THE ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2244, 2 September 1914, Page 7

THE ELECTIONS

QUESTION OF POSTPONEMENT

NO DECISION YET ANNOUNCEMENT IN TWO WEEKS The question of whether the elections should! be proceeded with at the usual time or postponed till next year was again raised in the House by Sir Joseph Ward last evening. The Leader of t(io Opposition Asked whether the Prime Minister' could inform tho House if he had definitely made up his mind when tho general elections would be held. A deferring of. an announcement by the Goverarient might put the people in the position of not knowing that the elections wore to take place until just before they happened. No general elections should take place urder a three months' notice to the public The official organisers on the Liberal side had stopped work during the present crisis, but he had been informed that an organiser of the Reform Party had not •done so. Sir Joseph Ward did not blame the Prime Minister for this. He had \\sce\\ i.o\& at, a cawews oi \>\» "B.e-. form Party it had been agreed that there would be an early election. The Prime Minister: No, that is not so. Sir Joseph Ward: Well, that has come from one of your own side. The Prime Minister': A member? Sir Joseph Ward: I am not saying who it was. It was a man of undoubted standing. . . . One must allude to those matters to try to ascertain what the (intention of tho Government is. 1 would like to see the elections postponed to avoid 1 a party clash. It was essential for the Prime Minister to decide without delay whether the elections were to be held this year o. next year.' ,H.o did not oeiieve it was desirable to Woia ftie elections dmrag a period oi I such activity in the Empire.

Not Considered by Government. The Kight Hon. W. F. Massey said that the Leader of the Opposition was of' course within his rights in asking the question, hup he could be assured and tlie House could be assured that the Government and the Government party had no' intention *of taking any advantage of the present crisis, but the Constitution. Act provided that Parliament expired by eflluxion of time at the end of the year, and that the election must bo held at about the same/time. Ii fho term o? l?av\\aiaicA\t is extended it could only be done by legislation and by very important legislation.. / Probably,;the bringing down of that legislation would be .sufficient notice to ,the public that tie term of Parliament would be extended,' and no election would be held in the present year. The difficulty was that in the ordinary course the elections would not be held ' for three months from- now, and no one could tell what 'the position in Europe would be in three, months. The war , might be over. It was impossible- to say even what the position might bt> a-month from now. Matters miglft. settie down, and if this occurred, he' thought ° the elections should be held. All ho wished wds to do the right thing. It mattered nothing to him whether the elections were hold this year or next year. The Government were prepared to take the opinion of the electors at any time. With regard to the question he was not prepareckto giye an'.opiJH ion' on it that night.':"The Government as a Government had never considered it, and it had never comer before the Cabinet or the oaucus. In this respeot the honourable gentleman's information was not correct. It had been said that ftio ©Wβ? OTg,amsGT of the Government Party , was still actively engaged in campaign work in the north. It was quito true that the organiser , had been in the north, but he had not been working, v The organiser was now in the south. It was also a fact that organisers for the Opposition had held meetings lately. Mr. T. W. Rhodes: At more than one pines. , '..■''.' Mr. Massey: Yes. Of course I do not hold the right honourable gentleman responsible for this. Finally Mr ._ Massey stated that Tie proposed to bring the maUeT teSoie CaVraeb \n ttia next tao weeks, and he would be able to make a statement on or before September 15, as to whether the elections were to bo postponed or whether they were to be hold as usual. , . Difficulties For Both Sides. Sir Joseph Ward said that in view of the Prime Minister's.reply, ho must assume that the elections were to be hold this year, and act accordingly. The Government ought to be able to come to a decision on the question in half an hour, and. the decision ought'to be to. defer the elections. Mi. Leo; T?ot vjuat time? ■ ._*. ' Sir Joseph Ward: I don't name a time. , ' ■ ' . Mr. Davoy: Twelve months. Sir Joseph Ward said that no class iiv the- community wished that an election should be carried on while the war was going on.' Mr. Maiisey said he would like to remind, the honourable gentleman that if things settled down the eleotions should be.held.' To postpone an election was a most serious business. Hβ would remind the honourable gentleman that during the Boer war there was a New.Zealand election and a British election, and that an election was going on in -Australia now. The Leader of the Opposition had said that his position was difficult, but so iras that of the Leader of the Government. "If," said Mr. Massoy, "we propose to postpone the elections, at once it will be said that we want to hang on to ofOpposition members: No. Mr. Massey: Oii the other hand, if we say wo want to hold the electione they will say w-e want to take advantage of the present position. He aseured the House that the Government was only anxious'to do wha.t was richt. He was not_ of opinion that tfiree months' notice was ■ necessary before the holding of an election. If the elections were to be postponed for how long was the .postponement to be? There, was no certainty, that the war would be over before the end of next ■ear. If the war was still going on, was there to be another postponement? Ho Mpeated his promise to; pake .a' statement at the earliest possible moment and certainly within a fortnight.