THE ELECTIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 277, 25 November 1935, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS

ONLY TWO MORE DAYS CAMPAIGN NEARS ITS END A VERY IMPORTANf I<MJ. After very strenuous campaign can d-dates for the support of the electors' tn various parts of New Zealand arc approaching the last stage of the journey. None of them will In? disappointed when the campaign ends, irrespective of whether they win or lose. Naturally, every candidate is out t<» win, and jubilation will naturally fol-, low when victory is assured, but for those towards whom the flag of <!»• feat is waved there will come relaxa Hon and well-earned res’. Every can i'.date is in the fray from genuine motiie-. each a believer in hi- uwn • ause. For >onie the task will i»e to • -arry on and govern. For other* defeat will mi»an a journey back to the . normal path* of life, and for that 1 •cost of them will be well and truly i hankful. But when the election eno- ?o will ■•nd. too. the estaidi'liioent ©f various ’•ramps’* of political beliefs, and the • ountry will .settle ba-k oner more to ■ normal trend of thing? to watch :> trsh the progress of the country. Writing in that strain pre • oneeives 1x1:1*? change from the present steady • rdrr of strong Government. This ountry i« a deep thinking ” country really, jealous of its loyalty, jealous of ■r nearness in temperament to Britain. \nd in a time of importance such as this the average New Zealander, notwithstanding the tie- of partv, is aide :«> appreciate just what is right and what is wrong. There have been rare ••-casions when New Zealanders base forsaken their stand o‘ sound common -on-e. and to use a colloquialism, have ‘gone chasing rainbow.-.’’ The ■seventy millions bait.** of 1928, sponsored bv the organiser of the present Democrat Party. Mr. Davey. was one •»f rhe temptation* which led New Zealanders sadly astray. They came back in a real sense of proportion very soon r. ter that election, and to a realisation i nat th<» seventy millions was as elu- *> e as the brightest of bright rainletcrniine what wilt happen, because vote splitting the dominant evil. New Zealand, looked at from the four rornre? of common *ense. is a two-party • ountry—the National Government and Labour. In this issue the jreople have long since realised that, and are seek mg a way make sure that their »ote- will not Lt- wasted. The elections in Britain proved * otu-lusively • hat there is no :«*al “middle party.” the term might l»e used. Thtfre are ‘wo. not three side-, to the problem, and the issue before the electrons narrows down to that. The National Go' emment. »w definitely, has made it plain that any vote cast against Government candidate? is a vote for Labour. Judging by expressions of opinion in various quarters of the Wangam.i. Kangitikei and Patea electorates. there i« an awakening dread as to what is likely to happen if Labour • er ga n» the oxeted position a- the Gov erumen: of this ••ountry. and electors arc asking themselves as to howto record their vote to prevent that happening. Faced with the pledge uf the Democrats to vote with Labour to pat the Government out. the average elector. es[»eeially those who have any sort of stake in the country at all. appears to in- hesitant. That fart, and the result of the British elections, have •ombined to swing the pendulum of regard still further in favour of the National Government. Men and women in all walks of life have taken that stand within the past few days. In « iivel*. s he whole trend of public feeling appear? to tie definitely -winging toward? a Government which placed unpopularity before themselves in order to safega&rd the backbone of this Dominion—the farming rommun:y. No refutation can be brought of the fact that New Zealand, at the pres•nt time, depends wholly upon the farmer. Secondary industries are desirable and will come in time, with increasing population, but in the meantime 8v per cent, of New Zealand is represceted by the farmer, and any party which has taken a stand against ail that ha* i»een done for the farmer w ill be lucky not to find itself on tlm Treasury Benches. If it get* to the Treasury Benches pledged to undo the

has -rt up for the farming community, phen it will be a sorry tale it will have to bring back tv the electors In the i v cry near future. These cold, sane facts ar» leaking through the great I barrag• of words and propaganda j which ha> been pumped into the people ! throughout the past few weeks. New ! Zealand, with its million and a half | population, w ill not equal Britain as - an industrial centre for half a century. ■ perhaps more. and. in the meantime, ! the electors must be careful to look |at Wednesday’? problem from the point of view that this is a country which produces butter, cheese, meat and wool for that vast industrial market in Great Britain, and such other . ountriv? a? trade barrier? will permit. There will be a hard final two days’ campaigning, when the candidate? will traverse again the ground they hav'i so often traversed, and on Wednesday the people’s judgment will be registered. If it is registered with the average common sense with which New Zealanders are gifted all will be well, if prudence is cast to rhe winds and all that has gone before is under mined, we will face another three year®, at least, of national unsteadiness. during which we may again have to suffer the dark days of a year or so ago. So far it has been a hard road, but >t has been a comparatively safe road. Bank* have not closed their doors, there has been no bloodshed, no overthrow of the power of democracy. Everybody has made sacrifices, some more than others, but to make amends tor those sacrifices seems to be to keep on along the rad rather than leave | it for some by-way which may appear ■to have a rainbow at the other end, j nut about which nothing concrete is