SOUTH AFRICAN PARTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18381, 23 April 1923, Page 8

SOUTH AFRICAN PARTIES.

PEE - ELECTION PACT.

NATIONALIST COMPROMISE.

CO-OPERATION WITH LABOUR

REPUBLICANISM SHELVED.

By Telegraph— Association— (Received 8.30 p.m.) Bettor, . CAPETOWN, April 20. With a view to meeting hostile propaganda Colonel Creswell, Leader of the South African Labour Party, has drawn up, and General Hertzog, Leader of the National Party, approved a statement defining their mutual relations as leaders of the National and Labour Parties constituting the Opposition. Summing up the substance of their discussions on the political situation, the statement says that the common opposition of their two parties to the present Government and its supporters is largely due to the necessity of combating the Government's trend of policy which has been growing continuously more pronounced in recent years, namely, that the Government acts as though dominated by die conviction that the country's interests will bo best served by taking the "big finance** view of internal and economio problems. The most obvious difficulty in the. way. of co-operation in opposing the Government's candidates at elections is the belief with which numbers of the English-speaking section are inoculated that if the Nationalists were returned to power they would immediately try to cut the painter and establish a republic A lesser, difficulty arises from the fears of country dwellers regarding the Labour platform. Colonel -Creswell Bays that he is un- ' alterably opposed to cutting the painter. H« pointed out to General Hertzog that the majority of English-speaking South •Africans are most sensitive on this subject, whereupon General Hertzog gave an explicit undertaking to the electors at the next general election that in the Parliament then to be elected, should a Nationalist Government come into power,; no Nationalist member of Parlia-ment-would use his vote to upset the existing constitutional relations of South Africa 'and ""the British Crown. ' "We agreed that in these circumstances," continues the statement, "we could quite properly recommend to our respective parties election co-operation .with a view to avoiding three-cornered contests." 'Recognising the difference between the two parties, not only of political ' outlook but probably of racial and other prejudices, General Hertzog and Colonel Creswell agreed that in the event of . any election co-operation an elected candidate would owe allegiance entirely to his own party, votes being given to him by supporters of the. other party'on this clear understanding. °*. . . ~s