The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1925. A BUSINESSLIKE POLICY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19445, 3 November 1925, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1925. A BUSINESSLIKE POLICY

In the simple and temperate language which has come to be regarded as characteristic of him. the Prime Minister this morning makes his final appeal to the electors on the eve of the polls. We would like to urge every elector to read carefully every word that Mr. Coates has said, for we are sure that his plain, straightforward statement of the political position and his very modest and moderate outline of his policy will help the electors to understand what is the right thing for them to do when they enter the polling booths to-morrow. Mr. Coates makes no attempt to cloud issues; he scorns any involved statement that might perhaps hoodwink a few voters. His methods are those of honesty and dignity. The policy put forward by the Prime Minister should now be familiar to all electors. There is no sensationalism in it. There are promises, but not mere electioneering promises. Mr. Coates does not say that the Reform Government will give any section of the electors anything that they happen to cry for, as is the case with some parties. He lays down on broad lines a policy which appears to him to be calculated to meet the greatest needs of the Dominion, and what he promises is that he will aim at progress along those lines, first satisfying himself by thorough investigation that what he takes in hand will be for the good of the whole community. The National Party, such as it is, has issued a whole crop of promises. The Labour Party has elaborated a platform, which has the merit of being definite, but the serious demerits of being revolutionary and aiming to do things for one section of the people at the expense of all the rest. The safe policy is that propounded by Mr. Coates. It is based upon the Reform Party's record of achievement and its knowledge of the responsibilities that must be borne by those who are entrusted with the conduct of the nation’s business. Perhaps we may best describe the Government ’s policy by saying that it is businesslike. The Reform Party has given this country businesslike administration, and its legislative proposals are equally businesslike. The National Party has tried to make a show by borrowing planks from other people s platforms, and Labour has built its platform out of visions. Reform has discarded everything but solid planking, and the result is a platform that will stand any test.

Led by its businesslike Prime Minister, whose record of practical reform in the administration of the principal Departments of State is known to everyone, the Reform Party submits itself to the judgment of the electors. Those who believe that the business of the nation should be run on business lines will cast their votes to-morrow for the perpetuation of the Reform Government and all it means to the Dominion—sound administration in a businesslike way, clean government, the promotion of development and prosperity, and a fair opportunity for every citizen.