NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 208, 1 March 1912, Page 5

NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION

OPPOSITION'S SECOND EFFORT. RECONSTRUCTION OF CABINET. SIR JOSEPH WARD RETIRING. , TO PROSECUTE HIS LIBELLERS. AN ANIMATED DEBATE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the House of Representatives this afternoon Sir Joseph Ward moved the adjournment of the House. Mr. Massey asked what that meant, and whether the Premier intended making any statement with regard to the reconstruction of the Ministry. Sir J. G. Ward replied that Mr. Massey had been inspired by the Christchurcn Press, and he was not taking orders from it or from Mr. Massey. He was going to carry out his duty to the country. He was going to consider his* Party and the sections which had supported him Within a week or two he would make a recommendation to the Governor, and in June they would meet the House to carry out the important proposals contained in the Governor's Speech. . Mr Massey held that the constitutional course for the Government to tollow when only having a majority on the casting vote of the Speaker, was to resign. He himself had said he would do so, and now he ought to. The country and the House were quite satisfied that Sir J. G. Ward did "not hold the confidence, of the House.

Sir J. G. Ward stated that he meant to resign, and with his resignation went the resignation of the Ministry. Mr. Massey said at present the Government was in a minority. Voices: "No! It has got a majority of six!" J J

Mr. Massey said it wasn't fair to the country to adjourn the House before a new Ministry was selected. They heard in the lobbies that five Ministers had to go. The Party would not stand them, though Sir J. G. Ward should have a weeks time to arrange the Ministerial successors. ,

Sir Joseph asserted that he knew his position perfectly. Mr. Massey was after some of the Liberal supporters, and endeavoring to get them to support some of his hypothetical views, so as to enable the Party with the large landowners behind them to occupy the Treasury Benches. He had never heard of Mr. Massey's views being put into operation elsewhere. Mr. Massey was representing a minority, and he knew it. His (Sir J. G. Ward's) method was the constitutional method, despite all'assertions to the contrary. Mr. Massey knew the voice of the people was against him. He thought that as the country had entrusted him with many difficult matters ra the past it could trust him now. He assured the House they would do nothing against the interests of the people, and would present a good Cabinet to the House. , u Mr. Massey then moved an amendment, 'That the House adjourn till 10.30 on Monday." He explained that the Premier should submit the new Cabinet to the House before it disperses. He thought the Premier was afraid to submit a Ministry to the people within a week, and they were entitled to know the personnel of the Cabinet. The House resumed at 7.30.

Mr. Massey, continuing the debate on the motion to adjourn, said he believed in the government of the people by the people and not by the party which happened for the time being to hold the Treasury Benches. He said they should not be asked to go to their homes without knowing the names of the untried Ministry. He emphatically denied the repeated assertion that the Opposition was supported by the large land-owners. There were more large land-owners on the Government side than on his. To show the amount of party funds at their disposal, he stated that during the past eight years, since he had been leader of the party, he had not drawn from the party's finds as much as would pay for .postage stamps. That was because'they had not got the money. They were not Liberals, but they were true Democrats.'

Mr. R. McKenzie said he was surprised to see Mr. Massey not taking his defeat in a manly manner. People outside had declared they did not want Mr. Massey as leader of the Government. One only had to look at the Opppsition benches to see where the large landowners were.

Mr. Fisher held that the House should be adjourned for two or three \weeks to allow the Ministry to resign, and meet again with a new Ministry and a new policy.

Sir J. G. Ward quoted precedents of the course which he purposed following. After an exchange of interjections, Sir J. G. Ward said if the Opposition would "swop" party funds, he was willing. The challenge was accepted. Sir J. G. Ward said he would like a spell in the ranks, as he ha,d two jobs to fix up in the prosecution of two men for statements made in connection with theNive million loan. Reverting to the piesent state of affairs, he held that the masses of the people could best bo served by the bursting up of huge areas of land in the hands of the supporters of his friends in the Opposition. Mr. Harris held that Sir J. G. Ward's suggested course probably was constitutionally right, but it wa9 morally wrong. The House should adjourn for a fortnight to allow a new Ministry to be formed. A conditional victory had been won by the Liberal Party on a pledge of Sir J. G. Ward, but they knew not whether the pledge would be kept. Had it not been for the pledge, one vote which Sir J. G. Ward got would have gone to the Opposition. Parliament appeared tj be run by one man, but he was going to have a say in affairs. Mr. Allen said Sir Joseph Ward's only course was to resign before the House adjourned. He had secured the vote of at least one member of the House on the pledge that he would resign the Premiership if he received that vote. ' Sir Joseph gave that statement an unqualified denial. Mr. Russell quoted official figures showing that ten prominent Opposition members and supporters owned between them £1,104,222 worth of land. He mentioned in regard to statements concerning his Runanga property, which had been flung broadcast, that he held 60,000 acres. He had purchased with an idea of turning it into a hundred small-farms. He had a large family, and wished to assist them on to the land. Mr. Ngata said he only wished he | owned the amount of land he had lately been credited with holding. He was trustee for a tribe of 3000 natives. Mr. Bradney said Conservatism and Toryism were killed when they got the universal franchise. He was not a large land-owner or owner of stock. His live stock and property consisted of a Shetland pony and a bull pup. A member: "What is its name?" Mr. Bradney: ''Massey." He would like to see closer settlement of laad and small freeholders. He hoped the Government would not make any appointments to the Legislative Council during the recess, in the event of Mr. Massey's amendment being lost, which contingency he hoped would not materialise. Mr. Anderson said he would rather sit among large land-owners than large brewers. Mr. Buchanan said that owners of land

had brought it to a state of the highest cultivation, and deserved some credit for the productivity of it. Mr. Bell held that there was no reason why the House should not sit till the Ministry was announced, and Mr. Young was of a similar opinion. (Left sitting.)

