Truth ELECTION REFLECTIONS

NZ Truth, Issue 889, 9 December 1922, Page 4

Truth

ELECTION REFLECTIONS

HEW ZEALAND HEAD OFFICE:

Branch offices—Auckland: 3 cuetoma-street .East CHRISfCHURCH: 102 Glaucester-stißet. DUNEDIN: 111 Stuart-street. AUSTRALIA—SYDNEY: 112 King-Btreet. ; l ;\ NEWCASTLE: Scott-street MELBOURNE: 244-6 HtU c Lonßdale-street BRISBANE: 215-217 Adelaide-street PERTH: 39-41 King-street „....„. ADELAIDE: King William-street TASMANIA: Hobart. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9. 1»22.

FEATURES OF THE FIQHT REVIEWED.

"Truth's" great national circulation makes it Imperative for some of our pages to go to press early. Hence, although the results of the country's General Election will be^ known to mo3t of our readers ere this article is read, it is Impossible for us' to comment at this stage upon the state of Parties .as disclosed by the contents of the ballot boxes. Comments upon some of the outstanding features of the campaign, however, are timely. One's memory has to turn back many years *to recall an Election m which the Party "leaders have shown such remarkabllj activity, so much keenness to retain -or regain office, as has been displayed by the heads of the Reform and Liberal-Labor Parties. Even Mr. Holland, Chairman of the Parliamentary Official Labor Party, mounted^ the platform to woo the electors m several of: the chief centres of population before he concentrated his efforts on his own- electorate. Unlike Massey and Wilford, Holland spent most of his time m securing the safety" of his own seat of which thers sterns little doubt. '"::.■■ :: :: We hope that neither the Reform nor the Liberal-Labor leaders will prove to have been unduly confident regarding their seats. Wilford has set the pace and has undoubtedly had a great hearing all over the Domlniojn— so great, Indeed, that the Prime Minister has endeavoured to see to it that "everywhere Thomas went, William was sure to go." : : : : : : Official Labor has mouthed a lot of arrant nonsense about an election alliance of the Reform and LiberalLabor Parties. In no case were such more pronounced than m the electorate of the leader of the Liberal -Labor Party, where the O.L. candidate sought to make the most of them.

For a long time it looked. as though Wilford would have a straight run against the Officlal^Labor candidate, J3ut Reform, while doing its utmost to discredit the Liberal-Labor leader and endeavouring to ridicule him and hold him up a$ a political nonenlty, yet tried its utmost to send him into political obliviojn as, with the aid of its sectarian ally, it did with his erstwhile: leader three years ago.

At a late hour Reform brought m a rank outsider to make the contest a three-cornered one. "Wilford must bo killed at all costs." was the slogan of Reform. Despite oil its professions to tho contrary, Reform, as on a ; previous historic occasion m Ot&kl, was prepared to sacrifice Llb.-Lablsm for Red Labor m its own selfish interests. Wo can but hope that its dastardly attack on the boat Interests of the country will prove to have been confounded.

It has been said that tho popularity of the Reform Government produced for that class pnrty a plethora of candidates, which m some electorates would prejudice the chances of the Party's "Official" candidates. It Is Quito clear that m most cases where this vote-splitting was rendered possible the Reform lenders had but themselves to blame. Candidates to whom they were morally bound wore rudely jettisoned f where such treatment was thought desirable. In the hope thut the recalcitrants would come into heol at the crack of th*» party whip or tho sound of the Master's voice. But In some places tho party whip cracked m vain and the Master's voice appealed without the deHlred effect. Bluster does not always, succeed.

Another feature of the campaign — a disquieting one, too — was the dishonesty, or lack of frankness on tho part of Official Labor. From lionUUo roarings it suddenly changed, ao the. Election drow near, to lamb-like bleating. HaH the change had the effect desired by tho chnmoloon-lion-lambs? The election figures must supply the answer. Coming ns It did m the midst of our own election campaigning the losult of the British General Election emphasised thfl effeteness of the Oil Counlry'll electoral system, which Is BlmJlar to our own. The return of tho Donar Liw •Conservatives jlo power wan hailed by the Conservative Presa of Xew Zealand as '7»n emphatic verdict of tho electors In their favor." It In an extraordinary "popular" verdlc: which Is based upon 5.3'j0.000 votes while 5.53G.000 are cast In opposition. Ronar Law hokl» ofTloe a« the Massey Party hns done In New Zealand — on a minority vote. Such urißtuinfactory. undemocratic results following on tho retention of tho r.ntlqufUed

WELLINGTON. LUKE'S LANE

"flrat past the- post" system should hasten the coming of electoral roform. s» . .'■ \-n •■••■■• ji Whether that reform should take, the form of Proportional Representation is still an' .open Question even among leaders of Radical thought" m England. The Massey Party has fi6t only made no secret of .having dropped its one-time advocaoy of P.R., but- has gone further and opposed electoral reform of any kind. When. the Liberal-, Labor Party voted m favor of preferential voting last session — holding that even this measure of reform was better than "none — the Massey Party, was found, linking forces With Official/ Labor to oppose the Bill. Official Labor will have nothing but P..R. Allogod Reform will haye no electoral reform at all. „: . , . t I :: j: :: A great deal of Ignorartce exists on the subject of Proportional Representation—ignorance that extends to our legislative halls. Some of the leaders of Official Labor have done more than anyone else to enlighten the people regarding the working of the system, but it is to be doubted if they succeeded m creating any widespread intelligent Interest. Most people appeared to regard it as outside the realm of practical politics for the time being. It may, however, compel more attention m the life of the new Parliament. :: :: ..■*'■ With the conduct of pur prescient Reform Press during the election we have already dealt .editorially. Only one more point calls for comment. The old 'childish charge has been brought against Liberal -Labor candidates that they >■ have all* delivered 'machine-made speeches prepared for them m Wellington. Is it an unheard of thing for the leader^ of a Party to supply their supporters Svlth copies of their platform, accompanied by data explaining the reasons : for its adoption? So long as the' Party system, endures so long will among whom there must be a proportion of comparatively -novitiate politicians — be supplied with ft .certain amount of political material, Even so, we know of many Liberal-Labor candidates who have Imade a close study of the political and economic situation past and present and who have shown much more, originality m their electioneering efforts than their opponents have.

After all, isn't this trumpery charge a case of one kitchen utensil culling ! tho other black? What has 'the Reform Party done to provide political pabulum for its apostles? It is not breaking any confidences to supply the answer. It is an open secret that carefully-compiled material has been printed m substantial booklet form and supplied to all Reform candidates and prominent supporters. It would be difficult for a candidate to be given a question ho could not answer if he had carefully digested the material placed at his disposal. : : . : : : : Wo are not necessarily condemning the Reform Party for these tactics The "Reformers," fortunately for themselves, ore more substantially endowed with •this world's goods than \he other parties and, healthy campaign funds enable them to Indulge m machine-made goods m more elaborate fashion, But we must remind the Party's Press supporters of tho old saying about people who are domiciled In glass-houses. :t it tt All parties before the electors have professed rigid adherenco to constitutional methods, That the people of thin country will not tolerate any other methods of Government Is a. fact beyond the realms of controversy.