HEALTH OF PRIME MINISTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 918, 11 March 1930, Page 1

HEALTH OF PRIME MINISTER

MORE TALK ABOUT RESIGNATION HON. E. A. RANSOM NAMED AS SUCCESSOR Press Association DANNEVIRKE, Today. QUESTIONED by a Dannevirke News” representative about rumours from Wellington of the possibility of an early retirement of the Prime Minister. Sir Joseph Ward, and the appointment of himself as Leader of the United Party, the Hon. E. A Ransom, Minister of Public Works, stated today:— "I have no knowledge of any suggested retirement of the Prime Minister; but should Sir Joseph Ward decide to do so, all the members of the party will be called together to select the new leader. Until such time as they are called together, I do not desire to make any comment upon the posi tion of the future leader.”

The Sun's Wellington correspondent writes: Though members of the Cabinet give official denial to the statement, and his family preserves the strict • . secrecy, Tumours are persistent that the Prints Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) will tender his resignation at an early date. Well-informed quarters mention with as&nraiice the fact that the resignation ~ will certainly be laid before his colleagues within the month. It appears that though some progress has been made by Sir Joseph in the treatment of his illness, he remains unwell, and medical testimony is that he must guard his health very carefully indeed. The work which he is doing at present, though nothing like the full load carried by the Prime Minister, appears to be a drain upon his health. While there seems to be willingness within the party for the Prime Minister to remain in office so long as there is the slightest chance of him returning to lead the United Party

in Parliament, some feeling is stated to exist that if party reconstruction Is inevitable, this should not be postponed until the session is imminent. On the other hand, members of Cabinet are perfectly well satisfied to allow matters to continue as they are, recognising that any change in leader-

ship is as likely as not to precipitate a crisis. LABOUR PREPARING I £ Sir Joseph Ward resigns, and a. nerv leader is elected by the United Party, it appears inevitable that he will be forced to call Parliament together almost at once to obtain endorsement by the House of the Government. As much depends upon the outcome of any reconstruction, the Labour Party has been feverishly at work preparing for the looming possibility of a new Cabinet, which it may find itself unable to allow to remain in office. ELECTION POSSIBLE Should Sir Joseph Ward resign, tt is unlikely that there will be any material alteration in the policy of the Government, or in the relations between it and the Labour Party: but Labour is determined to leave nothing to chance. The next leader of th« United Party seems certain to be the Hon. E. A. Ransom, against whom a certain section of the Labour Party feels antipathy. Whether or not a Ransom Government would have a chance of weathering a special session or not, no one can say. Much would depend upon concessions which the Government would be willing to make to the Labour crossbenches. It is known that last session, the Parliamentary Labour Party was by no means united In its attitude toward the Government, and that some members cheerfully would have voted the Ward Government out at any stage. The immediate future seems fraught with great possibilities, and there are more unlikely things than a general election before the end of this year. RETURN TO ROTORUA SIR JOSEPH WILL CONTINUE WITH TREATMENT Special to TUB SUX ROTORUA, Today. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, returned from Wellington yesterday. He will resume the treatment at the Spa which last month did him so much good. Sir Joseph stood the long journey well.