POLITICAL CHANGES

Waikato Times, Volume 90, Issue 14027, 2 April 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL CHANGES

SIGNS OF THE TIMES. ADJUSTING THE POSITION(SpeciaI Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Commenting upon the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald's recent statement in regard to the difficulties besetting the National Government, the Dominion this morning accepts as inevitable the early dissolution of the Reform-Liberal combination. "One thing is very obvious," it says, "and that is that the National Government under existing conditions has nothing to offer. And the reason is to be found in the fact that those forming the Government expect very soon to be divided into separate camps." This is no new conviction brought home to what was formerly described, usually derisively, as the Reform organ by the events of the last few weeks, but the deliberate conclusion of a careful observer of public opinion that has been surprisingly ready to read the social and economic lessons of the war and to adopt the new outlook upon political life. This new apostle of progress takes the acting leader of the Liberal Party to task for having suggested that certain politicians were trimming their party sails to catch, the progressive wind. "If Mr MacDonald," it retorts, "lias not changed any of his opinions as the result of the war and conditions arising out of the war, then he must be a very much duller man than he is credited with being. The one thing to-day this country will not tolerate is a political party too wooden or too deeply buried in its own self-compla-cency to have profited by the lessons of the war." The hit is a pcriectly fair one, and Mr MacDonald cheerfully admits the fact, but the Minister still thinks there is some difference in the purposes to which the lessons of the war may be turned. One of the good results Mr MacDonald expects to follow upon the association of Liberals and Reformers in the National Cabinet is a much improved personal feeling between the parties. "This," he declares warmly, "will be a matter for general congratulation." But whichever party may be in power he wants to see the Opposition doing its constitutional duty. "There are difficult times before us," he says, "and the country will require a strong, capable Parliament to steer it through them. A graver responsibility than ever will rest upon the electors in choosing their representatives, and upon the representatives in dealing with the vast new problems that have arisen. There need be no party bickerings, but there must be very earnest political action." This all is good common sense and, coming from the blunt Minister of Agriculture, it sounds like the real thing.