The Star. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1911. THE PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10304, 8 November 1911, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1911. THE PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS.

Sir Joseph Ward had a comparatively easy task to perform when he addressed the ' electors at "Winton Inst night. He had to justify a policy and a record of achievement of winch, in the main, everyone approves,- and to meet attacks of which the great majority of the people of this dominion emphatically disapprove. The case for the Opposition is so slight and insubstantial that a puff of wind will blow it away. The weaknesses of the Liberal Party in New Zealand during the past decade have been due in the main to the fact that there is no true Opposition in the country. We often hear the comment that- a strong Opposition is needed here "to keep the Government straight.'' It may be true that a strong Opposition is needed, but the people themselves will keep the. Government straight if it threatens to deviate from the proper path, and anyhow we are never likely to have a strong Opposition along present lines. The Opposition that is wanted is a restrained and sensible body of men, inspired by definite ideals and working on "definite principles. The Conservative idea of a strong Opposition Beem3 to be a numerically strong body of opponents of the Government, capable of delaying and obstructing legislation and of making more noise in Parliament. But surely we have enough of that sorb of thing already, enough scandal-talking, Ac-tion-making, obstruction and abuse. The country has shown again and again that it is sick of the present Opposition and its methods. During the past twenty years there has been a striking demonstration of tho attitude of the country towards what the Conservatives call a "strong" Opposition. For three years a numerically weak Opposition makes futile efforts to discredit the Liberal Government and to obstruct progress, and the futility of tho Opposition impresses the country, so that at the elections the Opposition gains strength. But three years of a "strong" Opposition are enough, and the next appeal to tho country sees the Opposition reduced to such dimensions that it is incapable of doing harm. This sort of thing has gone on with absolute regularity. In one Parliament we have had a very small Opposition, in the next a fairly largo one. This year wo are due to have anothor reduction of tlte party of stagnation, and in spito of the boasting of the Conservative journals and the prophecies of the turn of the tide, we are confident that when the numbers go up tho Tories will find that their tide has gone out again. Sir Joseph Ward had no difficulty in showing the hollowness of the Opposition's case., and indeed ho need not. have devoted more than a minute or two to the task, because ho was speaking to a people that had already assessed the Opposition attacks at their true value. The Opposition tries to cover up the absurdity of its charges against the Government by saying that it lias never accused the members of the Government of personal corruption. But it is perfectly obvious that if the Government were guilty of improper dealing somo member or members of it must also have been guilty of personal dishonesty. Political corruption necessarily involves personal guilt. However, the Opposition is able to prove neither collective nor-indi-vidual corruption and dishonesty on the part of the Government, and that is all there is to be said on the matter. As for politics generally, one has only to compare the statesmanlike survey of the position and the solid programme of reforms given by the Prime Minister with any speech delivered by any Opposition lender to realise how hopelessly tho Opposition is out of the running.