THE PORTUGAL ARENA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 72, 20 March 1912, Page 3

THE PORTUGAL ARENA.

LOYALTY OF LABOURITES AND LIBERALS. HON. T. MACKENZIE’S VIEWS. The Hon. T. Mackenzie, accompanied by his son, Mr Bruce Mackenzie, Mr Fred Fitchctt (Attorney-General) and the Minister’s private secretary, Mr Leod Johnson, arrived in Manaia by motor yesterday afternoon, the party putting up at the Manaia Hotel, says Monday’s “Witness.” During the evening the member for Egmont was visited by a number of his constituents from whom lie received many congratulations, intended for himself and the party of which he is a member, on the recent successful strategy displayed by the leaders in dealing with a position of a very embarrassing and difficult character. Mr Mackenzie, in the course of a general conversation, in which there was much cheerful expression of an anticipatory kind, said whatever they had accomplished was entirely due to the spirit of loyalty to their leaders and to principle that inspired the members of both tho Liberal and Labour parties in everything affecting their strength 1 and cohesion during the late brief and remarkable session of Parliament. As everybody knew now an attempt bad been . made to cieate a misleading impression in the country as to the .motives that impelled the members of the Labour Party in Parliament to take tho course they deemed proper during tire crisis. What had happened was now ancient history, and there was no occasion for him to enter into details or characterise it in the terras it deserved. It was only necessary to say, what every impartial and honest man now believed, that every statement intended to impute corrupt or discreditable methods to the Government signaily failed and had reacted with destructive effect on the party from whom they emanated. In reply to a' question, Mr Mackenzie said Labour and Independent members returned to the House were men of singularly been intelligence, and by patient and discriminating attention to the evidence adduced on both sides they had decided on a course of action. The position of the Government might be summed tip in one sentence: which was that the fact of a Government holding office continuously for twenty years was in itself a sledge-hammer refutation of the wild and whirling charges made against the Government. No,” said Mr Mackenzie, “Sir Joseph Ward has no intention of disassociating himself, even temporarily, fioni the public life of the country. And-it might also be said that he "ill again Occupy the same position that his great talents, his strong, personality, and his commanding position, not only as a New Zealand statesman, but as a statesman of Imperial rank entitles him to. Both the pai ty and the country will demand his return.” Mr Mackenzie had also something to say on tho question of borrowing and on the great department which ho has reformed and administered with so '■'much distinction. The professed or pretended opposition of the Conservative party to borrowing was utterly insincere and was discredited by facts. Last year, he might say, the Government spent three millions on ad- \ ances to workers. The Opposition dare not oppose this nor similar amounts expended on national and entirely reproductive purposes.' The same remark applied to the departments lie administered, which were doing incalculable service to the struggiing producers of the country. Relative to the question of the Premiership and a reconstructed Administration, he remarked that the most would be done during the week to do the best that was possible for the country and for the principles that the party stood for.