POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

AN OPPOSITION CANARD,

ABOUT. DISSENSION IN THE GOV. ERNMENT.

Under the heading, "I'll Wring Tour Nose," the local anti-Reform newspaper published an article yesterday morning, ■in which not very circumstantial stories were told of dissensions in 'the Cabinet, a quarrel which led to a threat of violence, nnd which" niiglit have culminated in actuaWiolenco but for the intervention of other, members, and of disaffection in the ranks of tho Reform party generally. An extract had better bo quoted to show exactly, what the newspapei' printed. "It is current .talk 'that a little, while ago, one of-the-Ministers left a Cabinet meeting in a rage, slamming the door behind him. Next came a story that only a few weeks ago, a member of Cabinet. Jiad S hotaltercation .with a Minister who had just returned from a trip abroad. Following., iipon this, : there is the confirmed' story 'of a quarrol-' between two Reformers at a certain committee meeting a't. the end of last week—a quarrol in which blows, were just averted by the intervention ■ of tho remaining members. "The Reform chairman's 1 procedure was, it is said, objected to by a Reform member of the committee, and a series of threats, exclamations, • and general unpleasantness followed.' Amid the.uproar, tlio chairman was told liy the . member, that he would have'his nose wrung, 1 tor which tho chairman replied that he was as good a man as the other noble Reformer, if not better. The quarrel was ended after pleas for peace had'been made by,'the 'other committeemen."

When askec\ yesterday whether the story was true or not, the Prime Minister said there vfid .mfc'a'n' atom..of 'truth; in 1 that part of it relating to the Cabinet. "There is not tlio very .slightest foundation," he said, "for tho statement that matters are not 'running smoothly in 'the Ministry. Tho statement that/a'member of the Cabinet left, a 'meeting in n rage ■ i» absolutely ' untrue. Nothing of the sort took place.- As a matter of faqt.members, of the Ministry- are a particularly happy family., Since,we came into office n year ago there has been no friction among us whatsoever. I can only imagine that in the'mind'of the author'of the paragraph the . wish was father to the thought." ,

Mr.. Jlassey referred the reporter 'making the inquiry to .Jfr. D. H. ; Gnthrie, the 6enior Government Whip, for a reply to the- allegations as to internal troubles in the.party. - Sir. Guthrie was equally emphatic in his denial.of .the truth of the statements. "There; is abrolutely no'foundation for any ono of the statements concerning members of the party," he said. The greatest unanimity' has always prevailed, and is at present prevailing among members on all matters of party interest. : I am liot aware of any difference of opinion that would ho-ye made a foundation for the writing of such an article as. that published. I know of no difference of opinion, no violence, no violent language, and 110 caire for any violence or violent language. The fact is that members are now more closely bound' togqthcr as a pflTty thhncver before. No one is aware of .any question likely to arise that will cause a discordant note to he struck by any member of the party."

From subseauent inquiries as to the beginning'of the story that two members of a committee had como near to blows it appeared that the two members referred .to must liave been Mr. Bradney and Mr. r Anderson. Mr.: Bradney is in Auckland,' but Mr. Anderson returned from there last evening. ' Mn Anderson .refused ■lo take seriously the suggestion put tohim.bv a reporter that he had come near to quarrelling with Mr. Bradney.. At a.meeting of a committee he had disagreed With Mr. Bradney on a question that was not of great importance, but neither of them had, keenly,abgiij; it. and neither of them 'had thought' of .losing his temper.

He was good friends with Mr. Bradney. had'atiyays .been so, and the incident had not in the slightest decree disturbed the friendly relationship. "The whole' story is an unmitigated lie," he said with emphasis. - ' COUNCIL REFORM. The sub-committee of the Committee of the Legislative Council set up to investigate tho proposals oontained in the Bill to make the Legislative Council an, elective »body has been busy collecting. and collating all available information on the proposals. The two main\ features.of the Bill are the elective principle and the proportional representation method of election. "It is improbable that the committee ■will take any evidence, as tfiere are no. ascertainable facts, in dispute. Differences of opinion .there are, but these, it i,9 thought, can be as well reduced to some common denominator by evidence already on record as by any that is likely to be obtained hero. '