WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 19 February 1918, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

.... MINISTERIAL CONCERT. , THE WAYWARD ELECTOR. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Feb. IS Both party leaders arc sufficiently concerned for the result of the Wellington North election to take something more than an incidental interestin the campaign. Mr, Massey realises that in spite of the war and the prevailing indifference to domestic polities, the tendency of the electors to

grow weary of a Government that lias been in office for two gr three years persists. Only Mr. Sodden among all the Dominion’s political leaders has discovered to secret of definitely delaying the desire for change. Mr. Massey is as well qualified as would have been most of his other predecessors to deal with the difficult position that has arisen in Wellington North, but up to the present his efforts to fire the enthusiasm of the electors on behalf of his candidate' have signally failed. Much may bo affected during the next few days, but at the moment his appeals appear to have been addressed to indifferent or reluctant cars * f SIR JOSEPH WARD’S EFFORT. The leader of the Liberal Party, of course, has approached the situation from a somewhat different standpoint, and, it must be confessed, without much more apparent success. Sir Joseph Ward himself was not favourably disposed towards the formation of a National Cabinet, He saw objections to the merging of the parties and was prepared to enter into a compact with the party in power that would have assured its continuance in office during the course of the war without depriving Parliament altogether of the advantages of an organised Opposition. But finally his objections were overcome by the intervention of His Excellency the Governor and the * concession of equal representation of the two principal parties in the Cabinet. The agreement by which scats becoming vacant during the life of the existing Parliament were to remain at the disposal of the party that had filled* them at the general election was part of the subsequent arrangement between, the leaders.

LABOUR'S. POSITIONN

■This agreement, whether it Wks- in '

the interests of the country or not,-has . been honourably observed by the party ; leaders and fully respected by -.the ■ great majority of their supporters. But neither the Labour members of the House' nor the Labour electors in the constituencies committed themselves to the compact. Mr. Yciteh and Mr. i Hindniars.il took a broad Imperialistici view of the arrangement and, though.) taking a little more latitude in the \yay;ofgcrijticism than i did the members of the other parties, studiously re-

frained from embarrassing the Nation- \ . ° al Government in the administration of the country’s affairs. The rest of the Labour members, however, owned

to no restrictions upon their criticism or their votes and during last session, they often were encouraged in this attitude by Liberal members who had tired of restraints that appeared to bo lessening their individual importance! in the House.

THE CONSTITUENCY’S FEELING

In those crcumstances it is not surprising that the ultra-militant section, of the Labour Party, which always is ‘ ‘ agin the Government, ’ J on general principles and just now particularly - “agin” it on the military service is- - sue, is assertng itself with much noise 3 and vapour. Mr. Holland is in the ) field, as the official Labour candidate, making a much better show on the i platform than do any of his opponents, 1 and Dr. Thacker is leading about Mr. A. H. Poison a young nihu who has been l deluded into leaving the public ser- . vice to seek political distinction. Prot bably Mr. Poison ’s chances are negligble, thanks largely to his patron’s indiscretions, but with Brandon, the Independent Reform candidate, he possibly may detach sufficient votes from Mr. J. P. Luke to bring about the' i catastrophe of a pronounced opponent , of -military effort entering Parliament . at a most inopportune moment. Mr, Massey and Sir Joseph Ward at any rate have good reason for taking a hand in the campaign.