THE Waikato Independent. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1908.

Waikato Independent, Volume VII, Issue 462, 18 January 1908, Page 4

THE Waikato Independent. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1908.

A letter, by one of the Labor Leaders of Wellington, which appeared in a recent issue of the Wellington Post, throws a good deal of light on the coming political situation, from a Labor standpoint. The writer, Mr D. McLaren, after taking the Minister for Labor to task for some remarks he made lately at Ellerslie regarding the Labor Party, significantly states : “ Mr Millar may have understood the Labor movement in 1890; but of the movement in New Zealand to-day he appears to lack knowledge. The men who are now seeking to form a Labor party are not coming out of the Liberal party, for, with few exceptions, they never were in it. I also would appeal to the workers and say, ‘ do not split or waste votes, but give them every time to the men who are pledged to Labor’s policy and interests —your own party. If a man comes forward who is not selected by the Labor party pass him out; you have no right to consider him against the interests of your own party.’” From this it will be seen that the split, between Labor and the Government party, has widened greatly of late, and that the former intends to form a distinct party in the House at the next election. Further accentuation of this intention is borne out by the concluding paragraph of Mr McLaren’s letter: ‘‘The difference between the present Government and Opposition parties is so fine that its existence is a matter of debate; a little later it will be one of general doubt, and later on one of absolute non-existence. Meantime, it is well, in the interests of , the country, that the Labor party is coming forward to form the new Opposition, as the reactionary element exists not only in the ranks of the old Opposition, but in those of the Government party also.” Most people will no doubt agree that there is little difference between the moderates of the Government party and the Opposition, but few, outside of the Labor ranks? in face of the recent

Land Acts, will bo able to swallow Mr McLaron’s “ little difference, 0 so far as it embraces the Government party as a whole. Recent developments amongst the Labor ranks have, however, shown that their hostility to the Government is growing stronger and stronger, and the withdrawal of the Arbitration Bill last session shows that it is afraid to do anything which will further estrange Labor support. It is to be hoped, in the interests of New Zealand as a whole, that Labor will at the next election go to “the country as an Independent Labor party, for the time has arrived when the electors should range themselves on one side or the other. There has been too much playing down to the Unions, and the limit has been reached when the country shall decide whether New Zealand shall be handed over altogether to the tender mercies of the Unions, or run on sound business lines.