THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1928. A NEW POLITICAL SITUATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20104, 15 November 1928, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1928. A NEW POLITICAL SITUATION.

Tnk verdict of the country, as expressed at the poll, has gone against the Government. It has suffered a very definite reverse, and must bow to the facts as they now present themselves. As a minority of the House, facing an opposing force which, although divided, overwhelmingly outnumbers it, the Reform Party must give place to some other on the Treasury benches. Amid tho cross-currents of political thought and feeling moving through out the Dominion, it may be said, the causes of this defeat are manifold. Whatovcr they have been, one fact emerges, however, with sufli cient clearness. It is that the country has said with some emphasis that it desires a change of Government, and that fact has to be given full weight in a survey of the situa tion. The change desired is obviously not one of an extreme character, for Labour, while it registers some gains, has also some signal losses to record ; but upon this aspect of the result of the elections there is no call to dwell in view of the major fact of the crippling losses sustained by tho party in power. Notable among these losses are the personal and party defeats suffered by some members of the Cabinet, and in tho hour of their overthrow, while there may be a temptation to exult on tho part of tho Government's opponents, it is well that ready acknowledgment should be made of their service as propour.ders of policy and as departmental heads. Admission will bo readily made on all hands that they have occupied office during an extremely difficult period in the Dominion's history, and criticism will bo tempered with gratitude. The country, as well as the Ministry, is called upon by events to face a new position. The position, then, is that the Government has lost the mandate it held in the last Parliament with such overwhelming strength. Attention must be given at once to what will follow this turnover. At the moment of writing the exact situation is not perfectly clear, but the possible outcome is reasonably dis-. cernible. It secrus probable that Mr. Coates will command the strongest party, the margin being a small one. That brings circumstances sufficiently close to those which followed the election of 1911 to suggest tho course that should be followed. On that occasion Sir Joseph Ward summoned Parliament and awaited the result of a vote of the House. It took some time for the position to clarify, but after two attempts all doubts were settled where they should bo, in Parliament itself. Independent members then held the key of the position. Now there are three clearly-defined parties, with several members not pledged to any of them, as well as a certain number who have given qualified undertakings about what they will do on a no-confidence motion. The best way out of it all is for Parliament to be summoned at the earliest possible momentthere should even be time between the return of the writs and Christmas—and for the issue to be settled as it was before, on the floor of the House. As to what will happen when the rival parties face one an other in the Chamber, it is too early to speculate. The main point is that the government of the country must be carried on, and if there are to be compromises to that end, or if a dissolution may be necessary, the country should.see all business leading to either eventuality settled in Parliament.

Turning from the general to the local result of the election, it may be said the Auckland metropolitan area revealed the features shown nationally in a concentrated form. The desire of the people for a change wan clearly expressed. §o also was it shown that Auckland was not prepared to give the Labour Party the mandate it had asked. The turnover of votes was away from Labour as well as away from l lie Reform Party, a notable result to come from that part of the country where the greatest, urban population is concentrated. fhe moral of that should be drawn by Mr. Holland and liih followers. The loss of two such scats as Auckland East and Grey Lynn, where the members wore generally considered to be firmly established, is a blow of great magnitude It shows that in Auckland at all events, however strong a desire there may be for a change, it does not lead to endorsement of the extremes the Labour Party represents. For the rest, it can be said generally that Ununited Party was well served by the personality of the members it offered. Leaving all party feeling out, .it is a fact that where the representation has changed there has been a gain in the calibre of the men to go from Auckland to Parliament. Had Sir James fJunson succeeded in Auckland .Suburbs, this would have been even, more marked, for without any disparage uient, of Mr. Mason personally, Sir James is' a man who should have found a place in Auckland's team. It would have been stronger with him iri it than it is now. When so much can be said about what has happened in Auckland, the result of the election is not all Ins*.