THE COALITION QUESTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 419, 2 December 1911, Page 5

THE COALITION QUESTION.

| r i'he Loader of the Opposition (Mr : \Y. w . Masseiy made a staleme!)! at, 1 W a ink ti to the ell'eet that he had been ' oii'e red a seal in the Min isl ry. ami j also askiai (o include a. member of his party. ''] want to say once mere it. is ahsolutily without any foundation in i fact so far as th< (>ov.-i nment is conI corned.'' Th i ,: , in l.rie f. was the 1 i'riine Minister's aisva r to (in- pivss- ! man who interviewed him on Wednesj day niglu in \Y<limglem anxious to get ilis promised h'tter -from an Op- • posit ioiiisi. on the eeaiiiion queslion. "i want, once more to say." colii tinned Sir Joseph Ward, "that no one roil Id have made sneh r.n offer c xcepting myself, and I want to call alter,- ! tion to the fact that when speaking : upon tin's malter in the House i made ; the. statement, of which the following ; is a part :• • | Moreover, I say now, in the presence of the \ eader of the < >|>* position, that he rani 1 have never at, any t i;rc liisei;:•■sed the question of coalil ion. and i hat he ban never j-nii any eemmunh at ion to mo, directly or indirect !y. in reference to his inclusion in the Ministry, nor have 1 at. any time, either direct )v or indirectly, communicatee' with him en the matter. M r Mrrsoy - That is- so. Speaking in the ssnio debate later, continued Sir .iospth. the Leader of the Opposition said that very extreme pressure was brought in bear on him three years ago. prior to the last !

Ront'ral election. not only front Wellington. lull. al.* : o ftvin i"l»ri♦•luir»*l» and Piined'm. to joi;: !lu> iSnvcniinnit party ami tin"? is the record from Mansard :

An lion. Member : Who by? Mr Massey: I have got the correspondence. An Hon. Member: Produce it. Mr Massey; i have not got it bore. 1 (io no; carry all my correspondent (< votnri New Zealand. It is in Auckalnd. Sir .1. (!. \V*ml: The lion, gentleman will pardon me. He (iocs not amcsl ]. presume, what what he refers to iv;is dene. by mo? Mr Mje.-.-'ey : Certainly not. The hon, gentleman has asked me the i/aest i,>n, ;.nd I want to do him the justiea of raying that 1 was not approachi d liy the right hon. i;en! lonian, or any other member of the Ministry. I am (-lad the- bom gentleman has given me the opportunity of putting that point right, because I int ended ' ( i do so. ■Sir Joseph then handed to the press representative the following letter, dated Octobcr 1 .'Uh, 11)1], at. Tomoana, 1 lawke's Pay : - Pear Sir .Joseph,- -As one of mv "guiding stars'' through life has boon "fair play," 1 think in view of a discussion in the House a week or two back it, is only "fair" that i should record what I know. I'riov to the last, general election I attended your first; and la.st political meeting (Opposition). 1 was strong at. the time in a belief thai lite host thing for (h«> eotmi' v wm:ai be a coalition, and 1 boldly made tin l proposal, which was replied to by a very pronounced Oppositionist as follows:- i low can we? Ward has made no advances to us." I replied : "Mow is ho likely to when he is top dog?" Mr Massey would not even discuss my proposal. Now {he last, four lines of the above seem to settle two points Ward bait made no advances, and Massey declined to discuss it at a meeting of his own supporters, raid thus was clearly not in favour of it,- 1 am, sincerely yours, W. X'el son.

"I nave had no communication whatever with Mr Nelson," continued Sir .1 '' and (hi a letter has been •-•cm le me unsolicited., It : ; hows that f,,;,- member* el" !lie Opposition were eoiisiderin.c a, coaliMea. and it also show:« clear 1 y thai ! bad made no advanci , and it' iaether ehowa that Mr Maiwy wow hi not. «s;:vu:*h it.