MR. MILLAR'S POSITION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1400, 28 March 1912, Page 5

MR. MILLAR'S POSITION.

DECLINES TO. BE PLACATED. HIS FRIENDS DISSATISFIED. Secrecy has t-ecn tho watchword of tho "Liberal" party of Into, and most of its members have taken infinite pains to guard their underground activities from observation. It is significant of tho state into which "tho Forty" have fallen that some of them take up an exactly opposite position to that of tho majority, and frankly express their discontent at the existing state of affairs. One Government supporter who attended the caucus stated yesterday that ho did so with the intention of' voting against Mr. Mackenzie's appointment as leader. "You can tako it from me," he added, "that Mr. Millar will voto against tho new Government." While not going fuvthor into tho nmtler in any detail, this . member indicated clearly that ho and others wore not inclined to accept quietly the setting aside of ifr. Millar, but wore likely to give positive expression to their dissatisfaction at the proper time. It is definitely stated, on what appears to be good authority, that Mr. Millar absolutely declines to be. placated by the "Liberals" who havo rejected him as their leader. He is said to have been offered tho position of High Commissioner, and to have refused it. There seems no reason to doubt that "tho Forty," by ignoring Jlr. Millar's claims to the party leadership, havo assisted to' sot tho seal upon their own political doom. The full talo of his gricvaneoi will probably novcr be told, unless secrets of the Cabinet room, as well as those of party caucuses, are exposed. It is known, howevor, that Mr. Miliar was seriously nt issuo with t.lie retiring Prime Minister before tho late caucus assembled. In' spite of this, Mr. Millar's prospects of attaining the leadership were regarded as excellent until tho caucus mot, and during part of tho timo when it was sitting. Government members who wero spoken to just before tho caucus stated, with every appearanco -jf coufidence, that they had come to Wellington to elect Jlr. Millar as leader. Strango as it may appear, Mr. Isitt is said to have been tho member who initiated the movement which ended in Mr. Millar being rejected in favour of the junior member of the Ministry. It is said that Sir Joseph Ward endorsed Mr. Isitt's resistance to tho selection of Mr. Miliar, and that the three Labour members present, though they adopted a similar course, played only a minor part in the political drama. It is now protty generally accepted that Mr. Millar has taken up an attitude of uncompromising hostility to tho party which has treated him so'ungratefully, and will make it feel tho weight of his displeasure whon Parliament next assembles. It is expected that ho will tako np a position on the cross- ; benches.