THE MINISTERIAL,CRISIS. STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 401, 11 September 1889, Page 3

THE MINISTERIAL,CRISIS. STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER.

MR FERGUS OFFERED TO RESIGN. SESSION TO CLOSE NEXT WEEK. Wellington, September 6.

The meeting of Government; supporters was attended by Messrs Anderson, Bruce, Buchanan, Carroll, Cowan, Dodson, Fish, Fulton (presiding), Goldie, Graham, Hall, Hamlin, Harkness, Hobbd, Hodgkinson, Humphreys, Izard, Jackson, Lawry, Macarthur, Mackenzie (Clufcha), Marchant, McGregor, Mills, Moa 6, O'Conor, Ormond, Rhodes, Ross, Russell, Seymour, Taipua, Tanner, Thompson (Marsden), Valentine, and Whyte, and also by the following Ministers :~The Premier, the Hons. Fergus, Mitchejson and Richardson. This makes a total attendance of forty and ten others accounted for. The Premier made a statement to the effect that he had called the party together on account of the tacbics of obstruction being practised by the Opposition. They had tried conclusions, buc had failed to oust the Government, and it was very evident that they could not do it this session. He proposed to give his sup t ! porters any information they might require on Mr Fergus 1 action with regard to the Ward-Christie affair, but he would i refuse to give any to che Opposition in consequenceof themotion tabled. He suggested that his supporters should take no part whatever in any debate that might be raised oo the question, and Baid the Government would be prepared to ' give any information in the House that \ might afterwards be asked. He thought the course taken by Mr Hislop was right. One mistake had been made, as shown by the fact that their own supporters felt very strongly that the Government had blundered, but it was a question that the Government as a whoje could not go oub upon. At the time of this matter he was in the North, and was even beyond the reach of telegraphic communication for several days In his absence the matter was initiated by Mr Hislop, and when Mr Fergus came back he took it up where Mr Hislop had left off. Whilst Mr Fergus did not approve of the action taken by Mr Hislop, his loyalty to his colleagues compelled him to carry on the same course. Mr Fergus had offered to resign either with Mr -Hislop or separately, takingthe whole onus of the matter upon himself, but this both Mr Hislop and himself the (Premier) deprecated. He , (Sir Harry Atkinson) " thought the course taken by Mr Hislop ;had purged the Government from any blame in the matter, and therefore there \ was no further need to take action, and if the party thought with him thero was no reason why the session should not be finished early next week. * Sir John Hall agreed with the Premier to some extent, but thought a number of Native Bills ought to be dropped. He, as a Southern member, looked, upon these Bills with very great suspicion. He did not think it would be wise to press them this session, Mr Ormond thought the Premier should make some statement to the House in the direction of exonerating Mr Fergus from any blame, bub it should not be made in j connection with the present amendment, j Mr Carroll also suggested that the Native Bills should be dropped. He thought that the native members and Native Minister could very soon determine what legislation was absolutely necessary for this session. In the course of further discussion the Premier suggested that the House should meet to-morrow, Saturday, but this did not meet with the approval of the meeting. The meeting was unanimous in adopting the course suggested by the Premier, and there is now every probability of a vote being taken on Mr Grimmond's amendment without much discussion.