THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1405, 3 April 1912, Page 5

THE POLITICAL CRISIS.

MR. MASSEY INTERVIEWED. THE MINISTRY & ITS TACTICS. • POSITION OF THE OPPOSITION(By Telenraph.-PreEs Association.) Auckland, April 2, Several aspects of the political situation went diseased by tho Leader of the Opposition (Mr. \V. F. Ma-soy) in an interview to-day. When the reconstruction of (lie Government was announced, Mr. Masscv was travelling in Tnrauaki, and his return to Auckland to-day afforded the first opportunity f::r a pressman to ascertain his opinions upon tho new Ministry.

"Rio far as 1 am able to judge," said Mr. Massey, "the position is thoroughly well understood. People see a set of men iii power who have got there as tho result of methods which are not creditable to (hem, and aro certainly not creditnble to tho country. Theso men make up a Min-istry-without any opinions on which its members aro agreed, and so far as it is po-sible to judge, without a majority behind it. Therefore, it appears as a,' Ministry which does not possess the confidence of the country, and which is apparently afraid to face tho House until the last, possible moment. "Tho new Ministry has advised the Governor to prorogue I'arliumcnt until Juno JT. That date falls on a Thursday. Tho Government has no authority to spend money after .Tune 30, so it will ask lor Supply on Friday, June L'S, and tlio real business of the cession will' no( commence until the following week or the beginning of July. I am confident such tactics will not commend themselves to tho right-thinking people of the community, and I also express the opinion that no Ministry worthy of the country would adopt- them." DisWi-sing the position of the Opposi-tion,-Mr. Massey said that the Keform party,., both cut'-ide Parliament and inside, was never more determined and never more enthusiastic than it is to-day. "There was a feeling of disappointment at the result of the want-of-conhdonce motion during the short session," he remarked, ['but that has been succeeded by a determination to have sentenced at the bar of public opinion those who did (lie wire-pulling, who brought pressure to bear on inexperienced members, and who ai:' in that and other respects responsible for one of the darkest pages in the political history of Kev/ Zealand."

Asked if lie could give some indication nf the future tactics of the Ttrfnrm parly, Mr. Jius-'cy said lie could hardly answer that question. "All I call say," lie added, "is that wn shall do our duty to the country to tho best of our ability and judgment'. When the. timo pomes for a majority to plneo us on the Treasury benches, we shall not shirk our responsibilities, mid let mo assure you that when we get lliere, there will be no hiding behind a fence. The present Ministry in nor in the humiliating position in which T foresaw it would I)'; landed by the unworthy tactics employed by its parly prior to. awl during, last session. It is probably just as well (hat it should remain there for some little time to come. What has happened and what is happening suits r.s exactly." POSSIBILITY OF A DISSOLUTION. VIEWS OF TITK OPPOSITION LEADITR. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, April 2. Tho possibility of a dissolution was discussed by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Massey) tliirinjf an interview to-day. "My own opinion is, there will bo no election for somo time," said Mr. Mnssey. "Still, it is well to b? ready for a general election, and • by tho way one of the mo-t 'encouraging 'indications is the fact that in several districts where on the bist occasion the Reform party had a difficulty in securing candidates, Rood men l'.uvc nh'cvjy announced (hemselves to me as willing to come forward at the first opportunity."

THE REFORM LEADER

(By Tclcernpli-I'rw* Association.l Auckland, April 2. iifr. Massoy (Leaik-r of the Opposition) will leave Auckland at the end of this wool; for Wellington, where ho lias some private bitsiupss. lie will go on south, having accepted an invitation to attend th? hanouot in honour of Mr. C. A. (''. Hardy (former member for Sehvyn) at Mcthven on April 10. Mr. Massey expects to ha airay from Auckland nljout a fortnight. SIR JOSEPH WARD. WILL NOT LEAVE XBW ZEALAND. Addressing the officers of Ihe Treasury Department yesterday, Sir Joseph Ward told them that they were hound to tee him in the future somewhere.

"I am not going out of New Zealand," he continued. "I want to niako that clear, becauso some people have an idea that I am poiiifj to some, other part of the world, (o make my permanent residence there. Jam going to he in tho public life of this country, I hope, for many years to come. There may be a lew 'people who would he, perhaps, happier, if they got rid of me, but this is a free country, and we can dp as we, .like in nur respective walks of life, so long os we obey the law, and 1. always do ilia!. 1 bid yon farewell. An revoir, but not good-bye."