SIR JOSEPH WARD'S PLEDGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17336, 6 December 1919, Page 10

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S PLEDGE.

A further statement in regard to his attitude towards the extreme Labour Party has now been made by the Leader of the Opposition. According to the Press Association report of his speech at Temuka Sir Joseph Ward said " he would not remain in office if he had to depend on the support of extremists like Messrs Holland and Fraser." This belated declaration clears away the suspicions with which the position of the Opposition was previously clouded, for it is free of the protective qualifications which cumbered Sir Joseph Ward's previous statements on the subject. It may be noted, however, that the words quoted, if they are Sir Joseph Ward's, are not as appropriate to existing conditions as they might have been. He has undertaken "not to remain in office" under certain circumstances; it would have been more to the point had he declared that he would not " take. " office under these given circumstances. Possibly Sir Joseph is reserving to himself the satisfaction of turning Mr. Massey out if he can, even if the result of such action is to leave the government of the country "in the air." But whatever course may be in the mind of the Leader of the Opposition the ultimate result of his present decision must be the isolation of the extremist minority in the new Parliament. The electors would be well advised to think over the possibilities' of this situation. In the event of neither Mr. Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward securing an absolute majority of votes it will either force some fusion of the moderate elements to maintain a stable government, or, if the Liberal leader is still determined to preserve party distinctions, the dissolution of the House before it has an opportunity to begin the work awaiting it. This unsatisfactory and uncertain situation can be prevented if the electors re-establish the Government in office with a sufficient majority to enable it to defeat all possible hostile combinations. Undue confidence might weaken the Government's position, but there is no justification for anticipating such a revulsion of feeling that the Liberal Party would secure more than half the votes in the House. It is certain that the Government Party will predominate. The question for the electors to decide is whether it returns from the polls in sufficient strength to enable Ministers to get on at once with the country's business.