“THE THINKING SECTION”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 197, 21 August 1931, Page 6

“THE THINKING SECTION”

I'Hl’j Wanganui Herald asks: “When will the time arrive when Mr Coates and the other members of the Reform Party realise the grave injury they are causing to the prestige of their own party, and to New Zealand, by their pusillanimous attitude in connection with the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes’ broadminded offer in the matter of the formation of a National Government? If the country’s distress has not made any appeal to them surely the desire to rehabilitate themselves in the estimation of the thinking section of the community should have induced them to change their extraordinary attitude.’’ By what right has the Wanganui Herald to speak for, or on behalf of, “the thinking section of the community.” It doesn’t do its own thinking. How then can it speak for those who do? If the Wanganui Herald is standing for country before party, why has it not denounced the conduct of Mr M. H. Oram, the erstwhile Reformer, who is to-day the United Party candidate for Palmerston North, recently going into the Rangitikei electorate and trying to promote a fusion move which aimed at retaining the seat for Mr Hogan Mr Hogan has proved by his voting that he cannot be relied on to support Mr Forbes in matters essential to the rehabilitation of the country. The Wanganui Herald will soon have to do some thinking for itself; it will have to decide whether it will support Mr Hogan, who will not support Mr Forbes unless he feels like it, or whether it will throw its weight into the scale on behalf of a candidate whose conduct after election can be assessed. The Wanganui Herald may decide this matter for itself, but until it has done this piece of private thinking it had better not presume to represent “the thinking section of the community.”