POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1050, 30 September 1911, Page 3

POLITICAL.

WAS MR MASSEY OFFERED

A PORTFOLIO ?

THE PREMIER’S DENIAL

In the House on Thursday Sir Joseph Ward brought up the matter of Mr Allen’s speech, reported in the Southland Times, wherein Mr Allen was stated to have said “ That if Mr Massey had wanted he could have joined the Ministry many years ago, but had remained staunch to his party, and that the secret object of the proposal made to Mr Massey was to form a junction of the two parties and fight the Labour party, but the Opposition would not do a dirty thing like that.” The Premier asked Mr Allen when, where and with whom this statement was made ? Mr Allen ; ‘ ‘ I say now that the statement is approximately correct, and I repeat the words here that negotiations were going on and Mr Massey could if he had liked been a member of the Ministry.” Sir Joseph Ward continuing, said if the statement was made outside the House there was only one thing he could say, that it was absolutely false. He had never authorised any person to make a proposition that Mr Massey should join the Government. Prior to the last general election the positions of the two parties in the House was Government 60, Opposition 16, Independent 4. Towards the end of the session the Minister of Railways, Hon. J. A. Millar, asked him (the Premier) to meet two gentlemen in the House who were not supporters of the Government. He saw these men in the lobby of the House and refused to discuss their proposition. Had he done what was suggested he would not have remained leader of his party for one hour. Mr Massey said he had never been connected with political intrigue in his life, and he wanted to endorse what had been said by Mr Allen which Messrs Herries and Buchanan could also endorse. What he was going to say was that a he.- ..v.i three years ago

extended pressure was brought to bear on him to ask h»m to say he would join the Ministry with another member of his party if given the opportunity. The Prime Minister had never had anything to do with the matter. He would also say that the proposal was a very serious one and came from two gentlemen, and more, who were supporters of the Government. He took time to consider the matter, consulted his friends, and came to the conclusion that he could not either in the interests of the country or his party accept the proposal, He had never received any offer or suggestion from either the Premier or any member of the Ministry.

The Hon. J. A. Millar said that Mr Allen in his Southern speech, had distinctly said that the Leader of the Opposition had been approached by the Premier with a view to getting him to join the Ministry. He endorsed what the Premier had said in regard to the interview in the lobby. He thought Mr Allen was placed in a peculiar position, and he (Mr Millar) should say that the inference thrown out at Invercargill was not correct.

A long discussion followed, during which Mr Allen was repeatedly urged to explain his statement. Mr Allen said that what he had slated had been absolutely proved by what the Premier had stated that afternoon. Sir Joseph Ward had acknowledged that he had been approached to open negotiations, He still stuck to his opinion that Mr Massey and another member of the Opposition could have been members of the Cabinet had they so desired. He had nothing to withdraw. The subject then dropped.