POLITICAL SITUATION

Southland Times, Issue 18620, 19 August 1919, Page 5

POLITICAL SITUATION

THE COALITION’S FUTURE. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING. (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, August 18. There are indications of political activity again. There is really very little on which any positive statement can be based, for not one of the Ministers has anything at all to say about the situation, but it is clear, none the less, that there is a possibility that some quite startling announcement may be made before very long. The reasons why something of the sort must happen soon have been clear for a long time, ever since the Liberals held that caucus, when they decided by resolution to continue in existence as a separate party and to contest the elections as such. The Reform leader ha§ the right to say to the Liberal leader: Now, if there is to be enmity between the partips, it had -better begin at once. The time for the session approaches and in this session the Government will have' to declare itself and pledge itself on all sorts of questions. First of all, it will have to declare a programme for the session. Who is to frame that programme? If Mr Massey is to go to the country as head of the Government, the programme must be one on which he is prepared to stand criticism and in the preparation of it he will naturally not be disposed to accept advice from Sir Joseph Ward and his friends. Sir Joseph Ward cannot get control, except possibly by a vote of the House when it meets, and then he could not get it except with the support of the Red members of the Labour Party, so that he could not . carry on as Prime Minister in these circumstances. There might be a dissolution leaving Mr Massey still the right to appeal to the country. Very soon the alliance of the two parties must end. If there is to be a union in future in the terms of the proposal made by Mr Massey soon after he arrived in Auckland, it must be by a fusion of the parties. The alliance of two separate units still keeping their identity will not at all meet the present situation. The only doubt is as to when the alliance is to be terminated. Before the week is out the country should have a better understanding of the political situation.