The Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1919. A REFORM FICTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19809, 28 November 1919, Page 6

The Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1919. A REFORM FICTION.

Tho Reform newspapers are striving to perpetuate the fiction that the Liberals desire an alliance with the Labour extremists, and that Sir Joseph Ward would be willing to accept office I even if his majority* consisted of Messrs Semple and Holland. The fact that tho Labour extremists ere being fought by the Liberal Party in their constituencies is brushed aside, and the added fact that the Reformers cannot find candidates to lake up the challenge even of the extremists is kept in obscurity. Capital is being made by a Reform paper out of a statement made by Mr H. E. Holland that Labour, if it, had the opportunity, would put the Massey Government out, hut it would not support Sir Joseph Ward unless ho enacted tho legislation which the Labour Party was fighting for. This, by a process ol reasoning peculiar to Reform Party organs, is construed into an “ authoritative promise of support” for the Liberals. Wo can quite understand Labour members voting against tho Reform Got 'orn-1 merit. We have always believed that Labour has nothing to hope for from Mr Massey and his supporters, whose ideas of political progress are hopelessly archaic. It would be surprising indeed if Labour combined with tho Reformer to keep Mr Massey in ppower, seeing that Labour generally has an invincible antipathy to that party. The Liberals claim— and Wo believe justly claim that sane Labour will be better represented by a Liberal Administration than by a Government composed of extremists, whose fads and fallacies have a habit of falling to pieces when put under the acid of practice. Air H. B. Holland may talk largely about tho conditional support Labour will give the Liberals, but it is quite probable that Mr Holland and his supporters will be very small potatoes indeed in the new House. The Liberals have declared emphatically and plainly that they decline alliances with either the Red Feds or the Reformers. The Party is fighting both tho Labour extremists and the Tories, and is thereby giving the only possible guarantee that it means to continue as a distinct political entity.