IN PROPHETIC VEIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1921, Page 5

IN PROPHETIC VEIN.

MR. W. T. JENNINGS INTERVIEWED IN SYDNEY. Interviewed in Sydney by a representative >f the Daily Telegraph, Mr. W. T. Jennings, M<P. for Wiaitomo, described in the Sydney journal as “The father of the New Zealand Parliament”, predicted a return to power of the Liberal Party. He does not think that the country is sufficiently highly industrialised to return an official Labor majority. On the other hand, the Massey “Reform” or Conservative administration is about to suffer severely as a result of its unsuccessful handling of the returned soldier land policy. Land was bought up at high prices, involving £23,000,000, and the Government paid cash for it. The Liberal Party urged that three-fifths of the purchase price should have been paid in war bonds and the remainder in cash, but this course was not followed. Now there had come falls in the value of wool, hides, meat, etc., and it was obvious that the dear land policy would end in a slump, seriously embarrassing the Government. When the full effects of the Government’s policy are felt, the people, Mr. Jennings believes, will turn again to the old Liberal allep'iancff «