IN MEMORIAM. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1919. THE CONTEST IN CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1789, 7 November 1919, Page 6

IN MEMORIAM. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1919. THE CONTEST IN CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH.

Mr E. J. Howard opened his campaign for Christchurch South last night on distinctly original lines. Mr Paul, the Leader of the Labour Party, was imported to grace the occasion, and a Socialist chorus of some 20 ladies and gentlemen sang "The Comrades' Song of Hope" and other dttties to inspire the audience to enthusiasm for the candidate and his creed. So far as Mr Howard is concerned personally, The Sun has nothing against hinu We recognise his energy, common sense, and his gift of humour—so rare amongst public speakers. He has done excellent work on the City Council, and the Repatriation Board, particularly when there were no reporters about, and as a negotiator for Labour he is reasonable and amenable to a fair compromise in the circumstances. But when it comes to asking Christchurch South and the country generally to put a Labour Government in power, it is a'horse of another colour, and the only question to ask ourselves is whether we would get better public administration with Mr Paul, as Prime Minister, presiding over a Cabinet consisting of Messrs Semple, McCombs, Howard, and others of similar ideas. We do not need to look further than Australia to discover that Labour men in office commit all the political sins of the crowd they displace in addition to a great many other crimes against the public welfare that their predecessors never thought of. Still th"ere is one point on which we can agree with Mr Howard. The Labour Party, he said, last night, sees no difference politically between Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, between Mr Isitt and Air Herries, between Mr Henry Holland, his opponent in Christchurch South, and Mr Myers. There is no difference other than the personal one as to who shall be leader, and who shall appoint his associates to Ministerial office. The supporters of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward represent the law-abiding, responsible elements in the community, and it is a national misfortune that they should be marshalling their forces for a suicidal contest in the faoe of a common danger. It is current talk in political and mercantile circles that an industrial upheaval in the Dominion is imminent, and that it is merely delayed so as not to prejudice the chances of Labour candidates at the elections. For several years past miners, watersiders, and others have been able to exact demands that no impartial arbitration tribunal would have conceded, simply because the country was at war, and a stoppage would have prevented us from maintaining and reinforcing our army overseas. Since the War, the necessity of shipping produce purchased by the Imperial, authorities away has made it necessary to go to almost any lengths to maintain industrial peace, and, even to-day, when it is of vital importance to keep up our exports and maintain the highest possible output from our manufacturing industries, the miners are deliberately restricting the output of coal. "Go-slow" is simply a form of strike or "direct action": there is no longer any distinction between the two. Our readers can perhaps imagine the state of chaos that would follow a general strike with direct actionists holding the reins of government. Under the circumstances,* no sensible person can take sides in the sham-fight between the Liberal and Reform parlies with any satisfaction or with any other feeling than apprehension at the possible results of such a foolish and misguided sort of contest. We do not blame the Bolsheviks for taking,the fullest advantage of the fight between their opponents. It gives them an opportunity of obtaining representation out of all proportion to the numbers of their supporters in the community, and if they are at all successful it may have the effect of bringing about a fresh alignment of the parties in Parliament, because the real issue in New Zealand to-day is

not whether Mr Massey or Sir Joseph "Ward shall rule, but whether direct action shall be invoked whenever certain Labour bosses consider that the time is opportune for taking the community by the throat. As the day of decision draws near the contest will probably get pretty warm. The party newspapers are already at it hammer and tongs, "barracking" for their respective sides, neither of which has much hope of obtaining an absolute majority of the seats. The safest course for the electors who have no sympathy with direct action is to support the most capable man offering his services in each electorate, and trust to wiser counsels prevailing amongst Liberals and Reformers after the numbers go up. Canterbury has not been very strongly represented in Parliament of late years, and some new blood would be an advantage. Mr Holland, if returned for Christchurch South, can be relied upon to'press the claims of .Canterbury on whatever Ministry is in power, and for that reason alone we would like to see him elected.

SIR FRANCIS BELL GOES A-RATTING. It looks as if Sir Francis Bell has added a new thrill to our economic existence. To a deputation of wate,rsiders yesterday he recommended the gentle art of "ratting," urging even that this should occasionally take precedence over work. Of course there is ratting and ratting. As Mr Howard sought to show last night in his references to Australia, one of the games is an ancient diversion in politics; and the other gets now the benediction of Cabinet. When "go slow" begins to be boresome, and even "progressive rests" seem at last to pall, the watersider will start a hue and cry in the hold of some ancient "tramp." Who knows that the sport will not .bridge the gulf between class and class? Philosophers tell us that society must have periodic reliefs from the strain and tension of the evolutionary process. If this comes peaceably, well and good; if there is no ouflet of a harmless kind, we have civil or foreign wars. So far as New Zealand is concerned, it may be that Sir Francis Bell has saved us. Certainly there will be very little sympathy for the furtive rodent, and there dught to be a great deal more sympathy than there is for the unfortunate people who jgo down to the sea in ships. From time immemorial they have shared bed and board with rats, bugs, cockroaches and other creatures unnameable, and in the twentieth century that is a gross anachronism. There was the scandal the other day, for example, of the Australian transport Waimana, and there have been scandals only a little less marked in colour in connection with far too many ships bringing back New Zealanders. It is preposterously late in the day for shipping companies to allege that verminous vessels are an unavoidable evil. If rats sank ship's instead of merely polluting them it would very soon be possible to eradicate such pests altogether. As for the insect filth that makes life afloat too frequently a progressive torture, there would be a great deal less of that if each ship had sterilising ovens, and passed the bedding through these each week. Had it not been ion the compulsory measures in this direction when our soldiers were in the field, every second man would have fallen a victim to trench fever.