SUMMARY.

Colonist, Volume LXII, Issue 15259, 22 December 1919, Page 1 (Supplement)

SUMMARY.

THE ELECTION.

(From "The Colonist," Dec, 18th.) x .' ■Exhaustive or definite comment on an election that contains several surprising features and possibilities of- moro

•is obviously out of the question. So i , many of the tentative results must be I- received with 'reservation in view of the ■ incompleteness of the returns and the ■ large number -of absentee 4votes to be - taken into consideration, that a survey of the .general situation is far better 'left until it:.has become more stabilised - than it can be. said to be now. We must therefore confine our observations this morning, to & few outstanding fea^ .. -tares of a very, remarkable election. The result is the deepest possible dis- -• appointment to the Liberal Party and its friends, for while the anticipations .of Mr Massey. and- his campaign associates have proved to have been extravagantly optimistic, it would be fu.tile to attempt to obscure the fact that .the country's verdict has gone in favour [j of the Reform Party, which in the }■'■ changes that have been effected, has . gained several seats, mostly at the expense of the Liberals. . The most disheartening and astonishing of these reverses is the defeat of Sir Joseph • Ward in Awarua, a seat which with good reason was generally regarded as his as long as he, cared to remain in politics. Awarua..has chosen to strike at Liberalism, to whicii it had good reason to remain faithful, the most serious blow the cause has ever experienced. ■ Never before has the Liberal Party lost its leader by defeat at the polls. Of ,■ course there will be no lack of seats at • Sir Joseph Ward's disposal to enable . him to remain at the head of the party '. he has led for so long a period and with . such distinction, but that fact does not -■■ mitigate the poignant regret that many .holding different views will share with the. Liberals that such an affront should . have, been placed upon him by the con- . stituency he has represented contints- ► ously during the whole course of his ■ brilliant political .career. With the de- ' feat:of Sir Joseph Ward has to lie de,.plored that of some'of his most promini ent colleagues in previous Parliaments, some of whom have attained to Cabinet ':■ rank,., such as Sir James Carroll and ■Messrs.Buddo and Russell. The only reverse the Reformers have (■suffered seems to- have been the loss of ■ one of Mr Massey's recently-appointed Ministers,: the Hon. J. B. Hine, at .Stratford, which has reurned to its oldtime Liberal allegiance. Mr. Atmore '.is to, be. congratulated upon being the instrument of a similar.. restoration in Nelson. The. defeat of Mr Field, who ;rproved> a most industrious and con--1 scientious representative, is not on perisonal grounds to be viewed without ra.;.gret. >If Mr Atmore .has assimilated rfche: lessons impressed upon him in the ;past:;Jie will-, be on the high road to a .useful place in public Jife, and we hope •-that.-the. fresh start the electors have jgiven. -him.-onay be the beginning of a v-ssiceessful career. A"- feature of. ike j .elections f that ,must be- regarded with misgiving, is the. accession of strength :eceived by the extreme ..Labour Party, ndiQse-methods, and scarcely veiled aspirations,, we. had hoped would bring ruponthem a. very decided expression of ihe electors' disapproval. A broad view •of \the'results,, with .no--attempt at a detailed ..analysis, indicates that Mr Ma-ssey.will,lead a comfortable majority in, tfh©; new. Parliament,, though several of .the successful candidates who would . ,at<herwise..be assigned without question •to,his.following have been at some pai'.in -to parade their independence.