakers ' find excuses for the 'shirkers.' If there is one thing more than another that seems to me to have encouraged the enemy recently, it is the very serious bickering— to use too strong a —among men very near to the head of affairs in the Old Country. I' am quite certain that sort of thing has encouraged the enemy as much as, or even more than, victory in the field would have done- New Zealand has shown the Empire a good example in this matter. We have dropped all our party politics and party differences for the time being. Two years ago Sir Joseph Ward and myself were pitching into one another like anything. (Laughter.) We do not pitch into one another now. We have joined forces for the prosecution of our share of the war. and I think it quite likely that in a small way the enemy has been made aware of our effort. We propose to go on in the tame way until the war is ended. The proper thing to do in every corner of the Empire at present is to close up our ranks and present a united front to the enemy. When the war is over we can come back to our little differences regarding policies and principles, and settle them in our own fashion."