"ONE MEMBER WENT."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1220, 31 August 1911, Page 5

"ONE MEMBER WENT."

CORONATION INVITATIONS.

SEARCHING QUESTIONS.

THE PREMIER'S STATEMENT,

Sir Joseph Ward, in (he House of Representative-; yesterday, made his proniked statement regarding the invitations which were sent by a committee of members of tho Imperial Parliament for members of tho Now Zealand Parliament to attend the Coronation. 'Die statement was followed by keen criticism ami persistent questions from tho Opposition side of tlio House.

The Prime Minister said that tho statement that he received certain invitations, and, for ponio reason of his own, withheld them from members, was absolutely untrue. Oα September 27 he received α-ooimnumeation from the Home Government, marked "Secret." Ho was unable to disclose the contents, but in order to ascertain whether he could send a reply, ho consulted the Leader of the Opposition. Ho did this with the concurrence of his Excellency tho Governor, ;?i. 10m tlle communication from tho Old Country had been sent. , Ho showed tho secret document to Mr. Massey, who no doubt renumbered that there was no invitation of any kind in that document, cither direct or indirect. It was an inquiry by tho Home Government for iniormation in view of (ho possibility of nn invitation being sent later on. Ho explained the position to the. Leader of tho Opposition, and suggested that if an invitation wore sent, three. Opposition members and five Government members should go. • Astonished. He was more than astonished, and so expressed himself to the Loader of tho Opposition, when ho road a sub-leader in Inn Dominion- of October 15, discussing a pleasant little excursion for certain members of the Government and members of Parliament." After reading the article in Tire Dominion-, the Premier said that the J/>ader of the Opposition assured him niat he had not given anything to The Dominion in regard (o the confidential interview and document. Somebody connected with the Leader of tho Opposition must have given it out. (Mr. Laurenson: Hear, hear.) Nobody but Mr. Mmso.v. and himself knew of tho matter, ana it was for the Opposition parly to clear themselves of tho imputation. .Someone had committed a gross breach of confidence. He was sure there had been no breach of confidence on the part of the editor or any i"omber of Tirr. Dosiixinx staff. Ho suggested to Mr. Massey that in tho event of tho proposal being siven effect to ho was prepared to give facilities to members of the House to go to England, nnd that he was agreeable to a postponement of the wssion until tlio end of August and of the general elections unlil February. He asked Mr. Massey to ascertain from tho members of his party whether they would be agreeable in the event of an invitation lieing received, to three of I heir number going to England. On tho following day, Mr. Massey informed him that none of his party could accept such an invitation. Then, at his request, (he Governor had cabled to London on November 2 asking whether the Prime Minister could make a full statement to Parliament, which was then sitting. Five days later, a reply was received that (ho arrangements for the proposed representation of the Parliaments of the Dominions were not sufficiently advanced to onablo the committoa to allow a statement to bo made, as a. premature statement would cause great inconvenience

The Federal Parliament. On October G, 1010, ho was interviewed by a representative of the "Evening Post" in connection with a cablegram slating that, members of the I'odcral Parliament would visit England. At that time, 116 invitation of any kiiul had been received, and he told the pressman that a circular similar to that sent to tho other selfgoverning Dominions had been received, and that if an invitation was received, the proportion of Now Zealand representatives would bo eight. The article in This Dominion gave an outline of the conversation between* himself and the Leader of the Opposition. ■ • Mr. JlassfcyYKo. The Prime -Minister said that the two suggestions regarding the postponement of the session and of the elections were embodied in the article, lie read a letter from Sir Charles Lucas, of the Colonial Office, stating that the invitation was sent to the self-governing Dominions by (eJegram on February 23. That telegram reached him on .lib following day, and on February 24, or February 27, he communicated tho invitation to every member of Parliament. ..The Upper House. Mr. Jlassey: Both Houses? The Prime- Minister: txo, only to tho members of this House. Only one. member, Mr. R. H. Rhodes, who was going to England in any case, replied that he was favourable to tho oronosal. Ho communicated this tact to the Imperial authorities. Tho invitation to members of the Legislative Council was sent because members of the House could not accept the invitation. The reply 1 on March 8 was that it was too latp. and that no homeward passages on the steamers were available. No mutation was sent from Homo until l'ebniary li or U. Mr. Hemes: Was there not some further correspondence about the Legislative Council? ~ ~ , The Prime Minister said that was immMr"aricrries:' Didn't tho Government communicate with'the Legislative Council. The Prime Minister: I don't know. I was away.- I don't lenow what my colleagues may have done.

