THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1919. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17347, 19 December 1919, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1919. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

The victory of the Government at the polls is as complete as its warmest supporters could desire. A vigilant and well-organised Opposi- * tion is an asset to any Parliament, and the wisest and sincerest of Administrations is all the better for the breath of competent criticism. Had Mr. Massey's majority been » much larger he would have suffered . from the absence of a cohesive Opposition. As it is, the balance of Government and anti-Government parties is such as to encourage the hope that the new Parliament will prove a business-like body, and that it will create an atmosphere favourable for the work of reconstruction, which Mr. Massey rightly puts for- • ward as the common task of all - members. I The Government's., success is in no sense a regional* one. Auckland Province is even more overwhelmingly Eeform than heretofore, Taranaki and Wellington stand almost unitedly behind the Massey Administration, and Otago and Southland give it generous support. . Only the northern half of the South Island remains determinedly "hostile .to the Government. Now, as ever, Canterbury is the stronghold of Liberalism, ; but in Christchurch the f Labour vote has trenched severely « upon the support accorded to the regular Opposition. Under such circumstances the future of the - Liberal Party is certain to give rise to much speculation. British Parliamentary institutions are, as a rule, not swell served by the : three.party, system, and while no one can l challenge the right of the Liberals to ■ maintain their; separate • identity if they so desire, many will doubt whether such a course will eventually ) prove to be desirable or even possible, .V? J . y The triumph of the Government is | in a special sense . an expression of } confidence in Mr. . Massey's leader- • ship. Not since Mr. Seddon swept l the country in 1905 has any Parliamentarian so completely won the } trust of his fellow citizens. The general propaganda of the Government I devolved largely upon Mr. Massey ; and his tour of the two islands was ■* by far the most decisive feature of I the campaign. Mr. Massey owes his '* platform success to no trick oratory, v . as he owes his popularity to no adventitious circumstances. The One rests upon the sincerity of his appeal, the other upon his sturdy independence of character and his un- • failing courage. The public likes a fighter, ' and Mr. Massey's history, personal and political, is the record of one long struggle. Electors have not forgotten how he rallied his party when it was almost broken by the defeat of 1905, and they have watched with admiration as he led it to a victory which compares in completeness with the reverse of 14 - years ago. It is but natural that they should entrust the difficult and i delicate task of reconstruction to a statesman so courageous and so capable as Mr. Massey has proved himB self to be. In doing this they haveg> not intended that the Prime Minister »- should carry all the burdens on his » own shoulders. They have increased his party majority and invigorated his following with an accession of young and vigorous members who may be relied upon to keep Reform true to the democratic impulses which gave it birth. Liberalism in New Zealand was never the prerogative of any one Parliamentary group. Liberal principles will doubtless in the future, as in the past, be enunciated from all parts of the House, but the verdict of the country should for ever silence the fiction, scarcely believed by those who put it forward, that Reform is illiberal in its outlook or reactionary in its purpose. There are some aspects of Wednesday's polling which on personal r<> grounds many will regret. Generally M speaking, however, the constituencies have shown a wise discretion, and if the new Parliament is a grati>r fication to those who desire stable government, it should also prove satisfactory to those who look beyond party to the qualifications of individuals. The House is poorer for the loss of members with administrative experience, such as Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Hine and others, D but it gains by the return of soldiers like Mr. Potter, Mr. Glenn, and Mr. Mitchell, and so rational and patriotic an exponent of Labour's aims as Mr. Kellett. It is also to s- be expected that further elements « of strength will be discovered in the 8 ' group of about twenty new men who come fresh from the polls. There | are at least two ' vacancies in the [J Cabinet, and Mr. Massey should see that they are filled not by calling to office the senior members of the party, but by selecting men who will be a source of strength to the Administration. The portfolios at his disposal include that of Public Works, and the Prime Minister will be well advised to accede to the I insistent demand that this should be held by a North Island member. The request is not a parochial one.

- It ; rests • upon the sure assumption that during:.-theCnext few years the principal activities of $he Department must Jbe in the North Island Parliament will • probably J assemble before the middle of next year, not to define the state of parties, because ' that is not in doubt, but to grapple with the j many 1 tasks' that have accumulated,;; during the war period. . There is, however, no need for the Government to 'Imark time till Parliament meets. In New Zealand reconstruction spells development, and that can be taken in hand immediately by placing the Public Works Department under a thoroughly capable Minister and encouraging the immigration of ablebodied men for road and railway work 8. i