THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1923. OAMARU AND THE FUTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18388, 2 May 1923, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1923. OAMARU AND THE FUTURE.

The voters at Oamaru have -placed beyond doubt the issue which: has been in a. state -of uncertainty since the general; election. ; The majority by which Mr. Macpherson has been '■ placed at the top of the poll is large enough to stand the possible adjustments after official recounts and the addition of absentee votes. ; This is not '-a'; sensational occurrence. "■■''■ It very seldom happens in New Zea- . land that a- petitioner who; is sue- ;' cessful in unseating his opponent is equally successful in a second contest. ■:■. It y is one thing to explain to an electorate that ■: the law provides for petitions, and that for - advantage .to be .taken ■ of it 'on behalf of a candidate is eimply the exercise of an undoubted right. Explanations never seem to deprive, the unseated- member of the advantage of having.' been declared the winner in the first instance, or of the sympathy invariably forthcoming when the verdict' is reversed. ■ So long as there is no question of definite corruption, the; loser by the petition is, in the end, always helped; by the deepseated feeling, which cannot be removed, that his return ought not to ; have been<questioned..;;: No doubt this sentiment had ' considerable weight in Oamaru. j; Whatever the motives of the electors, whatever the reasons for the result, the:parties in ; Parliament are now : in exactly the same position as during the short session. The same majority Vof three is there for the Government on critical divisions, assured it by the election pledges of .the ..men concerned, : confirmed by ..■"(; their action when the division bells rang. When, therefore, Parliament meets again at the usual time, Mr. Massey and his followers will have to make the best of it. . They will have.to walk warily and watch: constantly, in the absence of any developments at present unforeseen. ;; They still remain, as before, '% the : only party with any prospect of carrying on the Government.

With this contest ended, finality has been reached over the last of the disputed seats. The high fever of uncertainty which followed. the election has been stilled. The Government should, therefore, be able to turn to the tasks awaiting its attention. Mr. Massey and his ] colleagues must now face the future. J Some reallotment of portfolios must \ take place. There are two vacancies I in the Cabinet compared with that of I the last Parliament. The passing i of Sir William Hemes did not dej prive any department of its Minis- ; terial head, for he held a seat on ! the Executive without portfolio. i The defeat of Mr. Lee has made the i appointment of another active Minis- | ter necessary. It is not conceivable ! that those who have temporarily ; shared his duties should be con- ' firmed in the different offices. Such i a course would not be favourable to [the conduct of business, tolerable to the country, nor advantageous to 1 the fortunes of the Government. ! The time is opportune for strength- | ening the Cabinet by the., appointment of men who have shown the necessary qualities. The party contains material, not only to fill I the gaps in the Ministry, but to make a stronger Cabinet than the one which has recently held office. . Judicious selection can effect this. The Dominion has to be represented at the Economic Conference this year. A Minister should be sent. Though there has been talk, recently, ox Mr. Massey himself under.

taking.: the journey, that possibility will doubtless, be greatly modified by the result of the Oamaru contest. There is still broken r. water ahead, and the captain would not be well advised to leave the bridge. What is needed is , a reinforcing of the Cabinet so that a suitable Minister may go-—and none is more suitable than Mr. Downie Stewart —and ; a strong workmanlike combination be left to carry on- in his absence. This is essential, for though ■ obscured, first by bad' times, then ;by political uncertainty, l great problems still await solution. The; Government must examine them, with a view to immediate action. The present year should witness a; decided move to meet the most pressing need of the Dominion, better communications;. The legislative machinery has been provided for a national system of road, construction; permitting the elimination of the old patchwork policy and the formulation of; ; a unified, concentrated, and closely ; organised scheme of work. The year is passing, and no announcement has yet been made of )'._ action:; taken under the new law. V The .•. need for more vigorous work in the ..: fruitful field of ■> immigration ;,' has . been pressed upon : the Government time ; : and again. The representations cannot be indefinitely ignored. Land settlement is another activity dove-tailed with the two already cited. It must receive ■ further attention to keep pace with/; and to justify, further action upon them. : Good progress has been made with:? railway construction :of late, the: increased energy, improved organisation, and more scientific ; equipment having shown excellent results. , One consequence is '•; that, before very long, there, will need to be a resurveyof the whole field,; to choose new objectives. ,; ..Various smaller matters await attention, ; some bearing upon the working of < great State departments. i It 'is . not to be inferred that all these things 'have been allowed to go by default solely bej cause of the uncertain political situation. Now that the uncertainty has been, '- as ■■■': far ; as ,possible, cleared away, however, the time has come, with a' better financial dutlook, for renewed effort, ; for ■a ■ general forward ••;■ move. : ; By• the / manner in which the Government grasps - the opportunity and ■'■ faces 'Vthe; future, it will be judged in the future. ; Its cue is Ito strengthen :" itself administrativelyin) t every way possible, and to show the country,' supporters and opponents alike; that ''■; it is capable of 4 dealing with the problems which face it, Oamaru is now thing of I the past. These are the duties and opportunities of the future.