Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2, 1907 THE COMING COALITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11089, 2 October 1907, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2, 1907 THE COMING COALITION.

Those \y ho profess to be able to read the. signs of the times m matters political are forecasting that at no very distant date there will be a readjustment of political parties m the Dominion/ As was pointed out by Mr Thomas Mackenzie, member for Clutha, m his speech at Waikouaiti last week, for some considerable time past parties have been converging on the same point, and they have arrived at a stage where with a few reasonable modifications the two sides could .easily unite. There is no question that the party, known as His Majesty's Opposition has within recent yeaz-s undergone a . considerable change; Public opinion and the successful operation of various reforms that were stoutly opposed at their inception have let! to a modification of views, and except for a

sneaking regard which some members seem to show for the interests of "the fat man" and the- monopolist, the differences between the Opposition and the Government side of the House, wheu they are carefully, \yeighed and considered, amount ta; the difference between Tweedledum, and Tweedledee. The Government, whilst pursuing a progressive poUcy and one calculated to meet the necessities 6f the colony m the great of settlement of the lands a-nd the construction of public works, is determined to proceed -upon safe and prudent lines. Sir Joseph Ward and his Ministers 'appear to be keenly desirous of running the administration upon sound business principles, and daily they are establishing themselves firmer m the confidence of moderate-minded mien. Their;; failure $q proceed to the lengths that some would wish them to go is alienating the support of the extremists, and evidence is accumulating that at an early .date, there will be disruption due to tlie disaffection of the Socialist and Labor, members whp f ail to get their own. way. The attitude assumed by thfe. Labor parity, throughout the Dominion towards the ; Minister for Labor ;is most marked. There is no man who has done more for labor than the Hon. J. A. Millar. He W&s the mainstay of unionism for many years, and the various sections of trades organisatioiis greatly profiled by his Advice and assistance. Because on assuming Ministerial responsibility Mr Millar ; luis not been prepared to Jump to ex-, ! tremes'j .but has endeavored to deal justly and fairly jas between his fellow men, the Minister for Labor has been subjected to a campaign of misrepresentation aild abuse. The Labor party shows him nei.ther, gi'atitude nor consideration. ! Nothing that he can do is right, and ! every^^ opportunity is taken to stir Tipoppositipn to himself and the-. Ministry. Nevertheless the Minister for Labor stands next to the Premier as probably the most popu; lar man m Pa.rliani.ent to-day/ The manner m whioh .he has grappled with the difficult problems of tariff reform won genial admiration, and every person \vii6 comes m contact with him m Ws respective capacities as Minister for Marine, Minister for Customs, or Minis- | ter for Labor, admits the , splendid grasp jbehas.secured of affairs of State. He is certainly one of the most 'capable Ministers New Zealand has ever had.' It; is this disaffection of labor that gives strength 1 to the coalition idea. New Zealand will never tolerate the threeparty 'system as it exisis iii the Coirimonwealtti, and {the issue pf the future, as Mr T. Mackenzie pbiuted' out, would appear to be Progressive Liberaliferiiy. Extreme Socialism. Me Mackenzie's declaratiojcL _ was significant. He \ Has for years, prided himself upon maintaining a very independent attitude, ahd v iri his ■speech last week he remarked : "Personally he cared .more i to see honest men m office than f or political /creeds, and he was prepared to^ follow any band of honest menwlio would go in 'for sound Liberal legislation on- economic lines; placing the- closer settlement of the lan 4 and the development of our industries* - y in i the forefront of their policy. ' He belieyed I that the country now had such a Govern- ; ment m the Ward Government, arid he personally would very much like to see the sound men of our House and country working m unison. > ■