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POLITICAL PLOT

TO OUST MR. HUGHES

' INTRIGUE DISCOVERED Melbourne, January 18. An altogether unexpected development occurred in the Federal political situation to-day. An intrigue was discovered between the Opposition and a section of tho Ministerial Party having for its object the ejection of the . Hughes Ministry and the substitution of another Cabinet, composed of those who, -while sitting behind tho Government, are not satisfied with its administration. Immediately the plot was discovered prompt action was taken by Ministers and the .Government Whips, witli the result that the plan fell through. Loyal Nationalists (says the "Sydney Morning Herald") aro indignant at what tliey term the treachery of a section of the party. It is considered by many Ministerialists, and by some members of the Cabinet, that the present position cannot continue. Tho Ministry does not propose to allow itself to be hustled into ill-considered changes, but it is regarded as almost certain that within the next few weeks there will be a reconstruction of the Ministry. It is probable that the Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes) will take a few days' holiday as soon as Parliament has closed, and that the Cabinet will' then meet and discuss the wholo situation. Very likely the party will also be called together. What the result of the Cabinet and party deliberations will be it is impossible to say, but it is felt to be inevitable that changes in the personnel of tho Cabinet will take place. The plot was to move an amendment to the motion of no-conlidenco submitted by the leader of the Opposition (Mr. Tudor) calling upon the present Ministry to resign and make way for a new Ministry from the Nationalist Party. It had been arranged that this amendment should be moved by Mr. Austin Chapman, and so well was the secret kept that it was not until about 4 o'clock that the Ministry got the first inkling, of the movement. It is understood that the amendment which.Mr. Chapman was to have moved emphasised tho need for reinforcements, and declared that they should only be obtained by the co-operation of both parties. After setting out the position in this way the amendment went on to declare that the co-operation of the two parties could only be secured by the resignation of the present Ministry and the election of another Ministry from within the Nationalist Party. Although the Ministry was in complete ignorance of what was in the air until late this afternoon, it is now stated that the Opposition were aware of the plot, and were actually negotiating with the dissatisfied Ministerialists at least 24 hours earlier. The fact is borne out by remarks made yesterday to which no importance was attached at the time, but which are exceedingly significant in the light of subsequent events. During the sitting of the House yesterday afternoon a-leading member of the Opposition' was'heard to say to a member of the Ministerial corner party: "Fourteen will do it." Subsequently the following cryptic utterance was also heard to pass between a member of the. Opposition and one'of those who, it is believed, would have voted for tho amendment: "Fourteen and nineteen make thirty-three." Even then the significance of those observations was not realised, for it was thought by the great majority of members of the Nationalist Party that all crises had passed as a result of their receut meetings, and no thought of a plot against the existence of tho Government entered the heads of those who heard the conversations referred to. When, however, the news leaked out that an attack had been planned the meaning of theso numbers became apparent. When the vote f.n tho . noconfidence motion was taken there were in the House of Representatives to-day 19 members of the Opposition and 43 members of the Ministerial Party. In addition there were two or three supporters of the Ministry on whose absence its opponents could not count. It is, therefore, apparent that, in order to assure a majority for Mr. Chapman's amendment, 14 defections from the Nationalist Party had to be effected, How many promises of support Mr. Chapman obtained from members of his own party is, of course, impossible to say, as the aniendment did not actually come before the House. So soon as they learned of it, Ministers and the Government Whip (Mr. Greene) became exceedingly active, and when heads had been counted they were confident that they had a majority to defeat the plot. For a time, however, : the fate of the Ministry seemed to be in doubt, and the atmosphere in the lobbies, which had been "calm and unruffled while the Opposition was making its formal attack against the Ministry, became electrical. Exceedingly plain speaking was indulged in by members of the two sections of the Ministerial Party. There were, all the elements of a dramatic political development, but the dissatisfied Nationalists cither expected defeat or feared the possibility of a dissolution following upon success, for at the last moment tho amendment was not proceeded with. When the House divided on the no-confidence motion the Ministerial Party'voted solidly against it. The Cabinet met to-night, and sat for somo time, but it is not expected that any development will take place for at least a fortnight. Sir V/illiahi Irvine Explains. Sir William Irvine subsequently made the following statement: — "With respect to the alleged 'plot' amongst the members of the Ministerial Party, which is stated to have been exposed at the last moment, 1 think it right to make a full statement of the facts which are known to myself m relation thereto. In the first place I take full responsibility for having suggested the proposed amendment, but the members whose names aro mentioned below' desire me to state that they share to the full that responsibility. „ The facts are as follow: — t "After luuch on Friday afternoon 1 Messrs. Boyd, Sampson, Leckie, and I discussed tho position which had arisen on the vote of censure. It was decided to propose an amendment 'that the effective prosecution of the war and the securing of the necessary reinforcements without the power of conscription can only be brought about by the co-opera-tion of both parties in Parliament; that such-co-operation, in tho opinion of tho House, can best be secured by the retirement of the nrescnt Government .from office, and the formation of a new Ministry from within the Nationalist Party? No discussion of any such proposal had taken place before the timo mentioned. Tho aniendment, as soon as it was framed, was communicated by Mr. Boyd to Mr. Massoy Greene, the Government Whip. After this Mr. j Chapman was asked, as one of tho few members who had not spoken in tho debate, to move the amendment,, and lie assented. Up to this time he had no knowledge of the proposal. A discussion then took placo between certain members of tho Ministry. After this it was decided to await the statement of what would, on fuller consideration, bo the attitude of the Government, both with respect to tho pledge which members had given and its proposal for obtaining tho necessary reinforcements, and tlie amendment was not proceeded with. There was no secrecy whatever about tlio matter, and no 'discovery' other than that already referred to as'

having been made by Mr. Boyd to the Government Whip; nor was there at any time any communication relating to tiic matter made to any member or members of the Opposition." Sir William Irvino speaks of matters that came .only within his personal knowledge. When his immediate followers discovered that negotiations had been in progress to defeat tho Government in a way that would have brought tho Opposition into office, they immediately rallied to the support of the Cabinet.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19180129.2.44

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,290

POLITICAL PLOT Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 6

POLITICAL PLOT Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 112, 29 January 1918, Page 6

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