Public Opinion UNITED AND LABOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 287, 3 December 1929, Page 6

Public Opinion

UNITED AND LABOUR

Sir, —The Auckland Star, a United paper, chides the United Party for splitting the anti-Rcform vote in the Hutt. It says: “On the face of things, it looks as if the Government would have been well advised had it left Mr Walter Nash to win the seat for Labour.” Thus speaks the most influential United paper in New Zealand. On th c other hand, other United papers deplore the splitting of the anti-Re-form vote but blame the Labour Party for it, urging that the Labour candidate should stand down in favour of the United Party which has held the seat hitherto.

United and Labour have certainly played into each others bauds during the Parliamentary session: the chief concern of th e United Government has been to avoid offending its Labour supporters, and the chief concern of the Labour Party has been to avoid endangering or embarrassing the United Party by agreeing to the doubling of the .primage duty, thus increasing the cost of living to the workers. Thus again Labour, in framing its motion on public service salaries, took careful safeguards to prevent any motion being supported by Reform and carried. In return, the United Government promised Mr H. E. Holland his ridiculous Nelson-Westport railway. And so it has gone ou. Now we hear persistent rumours that the United Party and the Labour Party are negotiating with a view to formal coalition or even amalgamation. The fact to be faced by the electors is that there are really only two choices before them —Reform on the one hand, and the United-Labour combination on thc other. For those who ar e opposed to the Reform Party and its constructive progressive policy, it doe s not seem to matter very much whether they vote for the United half or the Labour half of the present combination. I am, etc., ÜBIQUE, November 29.