THE OPPOSITION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 201, 4 May 1912, Page 5

THE OPPOSITION

MR. LANG ON THE STUMP. By Telegraph— Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. At the request of the leader of the Opposition, Mr. Lang, M.P., to-day re* plied to the recent utterances of the Ministers. When interviewed, Mr. Lang Baid the Prime Minister was touting th« ' country carefully cultivating the idea that the present Cabinet in general, and he (the Prime Minister) in particular, were devoted to the intereste of the fanner. Mr. Mackenzie omitted to cor-' rect the impression that he himself was a. farmer. Mr. Mackenzie wag not a farmer, and never was a farmer. If the Prime Minister was so solicitous for the welfare of the farmer and the interests of the freeholder, why was it that when he had the opportunity of forming a Cabinet he excluded fanners from it? Mr. Lang said that the Government attempted to lead the public to think that the vote of want of confidence moved by Mr. Massey was lost by the reading of a letter by Mr. Massey. The only thing that saved the Government was the promise of Sir J. G. Ward to ■ resign. The attack made upon Mr. Massey by the Prime Minister, in which the Prime Minister presumed to accuse the leader of the Opposition of political unfair play in declining a pair for Mr. Wilford, who was not sworn in and who had refrained from asking for a pair, was particularly uncalled for, in view of the ' wire-pulling indulged in to defeat the no-confidence motion and in view of the fact that the Govern ment elected to take office by virtue of the support of two men who had promised to vote for the motion. The Prime Minister, in Christchurch, tried to tell the public that the . present Cabinet has the support of the country. It had not and never had. The Reform Party required* none of the rriiv" Minister'* ailvice, and had a thorough appreciation of its leader. "I am not surprised at Mr. Mackenzie," added Mr. Lang, "trying, together with some others, to injure Mr. Massey in the ' estimation of the people, and to injure our party at the same time, because Mr. ■■ ) Mackenzie and his friends fear Mr. Massey, and fear the Reform Party, but we know Mr. Massey and trust him, and we also know Mr. Mackenzie." .'