A NEW PARTY?

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1920, Page 5

A NEW PARTY?

FIFTEEN NAMES MENTIONED. ONE MEMBER'S ' DENIAL. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. Mr. V. H. Potter (Roskill) asked a question without notice regarding a new party that is alleged to have come into existence on the Opposition side of the House. It was reported that Mr. McCallum (Wairau) had said the following formed the now party: Messrs G. Witty (Riccarton), J. V. Brown (Napier), H. Poland (Ohinemuri), H. Atmore (Nelson), .1. Craigio (Timaru), R. McCallum (Wairau), C. E. Slatham (Dunedin Central), G. R. Sy'kes (Masterton), E. Kellett (Dunedin North), 8. G. Smith (Taranaki) W. A. Veiteh (Wanganui), G. Mitchell (Wellington South), J. McC. Dickson (Chalmers), the Hoy. J. A. Hanan (Tnvercargill), and Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East). Mr. Potter said they were described as an Inde-pendent-Liberal-Labor-Reform Party, and he asked if the Prime Minister would allot them seats on that side of the House.

Mr. Massey replied, smiling, that he regretted exceedingly there were no seats to he disposed of on the Government side of the House. He would he interested to hear from tlic b»%- party and to hear who their leader was. A little later in the afternoon Mr. McCallum craved the indulgence of the House to make a statement, Mr. Massey: Is this official?

Mr. McCallum: No, the member for Wairau only. Some people, he added, had been drawing uunn '.'i«ir imagination. Ho had 'never suggested tliat there was a new party; they were free lances, and there wa3 no cohesion at present among these fifteen members. He had stated that they were Liberal, Labor, and unattached independents. If the full context of his remarks were read they could not be construed into anything that might not be expressed publicly by any member of Parliament to a paper for circulation. Since the interview had been published at. least ope other member had come to him and expressed his regret that he had not been included, because he belonged to the same band. (Laughter and cries of "What is his name?") Mr. McCallum added that there was not a new party, and no suggestion of a new party had been made by him.