POLITICAL RUMOURS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19205, 23 June 1924, Page 6

POLITICAL RUMOURS.

The eve of the parliamentary session s.eeins to be specially favourable to the circulation of political rumours and to the flying of political “ kites.” There are no visible signs that would lead the public at the present time to imagine that a new political party is liable to drop suddenly from the clouds, but a phenomenon of this nature has lately been promised by our Liberal contemporary in Invercargill, and the leader of the Liberal Patty, seeking to strip the promise of the mystery that has surrounded it, has asserted that Mr F. J. Rolleston, member for Timaru, has been designated as the head of the new movement. As, however, Dir Rolleston has promptly repudiated any idea of the kind, it is apparent that we must look elsewhere for the controlling brain and the guiding hand of —we quote from our Invercargill contemporary—“ the force to be loosed in New Zealand in the course of a few weeks.” However severely the patience of the public may be tried by the delay in the “ loosing ” of this “force,” there is, we fear, no help for it : tantalising though it may be, we must simply await the due time, buoyed up by the hope, which our Invercargill contemporary encourages, that the man by whom the “force” is to be directed will “ capture the popular imagination at the first assault.” The public cariosity may be a little piqued in tho meantime by the knowledge that this movement bodes no good to the Liberal Party—or, at any rate, to the Liberal leader. It is by one of the most consistent press supporters of the l iberal Party in the past that the creation of this new “ force ” is being heralded, and apparently one of the reasons that have actuated our contemporary in bestowing its blessing upon it is that “Mr Wilford’s record shows him to be a failure as leader, as ” —we read with some surprise in the columns of the Liberal organ in Invercargill—“Sir Joseph Ward was before him.” Our contemporary is " not only tired of tho Liberal, leader, but of Liberalism as exemplified by men who lack the one quality worth noting in those who control our affairs —inspiration.” The cruelty of this criticism may he prompted by a desire to be kind, but it does seem somewhat tragic that Mr Wilford and a few of his colleagues should have just completed what they have represented as a triumphant campaign only to be thus wounded in the house of their friends.