Patea & Waverley Press WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1919. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 16 July 1919, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1919. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK

IN a few months' time the people of the Dominion will have the opportunity—the first for five years by the way—of deciding who shall manage the country's affairs for the next three years. Of the three principal parties, Liberal Labour and Reform, it would be difficult to say which is the most unpopular with the general public at the present juncture. Both the Prime Minister, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have fallen from public favour owing largely to the unpleasant duties they have been called upon to perform as the responsible leaders of the Government during the past four and a half years. The Conscription Act, the Finance Act with its attendant extra taxation, and the various other war measures have all helped to make the Coalition Government, and particularly its leaders, unpopular, though the majority of the people if questioned would be compelled to admit that the measures they pretend to find fault with were absolutely necessary in order to help win the war. The people in particular who were opposed to the Military Service Act, if they are honest, must admit that the men sent from this country to the firing line, though small in number when compared with the rest of the Empire's forces, played, however, no small part in the titanic struggle that was being waged and assuredly assisted to bring it to a successful conclusion. The work of New Zealand's sons at the front has covered this country with glory for all time and has brought the Dominion prominently before the outside world. But the rank and file of the electors are unfortunately not likely to pay much attention to these facts. What concerns them is the factthat they have been called upon to pay more into the public coffers than ever before, 'and because both Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have sanctioned this extra expenditure they are unpopular. Mr. Massey, whose services to the nation are all the time put into the background, is further unpopular because of the failure of more than one of the Ministers chosen by him on assuming office. Mr. Eraser in particular, as Minister of Public Works, has a great deal to answer for in this connection. The old public works system which helped to turn the Liberals out of office instead of giving place to a better system, has been perpetuated, with the result that the development of the back country has been retarded in a disgraceful manner, the position of course being rendered worse on account of the war. The Reform Minister of Railways has been equally unsuccessful, no noticeable improvement in the railway service being visible since he took office, but on the contrary things have drifted steadily backwards till it is perhaps not too much to say that the railways, both with regard to rolling stock and general management are in a worse condition than they have.ever been in the history of the country. Other departments are equally unpopular and the blame for their condition will, to a very large extent, be, laid on Mr. Massey's shoulders with the result that instead of him being returned with an overwhelming majority at the forthcoming general election, the chances are, judging by the opinions freely expressed, that he will receive a more severe set back than he did in 1905. This situation, however, is by no means assured. It may be after all that Mr. Massey has something in the way of a policy to put before the people that will change the whole political aspect of affairs and at the same time be entirely acceptable to the majority. If so his success may be a sweeping one, particularly as there is a large section of the community who, after the exhibition given by the Labor Government in Queensland have no desire to sec Labour in this country either in power itself or even holding the balance of power between chief parties in the House. So far as we can sec the forthcoming political struggle is "anyone's race" and the party that can convince the electors that they can and will carry out a really progressive policy on lines altogether different from anything attempted in the past is going 1"o win. The recent railway tiasco and the public works mismanagement have satisfied the people that the old order of things must be changed and government on more up to date and businesslike lines must be the order of the day if the country is to forge ahead and the people prosper.