“A GREAT CHANGE”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17239, 21 April 1930, Page 13

“A GREAT CHANGE”

REFORM REGAINS GROUND RECONSTRUCTION OF PARTY A GOD USE RESET ,\ definite swing of (lie pendulum ol pulilir support toward Reform is claimed m a statement issued by Reform headquarters as- a survey of the recent reconstruction of the party’s organisat 1011. ‘‘Doiiiinion lie,vc'lq liar (m s has lie-eii t Imniugliiy ret oiistrct ted.” said the statement. ‘‘The general secretary is now m close and constant touch with tin’ parly organisation iu practically all parts of Hie Dominion, from all parts there is a steady slieam of information coming daily into head ollice. and propa-

ganda Jiisteiial and other information is regularly being sen I out. A large iiiiniher of research and advisory suhcoinmillets are at work investigating

various questions ol policy. Close liaison is being Maintained between the Purlin moniary pary and the league, and hctweeu all sections ol I lie organisation and llie leader. During the lasi eight months a very efficient information department lias been built up at. headquarters; and great use is now being made oi this depaitment by member*;, organisers, branch officials, and general supporters of tlie party. READY FDR EMERGENCIES

"In nearlv every electorate the local organisation has been reconstructed and fullv iVevived The work has been earned 'out quietly and without ostentation: hid we feel that in nearly all parts of dm Dominion the .Eelorm Party is it, \v almost: ready to meet any emergency that, may occur. The whole of the Auckland division--23 electorates—is vapidly getting into fighting trim; and the new plan of organisation has proved itself most satisfactory. The Wellington division has sei up a new, strong and representative council, witii various committees; and the work of reorganisation is to he vigorously undertaken in the ch cl ovale:. The Hawke’s Bay group and the Wangnnui-Manawntu group have been making vapid headway and Taranaki, where things hung fire for some time, is now being put into fighting order. Tic* Canterbury division lias set up a verv strong row organisation committee which is doing splendid work in carrvnm out- a thorough reorganisation of nil tlu* electorates in the division. Otago and Southland also are both hard at- work now, and excellent results are lining obtained. “The selection of candidates is proceeding rapidly in all parts ol Hie Dominion; and we believe that we shall face the electors next time with the best team of candidates ever put into the field. OPTIMISTIC REPORTS “From nearly all parts we have been receiving of lain most cheering itnd iqitiinistic reports It is clear that a, great change lias (Occurred iu public seiitinieiit even during the last few inouilis—a big swing our way. It is being increasingly 1 eeognised every week (hat the United Government has failed hopelessly, and also that a further crop of Independents would only perpetuate the existing slate of allaiis—in which whatever minority Government holds otlit-o is and will’he forced lo bargain away its principles to gain support from this section and Hint; and even then (here can lie no stability of government, the milv hope ol stable government lies in a rally to Hr* Reform Parly as biv far the strongest party to-ihn in both ilu* 11 nils'* and the country. It is, too, Ihr onlv purl v to-day which has definite principles and win*, h " ill he aide to out a clear-cut run >t."active policy before the el ?ctors at the proper time. SERIOUS LABOR REACTIONS **At one period it seemed likely Hint tin* next election would reveal a big swing to Socialist-Labor. But our information fioni all quarters is i.ow re-

assuring. li e ladures ol the Labor Go\ernnierits in Britain and Australia are reacting 'seriously on Mr. Holland s party here. Moreover, large numbers ol former keen Lahorites are exhibiting disgust at the. way the Labor Party, during flu- last session, ran diced all its principles lor the sake nl pelt' Rally lactics. The Labor Party tv day is liv m> means a ‘happy family.’ Indeed, a definite rupture seems possible, for t|mre are known to lie many of the keen esf suippiu fees of the Labor Party who resent the surrender ol that party s principles in order b givi some of its parliamentarians i chance ol ministerial ollire. The Socialist-Labor Party hak hetraved ils own fundamental principles, and has adopted a policy of pure ‘electioneering expediency.’ MIL V OATES JMIIT LAP

“One specially gratifying feature ok tlm present situation \s the undoubted recoM-rv o' Mr. Coates’ personal inana. There is daily evidence of this ill (he reports that, are coming in lo Dominion headquarters from all parts of New /calami and fioiy all sections of the community. The old slanders which played so large a part in the 1928 campaign are now being dropped. The spell of adversity has been an excellent thing For the whole party. IWorm had been in oDice for a very long and a very diflieult and stormy time; and some people believe Hud it had lo Some extent lost its hearings. If that was so, then has now been an opportunity while tlm partv has been out of office to take fresh hearings and reset the course. _ “All these facts justify our conviction that the Reform lairlv is fast recovering its lost ground. The time has come when we ran begin again to feel (onfidenl o' - the future, and to allow our confidence to he known.”