A FEW CORRECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 126, 14 February 1918, Page 6

A FEW CORRECTIONS

THE REFORM LEAGUE MEETING ENDORSEMENT OF MR. LUKE STATEMENT BY MR. MASSEY Kcfcience was made by the Prime Minister yesterday to statements mado in a letter signed "Northland," published in The Dominion yesterday morning. "I don't think much importance is to be attached to the letter," said Mr. Massey. "Most of the statements of alleged fact it contains are grossly inaccurate. For instance, the writer makes me tell one of the deputations that waited upon me in regard to the representation of Wellington North that after Mr. Luke's defeat in Wcl-i lington South I gave a promise that Mr. Luke should have the nomination for the first vacancy, but that I had no idea that the first vacancy would be in Wellington North. I never made any such statement to the deputation, nor had any such promise been! made by me to Mr. Luke at any time. 'Northland' says that when the executive of the Eeform League was called ! together on January 1-i (actually, the date was January 16), the nomination of Mr. Luke was strongly opposed.: That is not" correct. Mr. Luke was . not strongly opposed, and Captain; Barclay did not protest against the '. Prime' Minister's nomination of Mr.; Luke. That meeting was held during: the holiday period, when a number of i prominent members of the Eeform League were out of _ town, and the attendance at the meeting was not consid- j cred large enough to deal with the mat- } ter. The meeting was adjourned to a' later date, and the adjourned meeting was well attended. At this meet-1 ing all candidates then in sight were j discussed freely, and before the meet- i ing dispersed I suggested that everybody present should write down on a .IMCc'e of paper the name of the candidate ho or she favoured, without signing the paper. I told the meoting that I did not propose to declare the result, or am thing of the sort; all I wished to have was the free expression of the i opinion of the meeting in the most di- j rect manner possible, without any in-, (luence being brought to bear. 1 told j the meeting that I intended to give my j decision within a week. It happened! that I did not give my decision public- j ly for a fortnight, because I came to the conclusion that it would not be j correct to nominate, a candidate until j a vacancy occurred. Mr. Brandon was.j present at that meeting. i "I have hero the ballot papers of the | members of the league at the meet-1 ing. There are twenty-three of them, and somewhat to my surprise every elector present, with one exception, voted for Mr. Luke. . The one who did not vote for Mr. Luke suggested that I should not tie the Government up ■ to any of the candidates for the present. | Mr. Massey tendered the papers for | inspection to the representative of j ■Thu Dominion, and the papers were I as Mr. Massey had stated. ! "The votes were not counted at the j Mr. Massey went on to ex-1 plain, "and I should not have referred I to the ballot now but for the state-1 ment mado by 'Northland.' After \ that I took the opportunity of meet- j ing as many electors of the district as j I could, and especially those who, ] knew, had been supporters of Mr. | Hordman, and although there were un- j doubtedly differences of opinion among them, [ felt justified in taking the responsibility of nominating Mr. Luke. I make no apology for having done it. I felt that there could not be a better candidate for the vacant position than the gentleman/rho for the time being held the position of first citizen of Wellington. In accordance with the arrangements made when the National Government was formed, Sir Joseph Ward and I have recommended Mr. Luke. We ask the electors to honour our recommendation, and I have no doubt that they will do it."