POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1051, 1 June 1912, Page 3

POLITICAL.

STRAIGHT TALK BY EXMINISTER MIL ,AR.

ABSORBING DOUBT FULS IN COMMISSIONS.

Dunedin, May 3c

The HT was entertained at a .ucial oy supporters and friends to-night, the hall being filled. A number of other M.P.’s aud prominent citizens were present. The Mayor presided.

Mr Millar said the Liberal party had recently received a reverse, aud to-day was iu the unhappy position of being broken up by men who had not been five minutes in public life. He did not care it he never held office again, so long as he saw a Government in office that would carry ou the country’s affairs ou the same progressive lines as in the past. The party to-day was at the beck and call of five or six men who dragged it through the mud at their own sweet will. It was an undesirable position, and he did not intend to help it, more especially when they had one of those gentlemen on the floor of the House saying it was his mission in life to suck the Liberal party dry and then throw it over. He intended to try to send that member back to his constituents and show that his vaunted powers of suction were not there. They found three Royal Commissions sitting to-day for the gradual absorption of men who were doubtful. It would be a thousand times better for the party to go into honourable opposition. His principles were the same as they had always been, and at the close of his public life he W9S not going to change them. He was not going over to the Reform party. One of two things must happen. A new party must be formed wifhin the House from men ou both sides, leaving extremists out; a party with a broad, forward policy without any rash experiments. It they could not form on those lines his vote would go every time for a dissolution. Possibly there would be a Minister in Dunedin shortly, and after noting what he said he would probably address a meeting in replj, and also explain more fully what took place ou the last occasion the party met. Other members ot Parliament spoke in terms of appreciation of Mr Millar’s work as Minister aud member.

Speaking 011 the no-confidence motion last session, Mr A. H. Hiudmarsh (Wellington South) said: “I intend to vote against the Opposition on this occasion. Why am I doing this ? Not because I believe iu the Liberal party, but because Sir Joseph Ward has held out a programme to us. I am prepared to say to him : We will give you a week, or a fortnight, to see whether you will put these measures through. But if you do not, we will vote. I say, for the Opposition. We will exhaust both alternatives. If I threw away this alternative , I would be a fool. I, therefore, intern! to suck Sir Joseph Ward dry—and I will suck the Opposition dry, too. That is my position.”