The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1928. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10966, 15 October 1928, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1928. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

The general election campaign is now • in full swing. In the main it will be c, three-cornered fight between the Reform, Labour, and United Parties, though that disgruntled little body, the Country Party, will contest a few seats, but the latter cannot be taken seriously. In their political principles there is no very marked difference between the Reform and the United Party, the principal difference of opinion being as to who is best qualified to put the common principles into practice and who ift beat fitted to be tlie head of tlio Government —Mr Coates, or Sir Joseph Ward, the respective leaders of the two parties. It is scarcely conceivable that the Reform Party will find itself in a minority in the new House. A great deal of interest will attach to the question as to which will he the official Opposition, the United® under Sir Joseph Ward or Labour under Mr Harry Holland. Neither party lias much chance or hope of occupying: the Treasury benches, but both are eager to* be the official Opposition. The Uniteds have accepted Sir Joseph Ward as their leader less because they believe him to be the ideal man to lead them than because they could not agree upon a younger and more vigorous leader. Sir Joseph no longer possesses the vigour, either in a political or a physical isense, necestsary to lead a new crusade, nor are there any outstanding gifts of leadership to be seen among tlie rank and file of the party. Certainly there is no figure at present on the political horizon to equal in this respect the present head of the Government. During the past three years Mr Coates has had .an extremely difficult frak to' perform. In common with the rest of tlv© world New Zealand has ban troubled waters to pass through, aim that Mr Coates has been a careful and skilful navigator is proved h.v the fact that the Dominion’s credit and reputation abroad have been more than sustained. He has retained the confidence o' his party in remarkable degree ml this, we f i arc, will be rcli . in the consti-

tuencies. The worst thing that could happen to the Dominion in a political sense is that in the new' Parliament there should be no party with an absolute majority. If would be a calamity if the three parties were so nearly equal in numerical strength that any two of them were able to defeat tlie- Government at any time they thought fit to unite for the purpose. It does not appear in the least likely that the Labour Party will be ousted from its position cl the official Opposition. The Nationalists, who will now be absorbed in the United Party, have been very feeble in opposition, perhaps because, their political principles have differed so little from those of the Government. Nor have they been very helpful in debating matters brought before Parliament.