tieeiew or Recieirs, 20ll/06. 



DEMOCRACY IN NEW ZEALAND. 



j* FIFTEEN YEARS OF LIBERALISM, jt 



By Emil Schwabe, Chief Parliamentary Reporter " New Zealand Times." 



Tomlimon.'] Th Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, IPhoto. 



Premier of New Zealand since 1893; also Colonial Trea- 

 surer, Minister of Education, Minister of Defence, Minis- 

 ter of Labour, and Minister tor Immigration. 



The visit to Australia of the Right Hon. R. J. 

 Seddon, Premier of New Zealand, early in April next 

 (at the close of the colony's financial year), to dis- 

 cuss with Federal Ministers matters affecting the 

 Avelfare of the Commonwealth and New Zealand, 

 lends more than passing interest to the political con- 

 test from which Mr. Seddon's administration has 

 just so triumphantly emerged. 



The student of politics in Australia who has become 

 used to the rapid rise and fall of Ministries, both 

 State and Federal, may well cast his eyes over New 

 Zealand, and wonder why for twelve years the colony 

 has known only one Premier, and for fifteen years 

 only one Liberal administration. It is difficult for 

 the average Australian, not being conversant with 



the local conditions aat sway the electors, to under- 

 stand the reasons fo. the existence of the continuous 

 Liberal Ministry. Prior to 1890 the Conserva tives 

 for many years had things politically very much their 

 j\vn way. Then came the elections following the 

 maritime strike, into which New Zealand workers 

 were sympathetically drawn by their co-workers in 

 Australia. These elections sounded the death knell 

 of Conservatism in New Zealand. Since then the 

 wave of Liberalism has gained so much in strength 

 that in December last it engulfed the whole of New 

 Zealand to such an extent that 64 Liberals were 

 returned out of a Parliament of 80 members — truly 

 a marvellous record in the history of self-governing 

 colonies. 



The election returns came as a surprise even to 

 Mr. Seddon. • He had passed through a session — - 

 the last of the fifteenth Parliament — that was excep- 

 tionally trying, and at the close there were not want- 

 ing signs that the Opposition intended to make the 

 greatest political fight since the last Atkinson Gov- 

 ernment held office. " If we don't succeed this time," 

 said one of their lieutenants, Mr. Duthie, during the 

 election, " I don't know when the Opposition will 

 again make such an effort." Mr. Duthie himself was 

 amongst the fallen. An Opposition never numeri- 

 cally strong since 1890, came out of the election 

 rrippled and torn ; in fact, it was practically anni- 

 hilated. Mr. W. F. Massey, leader of the Opposi- 

 tion, writing shortly before the election said, " At- 

 tempts are constantly being made to identifv the 

 present Opposition with the party which was defeated 

 in 1890. Those who are opposed to us politically 

 are generally careful to encourage the idea by speak- 

 ing of Opposition members as Tories and Conser- 

 vatives ; but those who understand the position will 

 agree with me that there are men on the Opposition 

 side of the House who have the principles of 

 Liberalism as truly at heart as those on the Govern- 

 ment side have. ... I feel that they (my col- 

 leagues) are strong, able and patriotic, and that the 

 policy for which they stand must in the end prevail." 

 Like others. Mr. Massey had not read the times 

 aright. Instead of his party " in the end " prevailing, 

 it was, as has been pointed out, almost extinguished ; 

 so much so, that the leader of the Opposition now 

 leads a forlorn hope. Men like Sir William Russell 

 (a former leader of the Opposition), Mr. John 

 Duthie (an old Parliamentarian, who represented 

 largely the commercial interests), Mr. W. C. 



