THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18410, 17 June 1925, Page 8

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

QUESTION OF FUSION. TO-MORROW'S CONFERENCE. (SPZCIAL TO "tieb pbess.") WELLINGTON, June 16. The committees representing tho Boform and the Liberal Parties arc to meet in "Wellington to-morrow to discus 3 tho subject of fusion. There aro to be four representatives from each side, but tho names of tho respective quartets havo not been announced. It will not be surprising if Messrs W. A. Veitch (Wanganui), R. Masters (Stratford), and J. Horn (Wakatipu) ,are members of tho Liberal team. The Prime Minister stated before he left for Auckland that tho names of the Reform representatives would not be mado officially available for publication till to-morrow morning. It is gathered that members of thr rank-and-file of tho Reformers will be concerned with the initial conference, this infereneo being drawn from an observation made by tho Priino Minister in tho courso of a recent announcement. It is believed that Mr Coates docs not intend to figuro in tho proceedings at all, but if the negotiations go past tomorrow's conference, other members of the Cabinet might come into the picture. Gravo doubt is expressed as to whether to-morrow's conference will result in anything worth while being arrived at.

FRANKLIN BY-ELECTION. MR COATES'S ADDRESS. (special to "the puxss.") AUCKLAND, Juno 16. "Some may say that I am a large landowner,"' said tho Prime Minister at Pukekohe. "As a matter of fact tho size of my actual holding is 182 acres: There may bo a piece more coming to me some; day, but that deponds on how I behave nryself in tho meantime. The. position to which I havo been elected is not of my own seeking. That is admitted. The men who support our side in Parliament have asked mo to take tho Prime Ministership and to lead tho Party. I have accepted, and I fully appreciate the great honour that has been done mo. Tho leader of the Government had died, and now that tho end of the present Parliament was drawing near, it was their duty to complete tho task which Mr Massey had set himself and, having done that, to go to tho country and ask it what it wanted. Ministers of the present Government intended to be perfectly straightforward, and lot the electors decide whom they wanted to govern the Dominion." Mr Coates went on to pay a tribute to his late leader. "We have to tackle his work and see it through," ho declared. "I believe wo can find men capablo of doing tho work. I am no orator," said Mr Coates, in drawing his speech to a close, "but I ask you to remember on Wednesday your responsibility to tho memory of ono of the great men of New Zealand, by returning to Parliament a gentleman who 1 will follow in the footsteps of the EE. Hon. W. F. Massey. Again I say, it is for. the sensible and reasonable section "of the community (if I may put it that way) to get together. Naturally, liko tho chairman, I am glad to know that many old Liberals who never supported Mr Massey arc to-day supporting his candidate, because they Snow Mr McLennan, and have a wholesome respect for the man who has' left us. I ask you to let us finish this Parliament and work, which Mr Massey set himself to complete. I ask l you to return Mr McLennan with no uncertain majority." Mr Coates again paid a short tribute to Mr Massey who, he said, had been an inspiration to him and an ideal man to work with. Ho had given him a free hand, and had promised to support him whether ho succeeded or incurred blame front the public. Finally the speaker appealed to the electors to put the "leasehold tenure and the Nationalisers in the place where they belonged. "I do not say that Mr Montgomerie has not land experience," ho remarked, "buT don't give him and tho Labour Party an opportunity, for Heaven's sake, to try on other -people the little schemes which "they aro not game to try themselves."

PRIME MINISTER'S CAMPAIGN. (PRBSS ASSOCIATION TBLIOBAM.) AUCKLAND, Juno 16. The Prime Minister spent a busy day in the Franklin electorate to-day, bringing his election campaign to a close by travelling some 50 miles, and making no fewer than six speeches. Everywhere he was received with the greatest enthusiasm, and only once—at Otahtthu —did he have to deal with an interruption. He comes on to Auckland to-morrow.