The Waipawa Mail, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 1928. CURRENT TOPICS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume L, Issue 2, 19 September 1928, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 1928. CURRENT TOPICS.

The United Leader. The curiosity of the political quidnuncs who have been greatly intrigued for the past few months as to who will lead the United Party into action at the approaching General Election should now he satisfied. The conference held in Wellington, at which the selection of Sir Joseph Ward was made, showed that the party is united not only in name but in spirit and determination to restore the fortunes of Liberalism, and to place before the electors a policy which will make for the progress and prosperity of the Dominion. The acceptance of the position of leader by Sir Joseph AVard indicates that members of the party who have allowed petty personalities to overshadow their zeal in the cause of Liberalism are prepared to “get together” for the common good, and there can he no question that the conference will go a long way towards re-establishing the people’s party in popular favor.

The great need of the Dominion at the moment is a land policy,-and we doubt not that a man of Sir Joseph AVard’s wide experience will be able to place before the electors one which will assist in the solution' of many present-day problems. A Timely Warning. Everyone who watches the trend of events with any degree of. interest must cordially endorse the statement of Mr Harry Divers, a prominent Dunedin business man, who is closely identified with various branches of sport in New Zealand,, that sport is unduly transgressing business. He points out that apart from the heavy oust involved in touring, to the employers of labor the constant granting of leave to players is most irritating. “It seems that the better the player I lie more frequent are the demands upon bis employer. This cannot eontinue. Understand that I am not eiilirelv against tours, sav, every three or four years, but the thing is overdone bv annual policy. . . , The administration, the players and the business of the country cannot stand Ibese long' interprovincial tours, which take much time and money. Take, for instance, the team I am now with. It is costing us about £7OO for the trip. AATiile we are away the cup competition is lagging because of the absence of leading players.” No doubt the encouragement of a love of sport is a very fine thing in the building up of a nation, but we are much afraid that in New Zealand there is too great a tendency to make sport our god.