HON. G. FOWLDS RESIGNS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 64, 6 September 1911, Page 5

HON. G. FOWLDS RESIGNS

AND EXPLAINS REASONS. NOT BECAUSE OF PARTY GOVERNMENT. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, ],ast Night. Sir Joseph Ward informed the Home of Representatives tills afternoon that the Hon. Ge.o. Fowlds hHd resigned ' his position in the Ministry, and that ■';. the resignation had been accepted by the )i Government. He said he icgretted «ev- i crancc from liis esteemed friend. Mr. • 'fi Fowlds had been in the Ministry for -f live years, and on no occasion had 0> Y, cross word taken place between any otviV 1 them. He acknowledged the ability anA" *' -J great public spirit manifested by Mr, 4 Fowlds. "As friends' we met, as friend* J-** we part, and friends we will always ibe, 1 ? ft concluded the Premier. \H The Hon. Geo. Fowlds said he would, "M like bo say a few words to the statement of Sir Joseph Ward. had aiofc taken the step of from the Cabinet on account of any per-' iM sonal differences between the Prime Min*-'-fM ister or his colleagues and himself, W»syfi cause his relations, personal and official, -fn with them had been of the most monious character. Notwithstanding': «* the fact that his and their ideals had been most widely divergent ,£$ on many questions, he could honestly say , ''}'% it was with*deep regret that he wh'toJ compelled to take the step he now To some extent his action had been wC'* *« cipitated by the division that took pbeVviffi some weefo ago on the Towh Planning |jjf Bill. The political significance of tJ»'e*a vote was momentous. That a substan-' W tial number of members of the Govern*,'4;s ment Party should by their votee say •$ that while they were not prepared trust the Government as a, whole, sitting '-'i with the Governor-in-Councll, to do cer- '•'}•! tain important administrative acts, they -''■% were prepared to entrust these acts to 1$ a board of Government officials, with per- ■$ haps one Minister sitting as a member '.'i* or as chairman, was to his mind eymp. :"i .tyrnatjic of a. very-serious condition of. ••$ affairs. That condition, as it appeared 1 : to him, was one of dissatisfacUon and .Ja unrest in the party, in it* relations with , ,•$ Its representatives who composed the ' Government. Proceeding, Mr. Fowlds "'f said: "I have had no indication that' ■'s such dissatisfaction centres itself on me -4ii personally, but I have felt it impossible - f for me to remain a member of a Govern- ' A ment which was unable to.secure that.,.*measure of party loyalty necessary to ""HI cany on the government of the coujj- -t'j try with some degree of dignity and >',* self-respect. I have never been greatly -'J enamored of party government, but untfl' A we have evolved both the machinery and '.""Si the public spirit necessary to make some ■ pty other form of Government possible, it is «!ft essential that a Government should have '>a Buch support as would enable it to carry i\# out its functions in a reasonably dlgni- ~.| fled manner. When it is unable to do ,"C that its usefulness has gone." ''>'■ Mr. Fowlds went on to say that ho ■ - \< entered public life for the attainment of J* ideals and not with the object of at- 1 taining and maintaining place and 'I power. The call to the Ministry was un- .'$ solicited, either by or for him, and .be ' '| accepted it in the spirit of service, will- ' 'j. ing and' anxious at any time to step ; v aside if he could do better for his coun- •' try out of office than in. That convie- ■■ * tion had now come to him, and had die- £ tated the step he had taken. He thought s'vj he might «laim in a modest way that i his administration of the department* • * entrusted to him had not been a failure, ',s and he acknowledged the able and loyal assistance of his officers.' He did not go fl out to form'a' new cult. He was con* *. scious of the great work Liberalism had *<& done for ~Scw Zealand, and believed ..Vr when its history was written an hon- ■ S ored place would be given to the legisla* . tion of Sir Joseph Ward. "But the „| times in which we live," continued Mr* ?5 Fowlds, "demand a new evangel, a goe- ■,> pel which I could not preach as a mem- ' ber of the present' Government, and so ''-V, I have decided for freedom in order that ' '. I might express my whole soul to the * people of New Zealand." Some of his j friends on the Opposition side would ': probably say that he was scuttling out ''' of a sinking ship, but the only induce. * ment that would have kept him on the \ Government ship would have been that • of battling with adverse Opposition gales. J : In hiß judgment the present Opposition • dad not constitute a factor in the futur* ,j 'Ti political life of this country. As far as ;'■'.. that Party was concerned, he believed '"'£ no Government in New Zealand ever went • to the country with less fear. In Mi-'; 'j opinion the present leader of the Party, ever .since last election had eye focussed too much on the Oppoei- ■;'.<<'• tion and too little on the forces that'/-'' had been developing in advance of thesis Liberal Party. In fairness to Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues he rebut- '■*s ted (he charges of corruption and mauyism 'which had been levelled against % the Government. ' F-$ Concluding, Mr. Fowlds said: now I have only to express my thankr'lS to members.of .the Government Party [,'M and of the House generally for the kind- hjfj ness and courtesy shown mo while I h|U%;js| been a Minister of the Crown, and say that whenever a truly party arises in this country, a parly Jm pledged to definite principles, principles' 'if which it believes in and which it is pre-■.'•!& pared to light for, it shall have my vj ■whole-souled support. And if it become numerous enough to enable it ,/s to fonn a Government, and' invites to join it, my services will be available. > t~s Tn the meantime I believe I can serves' . f H the country best as a private member,*/,';"! DUNEDIX TOXGRATULATIOXS. .^ Dunedin, Last Night, ]•; %l At a meeting of the Dunedin branch S> of the Labor Party to-night the foUow*-' J ing motion -was carried: "This branch*' 5§ desires to offer to the Hon. Geo. its sinceree.st congratulations upon the\ ,f4 position he has taken up in separating '*^| himself from the Ministry, and to record? 1 :? its entire appreciation of the reason Jor.^fti - the step taken by the hon. gentleman, "j* and wishes him many years of success*; :d . ful political work in the future," Three ' jff ' cheers were given for Mr. Fowlds. '-ft? - ':%