The Daily News SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1931. FACING THE ELECTORS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1931, Page 8

The Daily News SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1931. FACING THE ELECTORS.

The political situation in the Old Country is intensely interesting to New Zealanders, because in some of its aspects it is almost duplicated in this Dominion, though there are also verymarked differences. The question which seems to be uppermost in the minds of members of the British Parliament is how soon they will have to face the electors. In this country the question of the general election is also in the foreground, though here there has been talk of postponement, while at Home all parties have expressed a desire to go to the constituencies as early as possible. The very definite declaration made on the formation of the National Government was that a dissolution would be sought as soon as the economy policy had been put into operation, and the parties would separate and make their individual appeals to the electors. Later news is, however, to the effect that a very important change of procedure is not impossible. The London Times recently suggested that the national interest would be better served if the National Government were maintained and sought from the electorate an expression of approval of its policy. Another highly reputable newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, now states that the Government is considering this proposition, but emphasises that it could only be adopted if the National Government accepted as its platform the “full Conservative policy of tariffs on industry and agriculture.” The suggested reason for the extension of the National Government’s life is the need for a policy to correct the adverse balance of trade, a problem which has arisen since steps were taken to balance the Budget. There is obvious wisdom in the idea that the unity which enabled the Budget difficulty to be overcome would serve equally well in the case of the trade trouble, but if the corrective measure deemed necessary proved to be a complete reversal of Britain’s long-estab-lished fiscal policy the change would require the electorate’s authorisation. The dissolution in the Old Country, whether it means appeals by the National Government and the Labour Party under Mr. Henderson or by three or four parties, will be brought about long before the life of Parliament would end in the ordinary course, and the reason for the dissolution will be either the necessity for public endorsement of a radical change of policy or the inability of any single party to carry on the Government. The situation to-day in New Zealand is that no single party has strength enough to hold the reins without assistance, but in the normal course the electorate would be asked to choose a new Parliament within the next month or two. Until recently the United Government managed to carry on with the support of the Reform section, of the Opposition, but it became necessary, just as it did in the Old Country, for the three parties to get together in the hope of overcoming the country’s financial difficulties. Since then there has been talk of both the formation of a National Government and the postponement of the general election, and it is desirable that these two ideas should be investigated in the light of what has bfen occurring in the

Mother of Parliaments. If what is called a National Government has proved its worth at Home could not a similar organisation do good work in the Dominion? Undoubtedly it could. It would be futile here, as it was in Great Britain, to expect the whole of the parties to unite in one Government. Conservatives, Liberals and a few moderate members of the Labour Party in the British Parliament have been able to agree upon a policy, but the bulk of the Labour Party remains in Opposition. In this Dominion there appears to be no really serious obstacle to a union of Reform and United—otherwise Conservative and Liberal, in the British terminology—together with those people professing minor differences of political creed and labelled Independent. It is, of course, by no means likely that the Labour Party could contribute anything to such a union, nor is there the necessity that existed in Great Britain for such a contribution, since Labour in this country has not had the responsibilities of office. The welding together of Reform, United and Independent would exactly parallel the British action, and in each case Labour would be the Opposition, unless, of course, an election returned Labour to power. A quite unprejudiced survey of the situation certainly conveys the very strong impression that New Zealand in the existing circumstances would be wise to follow the British example and establish a Government representing all the moderate interests and strongly enough supported to be capable of carrying out a vigorous policy. It is very welcome news to-day that the United and Reform Parties have managed at length to agree upon some such arrangement. When the Prime Minister announced this fact to Parliament yesterday he gave no details, and until they are available it will only be possible to hope that a really workmanlike plan has been evolved.