THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10558, 14 February 1912, Page 4

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

A political "guesser" in the 'Empire City has wired to a contemporary that the Government will be found to have a majority of one after the first division in the House, and that it tfill proceed to reconstruct the Ministry. One need hardly say that this is the merest moonshine. The Government Has 110 more hope of reconstructing trie Ministry, or of securing a working majority in the House, than it has of flying to the heavens. (The fact is that, with the assistance of; one of the Labour men and three I of- the Native members, it can only | depend upon thirty-eight followers. From this thirty-eight- must Ibe taken ! the Speaker and Mr T. M. Wilford i Cwho is absent without a -pair). This leaves the' -voting strength of the Ministry on a no-confidence motion at thirty-six at'the very outside, iHe chances are that Mr Coates, the*member .for Kaipara, who was returned jas an Independent, will also vote i against the Government, which will j Wave it with only thirty-five. A | number of people, whose wish is father to the thought, have been' [ trying to make themselves ' believe [ that Messrs Veitch, Payne and Rob[edtson, the Labour members, will ■ vbte with the Government. No person who values a pledge, and least of all the Labour members themselves, will give the slightest credence to such an outrageous proposition. The probabilities are that the "first- division Tn the .House will result in the defeat cf the Government by fortytwo votes to thirty-six. The House will then adjourn, and Mr Massey will he called upon to form a Minis'try, ■ ■