THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1930. THE THREE PARTY SYSTEM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20930, 21 January 1930, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1930. THE THREE PARTY SYSTEM.

The comment that was made last •week by Mr Coates, Leader of the Reform Party, upon the imbroglio in which the United Party has become involved is open to the criticism that it regarded the situation too largely from the point of view of party advantage and not sufficiently from the point of view of national interest. There was no hint in it of any willingness to consider the desirability of making the adjustments that may be necessary if the three-party system, in which most people in the Dominion ■must, in the experience they have had of it, have failed to discover any merits, is to be terminated. Mr Cpates tells the members of the United Party, or any other party, that if they feel that the interests of the country can best be served by their acceptance of the principles of the Reform Party ho will welcome their support. It may be presumed that the leader of any political party is prepared to welcome any support that may be accorded to it, from whatever source it comes, provided that it is offered on terms that entail no sacrifice of principle ■or honour on cither side. But if members of the United Party, who may be profoundly dissatisfied with what the Government has done, or left undone, during its thirteen months of office, are now, or in the course of the present Parliament, to transfer their allegiance to the leader of another party, the way must be made easy for them to do this. And there is no overpowering reason why it should not be. On the other hand, there is an excellent reason why adjustments should be made which would admit of the formation of a strong party that is opposed to the policy of Socialism to which the Labour Party is deeply committed. The Labour Party is the one party of those now in existence to which the three-party system is really favourable. Although the chairman of the executive of the United Party complains that members of the'Cabinet, from an, ignoble desire to retain office, persistently fawned upon the Labour Party during the past session, the programme of the Labour Party is as objectionable to members of the United Party, or to ■most of them, as it is to members of the Reform Party. The Labour Party clearly profits by the fact that the Trote in the country that is opposed is divided up between the other i'jtwwparties. The most recent illustrathis was afforded in the Hutt any tonkin the near future that the LabourtPkrty came into power in New Zealand- through the operation of the three-party system—and it is not likely otherwise to come into power while it retains its present objective—the need on the part of members of the Reform and United parties for sinking their present differences and presenting a common front in protection of the national interests would, almost certainly, be speedily realised. But if a platform on which they might both stand could be discovered then, it is discoverable at tnc present time Practical statesmanship might advantageously be directed to the devising of the adjustments that would facilitate the co-operation of the moderate elements in the community in opposition to the fantastic policy of the Labour Party.