The Timarn Herald TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1924. CALL HIS BLUFF.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 17 June 1924, Page 6

The Timarn Herald TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1924. CALL HIS BLUFF.

“You will notice,” declared Mr W illoru, rn ins auuress at PuKt-none, ""that i attacK, not the Uoverninent, but Air Massey, because he is the whole show, tne rest are aunospnere.'' Ihis little bit oi electioneering' rhetoric is not new, or course, out point is given to Air W llford/s repetition ol this description ot wnat he calls the one-man Government, by the fact that it was thrown m the teeth oi the electors oi ; i'ukenohe —the headquarters ol | the Jennie Minister's stronghold. , Moreover, Mr VV llford claims that he so charmed a large section of the' electors of bran Kim, that , a motion of continence in the ; Liberal-ha boar Party was carried , m face ot a deliberate attempt to convert tbe meeting into a Eefoim victory. Returning to VV eilington at the end of last week, Mr VViLford told the pi ess representative that his northern tour had been an eye-opener. IN ever before, he declared, had he experienced anything like the receptions he had m and around ; Aueiiiand. In every Reform constituency in which he spohe, either votes ■' of confidence m his party, or of no-confidence in the Reform Administration, were passed. In some instances he had been accorded votes of confidence in face of prepared 116101111. opposition, as, for instance, in the Prime Minister’s stronghold at Pukekohe. ' There the mover pi an amendment of no-confidence iu the Reform (iovemment read his proposal from a typewritten document, which was certainly prepared beforehand, and the meeting, consisting of between 4LIU and SUU people, defeated the motion by three to oner “In my thirtv-two years of political life, said “Mr Wilford, “1 have never been in a scene of such enthusiasm as occurred after the meetingWe have no wish to arouse xVli Wilford from the pleasant dreams he is enjoying. Une thing is certain, however, Mr Wilford knows liow to play upon the emotions of the people. He is adept at the game. .Nevertheless we fancy he is drawing on hip imagination if lie lias deluded himself into believing that the Prime Minister’s hold on Franklin is weakening.. If, however, Mr W llford 23'6rsists in -his wild imaginings, lie runs the risk of. having" his bluff called. Tno Liberal-Labour Leader in his picturesque style claims quite confidently that Mr Massey is the whole show —the' other ministers are mere atmosphere. Doubtless, Mr' Wilford believes himsell eminently superior in statesmanship to Mr Massey. That is taken for granted! If then only Mr Massey stands between Mr Wilford and his friends, in gaining the Treasury benches, the way is open —if Mr Wilford speaks tmtniully—to depose the Massey Administration, by the simple process of defeating the head and front of the Government. : If Mr Wilford really believes what he says, lie has the solution within his .grasp. He has had an eye-opener.in the North! Even the Franklin electorate, which has returned the Prime Minister as its member by thumping majorities, is going over to the Party in the Middle of the Eoad. Somebody should call Mr Wilford’s bluff. Let him forsake his own Hutfc electorate, in which there is a heavy majority opposed to him,, and escape the reproach, of being a minority representative. Let Mi Wilford take the cue from that Pukekohe meeting". “I have never been in a scene of such enthusiasm as occurred after the meeting.” Just so. Let Mr Wilford challenge the . Reform Leader in the electorate in which there is so much enthusiasm, according to Mr Wilford, and the capture of the Treasury benches is a simple matter, since' the other ministers are only atmosphere ! At. the general elections of 1919 and 1922 the polling in Franklin resulted: 1919. Massey, IV. P 4195 ilea, J. 1165 Piggolb, E. ••• 6*17 Mr Massey’s majority ... 2393 1922. Massay, IV. r 52/6 lie a, J. 2526 Mr Massey’s majority ... 2750 Thus me Prime Minister gained a substantial victory with . an increased majority iu a straight out contest. Hut what of Mr Wilford ? .Since the clitics of the Liberal-Labour Party have drawn pointed attention to the result of the polling" in Hutt electorate, Mr Wiliord has not been so loud in his allegations that the Gmeinmont represents a minoiity vote. Here are the figures for 1919 and 1922 : 1919. Wilford, T. M 3422 Pritchard, D. K 2417 Rishworth, E. P. 2319 Mr Wilford's minority 131-1 1922. Wilford, T. M 3707 Pritchard, D. K 2905 Bennett, H. 1) 231. Mr Wilford's minority 1515 These statistical comparis-di.s speak for themselves. While Mi Massey’s stock have risen . in favour' in the franklin .election despite the increasing difficulties of his position as Leader ot the Government, since Mr Wilford assumed the leadership of the Party in the Middle of the Road, and offered ihe eloctois the moon if they would but return him to power, the majority in his own

electorate, opposed to liis candidature, lias steadily increased. On Ins own showing-, however, ait AVilford can over throw the Reform. Administration at the first appeal to the electors. Mi Massey is the one man of the Ministry and his defeat, rvould, on Mr Wilford’s showing, destroy his party, if then Mr 'WiLford really believes what he says about the unbelievable enthusiasm in favour of the Riberai-Eaboiu Party he aroused in the Prime Minister’s electorate 1 , lie will forsake the Hutt where his stocks are steadily declining, and attempt to ride into power on thai wonderful wave of enthusiasm -which gave him eyeopener at Pukekohe. We knov Mr Wilxord’s methods too well, to imagine that he would, even in his weakest moments, risk his political neck in a straight-out contest in .Franklin, even though he may try to bluff the unsuspecting elector into believing that the tide of enthusiasm is rising so surprisingly. Mr Wilford may realise that, he retains a somewhat shaky hold on the Hutt electorate, hut. he knows too much of the political gam© to let go the bone for the shadow, notwithstanding his own designedly exaggerated estimate of the political significance; of the welcome accorded him in the centre, of the Prime Minister’s electorate. .