PRELIMINARY TO SESSION.

Otaki Mail, 15 June 1923, Page 4

PRELIMINARY TO SESSION.

l -9 LIBERALS OFFER PAIR FUli MR GUTimiE. HI FOK.UEKS Ml IP LATE. J The i hire political parties held c uses yesterday. The Rofaim meeting extended over several hours, and '■•. us not concluded till late in the | The "Liberal caucus was the first to finish, and when spoken to by a ■"rime," reporter, the leader of lac party (.Mr T. M. Wilford) said that ■the keynote of the whole proceedings j wns that the party was a hap;'.'. | family life, and the rights of property, j he said, and all membeis of the paity j were present or accounted for. A resolution ivus passed sympathising- with I the Hon. J.', li. Guthrie m Ui;i illness, ! and it was decided that the leader oi j tai' party should offer the Prime Minister a pair in respect of Mr Guthrie ! during the coming session. This res"- ! lution was immediate!:! conveyed by {telephone to the Prime .Ministers j secretary for communication to Mr ! Mass»y, wlio was at the time attending Ihe Reform caucus. t Those present at the Labour cauc is were Messrs Bertram. LangstonC, O'Brien, Momeith, Savage. Parry, Howard, Armstrong-, Sullivan, Ltt, Jordin, Mellvride, Munro, Fraser, McKeen, and Holland. Mr McComba was i the only member o! the party who ■was absent, and an apology was ,<:- ceived from him. In addition to the members of Parliament, there were also in attendance, Messrs T. Bi indie, i'resident of the National Labour Party, and W. Nash, national secretary. Mr Holland was in the chair. Mr Holland was unanimously elected chairman uf the Parliamentary Labour Party, and the other officers elected v.<.-ii': Vice-chairman, iir M. J. Savage; secretary, Mr P. Fraser; assistant secretary. Mr !•'. X. Bartrain; whips, Messrs E, J. Howard and D. Sullivan. The question of the party's policy during the session was discussed, and various legislation, dealing with social questions, such as pensicas and workers' compensation, were considered. A resolution was passed congratulating the Labour members of the Christehurcb City Council on their '■.splendid right against '••ages reduction" last Monday evening'. On being asked if a pair would be accorded to Mr Guthrie, Air Fraser.the secretary of the party, said ho thought ', it could be said that i£ there was any diOieultj in iixing it, a pair would be offered. He added that there would be no difficulty in that matter, and that the only occasion he knew of in which a pair was refused a sick nun was that on which it was refused to members of the Laboui Government m Queensland. GOVERNMENT GRATEFUL i ' MP. YVTLKORL-S OFFER. WELLINGTON, Last Night. i It was nearly II o'ciock to- ; i night when the Keform caucus con- ' j eluded. The following official state- ' merit was made to a -Times" repre- ! ' sentative, that the party had a good ' 1 meeting and a good spirit pervaded ' [ the proceedings. Every member was ' I accounted for. Business that it was J intended to brinr before Parliament , ' was discussed, and a number of very ' valuable suggestions were made, which ' 1 would be put before the House at the , proper time. The Prime Minister re- '. j ported that preparations for the work , ! oi the session were well forward, and , I that by the time the Governor-Gen- , j eral's .speech had been dcitit with, the ] I Financial Statement would be ready. ( j The meeting unanimously expressed < i the opinion that the Prime Minister j •J should represent New Zea'and at the -. j forthcoming Imperial Conference, and t j any arrangements that might be | J necessary for the conduct of the t j country's business, the caucus decided t : should b e left to the Prime Minister e jto deal with. A resolution of sym- 1 '■ paths* with the Hon. D. H. Guthrie c ; and the Hon. Sir William Fraser, both % \ of whom are ill, was passed, and, the a hope expressed that they would soon t Ibe restored to health. A rnessige hav- c t ing been received from the Leader of %. ■ the Opposition, that the Liberal-La- r • hour party was willing to and a pair , for Mr Guthrie during the session, the meeting expressed great gratification at the action ot the Opposition