Mr. Massey's.Recollec'iions. Mr. Massev said the Prime Minister had consulted him, as ho had said. The commuuication was to the effect that if a certain number of members would accept invitations they would bo sent. The Prime Minister said there was no suggestion that invitations would be ECiit, but' inquiry was inado as to \yhethcr eight members could go, if invitations wore sent. Jlr. Massey: "I was not so very wide of tlio mark." As the result of the conversation ho consulted'his party on the suggestions that the- session of 1011 should be postponed and the election delayed. They held the matter was too important to bo lightly dealt with, and with their concurrence he told the Prime Minister that no members of the. Opposition would be able to accept tl\o invitations, on account of the conditions us to tho .session and tho election which were imposed by tho Prime Minister. The Primo Minister said tho suggestion as to tho session was for tho benefit of all the members of Parliament, not tho eijht only. Far Too Much Secrecy. Mr. Ma=soy said ho and other Opposition members had been much disappointed in being unable, to accent tho invitations. Ho believed there had been no breach of confidence on his siilo of the House, and ho bad not given any ini'orma,liou to any newspaper about it. Tho Primo Minister had himself first disclosed something to the "Kvoning Post." It was just ii question of what was an invitation, and he hoped tho Prime Minister would be enabled to lay tho confidential document on the table of (he House. Who received the invitation to members of the Legislative Council? If it camo to tho Government, what happened to it? Thoro had been too much secrecy in t'he whole matter. A few days ago the subject was discussed in the House, and a member of the Government said lie thought tho invitations were an insult lo the numbers. Ho (Mr. Massey) hoped that statement had not gone beyond New Zealand, and bo still thought the cnminitleo at Hoim» should lie thanked liy the House (or an invitation which had met with very scurvy treatment. "Only the Fringe of '.ho Subject." Mr. W. 11. Hemes (Tauranga) said the Primo Minister had touched only the fringe of tho subject. He nnnfirniwl what the Trader of tho Opposition had said in regard to the conditions I,'iid down by the Prime Minister in regard to tho postponement of Parliament and Uie .elections. The Leader of the Opposition

had told them that after his interview with tho Primo Minister. Them could lie no doubt about Mint. Then they hal been told by tho Homo liewsnaper currespondents that after tho invfutions lu tho House, of Heprcsentativcs had been refused, an invitation had come to nnpther branch of (ho Legislature. That invitation had never been communicated to tho. people invited. They were left in. total ignorance of it. It'had been refused without. giving them a chance of saying whether they would accept' it or not. The reason given was that it was too lato (o get steamer 'passages. T)n-u a further invitation was received from the committee at Home, who stated they wore prepared to arrange for the passages of members of tto Council. But even then the communication was never sent to fhoso inviied. Some exnlnnation of this should be given. It fooked as if Hie Government had concealed something. Jlr. Mussey paid ho remembered (hat the Prime Minister said to him: "This means, Massoy, .that if you and I and the others go, it will be necessary to postpone the session." 110 mentioned putting off tho elections in the same way, and ho (Mr. Massey) replied that under such, conditions ho could not go. "Not What You Said." Sir Joseph Ward said a conversation liKo that related by MY. Massey did not take, place Ho thought it was very regrettable that it hud been suggested that he made, it a condition of tho eight members going that Parliament and the elections should be postponed. Mr. Massey: Does (he lion, gentleman say that it ho and I and tho eight membcre went nome, the session would bo proceeded with as usual? Sir Joseph Ward: Certainly. Mr. Mas?3y: "That's not what you said to me. ' Would tho Prime Minister deny that ho had twice caused Parliament to Ire postponed because*, ho was going Homo. Tho Prime Minister said that had nothing to do mth the present matter. Again-Why Not? Mr. ,T. Allen (Bruce) also pressed for fuller information regarding the invitation for Legislative Councillors. Why were the invitations not allowed to reach them ? Mr. G. M. Thomson (Duuedin North) thought the Prime. Minister must bo under soino misapprehension in regard to hia interview with Mr. Massey. Mr. W. C. Buchanan (Masterton) corroborated Mr. Massey's statement as to the attituue. of the Opposition. For his own part, ho had disclosed nothing. It was very strange that 19 members of tho Australian Parliament accepted the invitation, and only one member of this Parliament did so. The Hon. Thos. Mackenzie suggested that tho House should do some business. He did not think the country cared very much about the question. His recollection of what occurred in Cabinet was that the postponement of tho peasion nnd the elections referred to the larger question of members of tho House going. Tho discussion was toon afterwards allowed to drop.