THE MIDDLE PARTY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1099, 7 January 1878, Page 3

THE MIDDLE PARTY.

Mr Curtis, one of the members for Nelson City, sends the following reply to some remarks by the " Mail" on the speech which he made to his constituents :

Your leading article of last night appears to require some notice on my part—not as regards upon my speech generally, but in 'reference to your accusation of "oblivion of facts."

Sir George Grey made his statement of the general policy of the Government on the 15th of October,* and it was then agreed by the Opposition, mainly on the representation of Major Atkinson, to wait for the Treasurer's statement of financial policy, as to which Sir George Grey said, " I hope that to-morrow (16th October), or, at all events, within a very short period of time, the Colonial Treasurer will give detailed information to the House." On the 18th October Mr Larnach said, in reply to a, question from Major Atkinson, " I may inform the honorable gentleman that it is my intention to make my Financial Statement on Monday or Tuesday next (the 22nd or 23rd).;

On the Monday (22nd) the meeting your telegram related to was held. The meeting did not include the Middle Party, and I was therefore not present. The resolution you quote was evidently merely a confirmation of the course which had been pursued during the preceding week. The same afternoon, on the House meeting, Mr Larnach said in reference to the Financial Statement, " I am afraid, therefore, that it will take another week before I can possibly be ready to bring it forward." Thereupon Major Atkinson consulted with his party, a large majority of whom were of opinion that further postponement should not be conceded after so indefinite a statement, and on tne following day, the 23rd, he informed the Houho that he should at the next sitting give notice of a motion of no confidence in the Government. Thus there was at all evirafcs from the 15th to the 23rd, between the decision arrived at to wait for the Financial Statement and the taking of further action by Major Atkinson — instead of one, or, at most, two days, as Mr Levestam and yoti would have it. I was therefore not " caught tripping," and there was no "oblivion of facts," my statement of the matter having been strictly correct in every essential particular. One wovd as to your assertion of simple credulity on the part of myself and others acting with me in placing reliance on the honour and good faith of men of standing and position in the House of Representatives. I will only say that, for my part, I am quite content to rest quietly under that imputation. I must also give a flat contradiction to your assertion that "Mr Curtis tells us that he was a warm supporter of the Atkinson Government, but all of a sudden," &c. I said nothing of the kind, the fact "being that I never supported the Atkinson Government except so far as appeared to me to be necessary to prevent the administration of the affairs of the colony from falling into the hands of Sir George Grey ; in {'act as your own reporter gives my words, I " preferred the lesser evil to the greater."