PUTTING PARTY SECOND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 718, 18 July 1929, Page 7

PUTTING PARTY SECOND

MR. LYSNAR DEFINES HIS INDEPENDENCE / SINS OF REFORM PARTY IT3E SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) ' PARLIAMENT BLDGS., AVed. Definition of his attitude In the House of Representatives was given this evening by Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), in his first speech since his return from the Old Country. He will support the Government when he considers it is right. He was heckled, but got through in characteristic fashion. •I am, as I have always been,” he said, "an Independent. I put country first and party second, and to me that party second is the party o£ the late Prime Minister, Mr. Coates. I am one who considers that he was the right m an in the right place, and in my humble judgment he stands at this moment the most suitable leader of this House. I know, of course, that the Reform Party had sins.

A Member: Many of them. Mi. Lysnar: Too many for me. (Laughter.) I stuck loyally to the Reform Party where it did the right and proper thing, and where I thought jt did not I went against it. The Labour Party assisted me in those efforts.

Air. H. E. Holland: And you deserted ps when we needed your help. (Laughter.)

' Mr. Lysnar: I deserted you because you did not follow the right lines. (Loud laughter.) I will desert the present party if it does not follow the right lines. I want to say I do not blame the late Prime Minister for the sins of the Reform Party. I can say he wished to do certain things, but the party he was associated with would not do them. In other words I Consider the present status of the late Prime Minister is due to a section of the Reform Party acting as a clog on the wheels of progress. That, thanks tu the electors, has been largely eliminated! (Loud applause.) That destructive element has been largely eliminated and I hope something will be done by the" present Administration, and that the present Opposition will bring the usefulness of our late Prime Minister into full fruit for the benefit of the country.” Mr. Lysnar said that he was prepared to assist the present Government in every way possible when it took steps to run the affairs of the (Country in the proper way. A Labour Member: AVhat do you pant, Socialism? Mr. Lysnar: I will tell you what I want in a few minutes. To me the Question is this, are they going to do any better than the last party? Reform Members: No. Mr. Lysnar: I hope they will. (Reform laughter.) It is useless at this period, when the Dominion is in its present position, with all this unemployment, that any Government in office should expect to hold that position. If it is inactive they must become active and deliver the goods. (Hear, hear.) Let them do that, and I believe that from every section of the Opposition Benches they will receive a great deal of support, but if they are going to hoodwink the electors I predict that they will be in trouble very quickly. A Labour Member: You are hoping So. (Laughter.)