THE UNEXPECTED. IN THE THROES OF A SECOND NO-CONFIDEx\CE MOTION. By Telegraph— Special to News. Wellington, Last Night. Somebody once said that it is the "unexpected which always happens." In the interest of that somebody, Mr. Massev made a move during the afternoon which plunged the House once,more into the throes of no confidence. Before it got to that the business was dull and prosy. The Prime Minister, in laying the report of the loan agents on the loan of 1909 on the table, provoked the usual loan wrangle, It was a spirited skirmish round the question of whether the percentage paid for underwriting was to be regarded as part of the cost of floating the loan. Sir Joseph declared that all countries considered tnese costs as not part of the cost of flotation, and as the Opposition did not have anything to say against that the loan question- subsided after a long, wearisome and acrimonious discussion.

, Then the end of the privilege cases came into vkw. There was no excitement, and presently it appeared as if nobody wanted to do anything to interfere with giving that unhappy woi&edout question decent burial,, and buried it accordingly was. without a precedent, of course, which is the political equivalent for "Not till next time.'' Mr. Fisher tried a somewhat venomous attack on the member for Grey Lynn, whohad spoken of a certain informant of his as intoxicated. Mr. Fisher moved, as nothing had been done to substantiate the charge, that the Houm» clears the reputation of the unfortunate man, but this caused protests all round. Even Mr. Fisher's friends pointed out that the question of intoxication had not been before the committee, and that the passing of the motion would simply mean that v the House believed Mr. Massey rather than Mr. Payne. Thus admonished, Mr. Fisher withdrew, and the unexpected descended upon us. The Prime Minister moved the adjournment of the House, frankly declaring that he meant prorogation, giving the House to understand that in adjourning to-day the House would not meet again till some time in June next. This brought Mr. Massey to his feet. He didn't care to leave Wellington without knowing what Government was going to take the reins* which Sir Joseph Ward was about, according to promise made in the House, to resign. Sir Joseph said! Mr. Massey would get that information next June. No thank you; that would not do; Mr. Massey must have the information at once. .Want he might, said Sir Joseph, but get it he most certainly would not.. Much sparring ensued about who has the majority. On that point Sir Joseph was very firm, and his men interjected at every opportunity that their majority now is two, and is increasing.

. Then Mr. Massey moved an amendment, adjourning the House till Monday next, and stated in support of the same that its intention was that the new Government should be reconstructed and got ready for presentation to the House. In the interval the House had the right-to know who is to govern the country during the recess. Thes-e were millions to provide for, if not to play with, and the Prime Minister had often declared that he did not envy any possible successor the task of attending to these matters, and had intimated pretty plainly to the Opposition side of the House that if their men got hold they would make a'famous mess of it. He got himself worked up to a pitch of furious eloquence, rattled off his reasons at break-neck' speed, was, shot at with points of order, personal explanations, and laughter, and comforted with counter cheers and counter guffaws, and, beheld! once more we are in the thick of battle.

The dinner hour cut off the proceedings, and the men separated speculating. It is evident that if Mr. Massey wins it will be a crucial defeat, and he will have ti be sent for as-a matter of course. It is thought that the new position will disorganise the new men who went over to the Liberals in the division and are going over later. The thought sends a shiver through the Liberal ranks; count of heads is palpably going on, and the whips are out on both sides, so that whenever the vote comes everybody will be again in his place. ■

After dinner the debate went on fast and furious without daylight for any of the onlookers.

Sir Joseph Ward followed Mr. Fisher, who succeeded Mr. Massey. He % quoted ten or a dozen instances to show that the usual practice in all the quoted places was that governments reconstructing during the recess never called Parliament together. In Britain the leading case was Mr. Gladstone's retirement in favor of Lord Rosebery. Here there were instances—the succession of Mr. Seddon after the death- of Mr. Ballance, which took place at the end of April, Parliament not meeting till the •following Juner In like manner, when Mr. Hall-Jones, who succeeded Mr. Seddon, retired in favor of Sir Joseph Ward, Parliament was not called together. On the other side Mr. Allen took up the position that none of these cases was relevant because there was in each of them a decisive majority, but the other side answered that there never was a question of the degree of majority. A majority is enough, they said, even if only by the casting vote of the Speaker. Much was made of the point by the Opposition that the House had been called together to decide which Party_ represented the verdict of the electors," and the reply was that the House had decided that question by the casting vote of the Speaker. So the game went on till supper., man after man elaborating the point. Mr. Russell took occasion to carry the debate into fresh country. Someone had referred to him as one of the large land-owners. Ho was wrath. The large land-owners, he said, were ranged behind the Opposition front benches. He explained that it is quite true he possessed landed property. He had acquired it last year, near Taupo somewhere, but he had done so for two reasons; first, he wanted to provide for his family, and, secondly, he wished to organise a settlement of small farmers. He detailed how he was doing it, having progressed already so far as to get twenty men collected in a syndicate who were going on to the land. The value was set down in the Government return at £IO,OOO. As to the real big owners, he read out a big list of them, ten men with big estates valued at from £90,000 to £228,000, and he read out the names with great energy and power of elocution. It was a very interesting episode, but it ddd not further the main business very much. No one could say a* supper time when the division would be taken. Hints were in the air that the Opposition relied on Mr. Hindraarsh'to turn his coat, and gossip went round to that effect. Returning after supper the House was excited and lively, with crowded galleries. The new members for Hawke's Bay and Waitemata kept the ball rolling, and the debate began to flag.