Question of Privilege.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 February 1912, Page 3

Question of Privilege.

SIGNIFICANT SPEECHES BY TWO LABOUR MEMBERS. i poiiiL ui jmvnc&c wuo iuibeU uy -Vu' x'ayno lijnn; twiui lvguru to a copy oi a lot tor read by uiio Jueader ox fcae Opposition whicii alleged ma I tiKi member luiu been ' io vote lor tlio Uoveiiiiueiu by a gut oi JiiUu^. I'iie motion waa seconucu. by Mr VeiU'li, Labour member i'or wauyanui, and supported, unionist oUiuit, by Alt Robertson, nioiuuoi lor uiis doctorate, whoso speech appears in full in another column oi to-day's Chronicle. The utterances of these two gentlemen must prove exceptionally interesting in view of the pretsent position of parties in ihe House. Mr Robertson referred to himself as standing on the same platform as jMr Payne. Mr Payne has already expressed himself as prepared to support the Government on the Noconfidence motion now before the House; the only logical inference is that Mr Robertson is prepared to walk into the same lobby as his colleague. In this connection we feel impelled again to emphasise what we pointed out in our leading article of the 22nd inst., that Mr Robertson, by so voting, does not violate any of his election pledges. It is well-known to anyone who has followed closely the course of the recent election in this constituency that tho whole campaign was fought out on the clear-cut issue of "Ward or no Ward." This battle cry was raised specially strongly at the meeting of the joint committees of Monckton, Brown and Robertson, and at that gathering it was unanimously agreed that that and Mint alone should bo the question to be decided at the polling-booth. A'lie retirement of Sir Joseph Ward, therefore, has left the member for Otaki with an absolutely free hand as to voting for or against the G >vernment which is to be run apart from Sir Joseph. Mr Robertson's speech in the House last night, rend in conjunction with the resolution passed at the mass meeting of his nominators on Thursday last, should he a very good indication as to how ho will exercise his vote when the No-confidence motion is finally settled. It is difficult to see how any mat. standing in the interests of Labour could vote against n reconstructed Cabinet hacked oy tho amazingly democratic platform brought down inthe Governor's speech.