THE TRADE COMMISSION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 June 1912, Page 5

THE TRADE COMMISSION

SIR JOSEPH WARD RESIGNS. :- I ( "■yfraph—Press Association. Wellington, Saturday. Sir Joseph Ward has intimated to the Governor his withdrawal from the position of New Zealand's representative on the Imperial Trade Commission.

In an interview with a Post reporter to-day Sir Joseph said he had come to this determination owing to the fact that an alteration in the itinerary of the Commission had Tendered it difficult for liim to carry out his Parliamentary duties and attend to the work of the Commission. Before agreeing to accept the position he was informed that the Commission would sit in Australia and New Zealand first. It had since been decided to take evidence in England first, and then Canada. Though on the whole he thought that course best, the alteration, if he attended the Commission, would involve his absence from Parliament for the whole, of next session, and from that point of view that course was not practicable unless he resigned his seat in Parliament. As he believed in discharging the duties of any. position he took up whole-heartedly, and as he could not do justice to both, he preferred to remain a, representative of the people and had decided to remain here. He had fully considered the matter as to whether he should resign his seat in the House of Representatives and attend the Commission and let the electors of Awarua elect another representative, and he had arrived at his decision after carefully considering the whole matter quite voluntarily and without the slightest hesitation or pressure from anyone, cither in or out of New Zealand.