THE FUSION PROPOSAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20875, 18 May 1931, Page 13

THE FUSION PROPOSAL.

Sir, —It is interesting to notice that the party which is most angry over the Reform Party's rejection of fusion is the United l'arty. This is not difficult to understand. 1 saw one of the petitions in favour of fusion which was circulated; 1 did not sign it hut noticed on it the name of the president of the United Party of that province, and the names of a number of prominent United supporters, but the names of prominent Reformers were conspicuous by their absence. Certain commercial interests, with the Lmplovcrs' Federation acting in conjunction wiih the United Party, determined to create a strong public opinion and force the Reform l'arty to agree to fusion. The United members made the most of the position and when iMr. Forbes made his statement it was heralded as a wonderfully generous offer. Now, what did this cunning plan amount to? Mr. Forbes' offer was not to the Reform Party, but to all, which meant —and this was the trap —that the United Party, with the Independents, gave Mr. Forbes a majority and then, instead of being in his present desperate, and what lie terms impossible, position, he would have still been Prime Minister, with tho right to select his Cabinet, and the Reform Party would have sacrificed itself and another split would have been inevitable. If Mr. Forbes had been putting New Zealand first he would have asked Mr. Coates to meet him and see if an agreement could be reached on questions of policy—for without an agreement on policy fusion was impossible. If such an agreement hail been reached then the obvious course was for tho two parties to meet and elect a leader. This course did not suit Mr. Forbes or the United Party because tho Reform Party, being tho strongest party in tho House, would have elected Mr. Coates as Prime Minister. Mr. Forbes, instead of acting in this way, chose tho more dramatic but less businesslike course of a big press advertising campaign. The public sensed the hollowness of tho proposal and fusion was killed stone dead as far as the public was concerned. Tho fusion proposal was, in reality, an attempt to get the Reform Party to take over the bankrupt stock of the United Party—pay 20s in the pound for their debts (thero were very few assets) and then allow, their principal to becomo managing-director of tho new firm. " Let us have a clean slate," says Mr. Forbes. Snowden, Scullin and Lang say the same thing, but the slato cannot be cleaned in this way. Every promise that Mr. Forbes' party made last election has been broken; for two years they allied themselves with Labour, paying Labour their price, and now, " having spent all that ho had," like the prodigal son (and all that he could borrow from his uncle), ho now says—but still unrepentant —I will arise and go unto (he Reform Party and see if I can take them in—hence the fusion proposals. Tho United Party, with Labour purring contentedly on tho hearthrug, have scattered many millions without obtaining value. Unemployment has become a nightmare. Interest had been boosted up. The United Party went merrily forward until tho bottom of the Treasury was reached and it. was only stern necessity that forced Mr. Forbes to abanJon his prodigal expenditure and economise. Tho Reform Party could not agree to join such a party; if the leaders had done so they would have been repudiated by tho bulk of their supporters in the country and a group of Independents would have been in tho field next election. Mr. Forbes says now that he regrets that, his unconditional offer was not accepted. Ife makes no mention whatever of Mr. Coates' alternative offer to him. nor does ho reply to any of his arguments. Ho says; " I shall stand or fall by my policy." Of courso, there is nothing else left for him to do, and the statement ho has made seems clearly to indicate that lu> is going to play for a. general election at the earliest possible moment and try to put the blame on to the Reform Party. Mr. Coates has played tho game from the day of his defeat in tho House and has placed the Dominion in tho forefront all tho time and the electors will not be hoodwinked a second time by 70 millions —hence the con-fusion in the dis-United Party. Onlooker.