The Waipawa Mail. MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1929. PASSING NOTES.

Waipawa Mail, Volume LI, Issue 36, 9 December 1929, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1929. PASSING NOTES.

Political Personalities. Strong expressions are being bandied about in the Tintt contest in reference to the action of the various political parties concerning Public Service pay. Mr Kerr has accused the Reform leader of trickery, jobbery, and humbug. Formerly be said that the Labor amendment had been prearranged; now he has altered that to arranged. We believe the public attitude towards this wrangle will be one of disgust. Partisans will, of course, accept the views of their respective candidates; but independent electors will he more inclined to follow the example of the Judge in a recent notorious Sydney divorce suit —lind all the allegations proved and dismiss all the petitions. Mr Kerr has certainly been careless in his use of terms. What he probably intended to convey was a reflection on the sincerity of the Labor Party, and a suggestion that the Party’* motion was so framed (not “pre-arranged”) that it could not be supported by the Reform Party. Labor knew finite well that the Government would not accept the motion, so that Refoun support was necessary for its adontion. But if Kefonn supported it the Government would be defeated—which Labor evidently did not desire—and the credit for doing something for the Public Service would be divided.

Triangular Politics. None of the parties came out of the Pai lianientarv business with credit. United took the right course in accepting the recommendations of the Advisory Committee of departmental beads, but in doing so it had to admit that many of its members, when in Opposition, had acted without a full sense of their responsibility. Reform, to be consistent, should have given the Government straightforward support in rejecting the Labor motion. Instead, it made an attempt to score off the Labor bowling. Labor did its best to put the other parties in the wrong. The subsequent events have not restored party credit. Mr Holland has brazenly asked the Public Service to become political, and Reform and United, instead of insisting that such an issue should be kept out of party politics, have weakly allowed themselves to be drawn into the wrangle. This is what becomes of tringular politics. Plain and straightforward considerations of public policy are lost sight of in the passion for party manoeuvring. “Is it best for the country?” is less the test than “Is it. best for the party?” Sooner or later the country must take a hand

and tell the parties plainly that it is tired of their bargainings and twist.ings and turnings. There are great and pressing problems to be solved, and it is no time for petty bickering. The Labor Party has its solution, or rather several'solutions, according to the interpreter and the class of votes approached. The Labor plutfoun is not acceptable to the country, but if the non-Labor parties disgust tile voters by trivial wrangling they may find that Labor lias stolen a march on them.