HOW GOES THE FIGHT?

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10278, 7 October 1911, Page 6

HOW GOES THE FIGHT?

. 4. . NOTES FROM THE FRONT. (By tho War Correspondent.) The enemy's general has been up to Palmerston North during tho week, superintending a demonstration of a .minor character there. He had some of his less important officers with him, and. of course the area officers were thero to. greet him. But no heavy fighting is recorded. Palmerston at present is in the occupation of tho enemy, and no doubt tho object of the gathering was to plan the defence of 'tho town. But so far as published reports go, they show nothing'! more formidable than a series of mutually admiring speeches to the rank and file. I should have a higher opiuion, personally, of tho courage of the enemy's commander-in-chief if he would fulfil his threat to doscond upon Ghristchurch again. Ho came here once a few months ago, but was never permitted to get within effective range, and he had to retire without firing a useful shot. He tried to coyer up the disorder of his retreat by firing blank cartridge, and he issued a fierce threat that in good time he would invade Christ-church again in force, but we have waited in vain for a sign of his coming. Seeing that he can find time to visit Palmerston, which is, according to the boastful speeches of himself and his staff, absolutely loyal and safe 3< it says little for his courage that he refuses to face the attack on this city. Tho Opposition attack on Hurunui was opened during the week. If there is a constituency in the South Island that would, at first blush, appear to be good for the Opposition, it is this huge Stretch of country in which there are so many wealthy and influential sheepfarmers. But hitherto Hurunui has made it plain that if a wool-king wants to represent it in Parliament he must be on the Liberal side.

At present Hurunui is represented by an uncompromising Radical, an earnest, energetic and dependable young farmer, who made his beginning on the land as a tenant on Cheviot. He speaks from happy experience of tho benefits of tho Liberal policy, and he is really the best typo of representative for such a constituencv.

The striking feature 4i the campaign in Canterbury so far as it has progressed is the absence of the Opposition candidates who were to have been so plentiful. According to all accounts, the city is being searched daily for candidates to carry the Reform 'Lr"ty'# banner in the city and eubur"«n seat 3, but Mr Hall is still the only discovery. The Party was alleged to have been delighted with the result of its att/" *>£ on Christchurch North, and wo-were- promised a good fight in every constituency in and around Christchurch. It was freely stated in town last week that Mr Dan Reese had been asked to stand for Christchurch East. It would obviously have been a distinct score for the Reform Party to have been able to bring out so popular a champion, whose personality, apart altogether from politics, would command general attention. But there is no present prospect of MiReese taking the field. Like many another young man who would be welcomed into the political field on personal grounds, he has his business to attend to. It needs a positive passion for politics to bring out the young man of brains who has to earn his living. Obviously, the man who would enter Parliament must be prepared to make a financial sacrifice. Mr Taylor's was a striking case, for he made himself the servant of the public from the beginning, and it was only his extraordinary activity and energy, and the accident of Ids failure to secure election on two occasions, that enabled him to establish even a modest business.

Mr Ell is another of the men whoso passion for politics and devotion to the publio service keep them out of the business Avorld. He had his eye on Parliament when ho was a very young* man, and long before he secured a seat ho was giving far more attention to politics than to trade and commerce. Every young man Avho' possesses intelligence and who endeavours to understand for himself the problems that tho Parliament of the country has to solve feels the attraction of politics at some time or other, but tho public are fickle masters and most men realise early that the great game, for all its fascination, is a dangerous one from tho economic point of view. That is tho real reason why there are so few young men of parts in politics. Even Mr M/Combs, who is generally spoken of as a young man, is Avell past thirty, and if ho has had his ono eye on politics he has had the good sense to keep tho other on his business. The truth-is that we have no leisured elas3 in Now Zealand avlioso sons can-afford to deA r ote themselves to the political life. One obvious disadvantage of the position is that our Parliament is' lacking in students of economics and public polity. For the most part the parliamentarians come to the service of the public lato in life, and while they havo experience in trade or commerce to sustain them they lack tho quality of imagination, tliey hare little initiative, and they havo had no training in tho theoretical eido of politics. The high esteem in Avhich. Sir John Findlay is held in due in no small measure to the fact that ho has made a study of the phases of'politics of which the average politician is so deplorably ignorant. One of the sources of tho Hon W. P. Reeves's strength was his knowledge of theoretical economics. He Jmd read Avidely, and, of course, he had the intellectual ability to apply his theory in practice. The actual campaigning of the past week or so, as I have indicated, has not been sensational. Mr M'Coinbs has been induced to abandon the East Christchurch contest and to take up the fight that Mr Tanner carried on uo long and so successfully in Avon. He polled a substantial vote in Christchurch Es-.st threo years ago, and the representations from Avon must have been very attractive to take him across tho boundary. Tho Kaiapoi contest is going to be complicated still further by Mr Blackwell'3 candidature. There is no doubt about his popularity in and around Kaiaooju a?id JUj h. 9-3 promises o£ sue*

port from a vory considerable section of tho electors, whose chief anxiety is to secure the recognition, of the bare majority principle in the licensing issuo. It is difficult to see how a second ballot can bo avoided in this constituency.

Various speculations as to the date of tho elections are finding publicity, but it is too early yet to fix a time with any degree of certainty. The Government will not com© to a decision until the business of Parliament is on tho road to completion, and the House will have to mend its ways if it is to rise by October 21, which is tho date mentioned by a good many of the speculators. It is difficult to see how the polling can be taken before tho last week in November, and it may be fixed for the first week in December, but of course the possibility of second ballots has to be taken into account, and tho Government will be anxious to have the whole business over before Christmas. Three years ago Parliament got through its work in good time and rose early, but tho prospects this year are not so promising. • Most of the candidates are already getting to work with their preliminary arrangements and committees are being organised in ail directions. The speeches in many cases aro quite a miner part of the campaign and a high value is rightly set on thorough organisation. Hut many old campaigners are by no means enamoured of a long campaign. They urge that if committees are formed too early the enthusiasm of tho workers tends to evaporate, and they count a month ample in the average constituency. This is probably sound policy in the case of a candidate who is well known and who has a solid and certain following, but new candidates who have to make their way from the beginning ought to bo busy now. • It is probably a mistake to take to the platform more than a month before polling day, but there is a great deal of work that can and should be done in advance of the first public appearance. Opinions "differ and will always differ as to the best policy in regard to speeches. The young politician either tries to cover too much ground in a single speech or prepares several speeches dealing with different aspects of the situation. The safest.course, I think, is for the candidate to give a general outline of his views in every speech and to keep a close eye on the public and on events, so that from time to time as occasion arises he can elaborate particular points of interest. There is rarely any difficulty in ascertaining what 'ppints are of special moment, for tho electors themselves will generally give the candidate a lead. In a week or two now we shall be plunged into the middle of tho combat, and these more oi* less pleasant reflections will have to give place to the recording of actual hostilities. I hope to find room for such news as candidates and their friends care to send to mo or to the Editor, but let me impress on everybody "at the outset that what is wanted is fact, not theory or speculation. I can da all the speculating that is wanted myself. Also I propose to reserve to myself the privilege of being abusive.