MR PAYNE'S VOLTE FACE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10567, 24 February 1912, Page 4

MR PAYNE'S VOLTE FACE.

Tho extraordinary conduct of Mr John Payne, M.P., in deliberately breaking his election pledge, has created a feeling of profound disgust and resentment throughout the country. There is no wonder that the young member for Waitemata (Mr A. Harris) should have made an indignant protest from tho lioor of the House. This is what Mr Harris is reported to have said:— "1 should be very sorry, sr, to call that gentleman a colleague of mine. A man cannot be true who is not true to his election pledges. He is a man who owes his position to the votes given to him because he -was pledged to <~'.cnd out of

office an effete Ministry. He has pledged himself to come down here to do that. Sir, I regret that he has sunk to such a level that ho is prepared to sink his principles of honour and manhood and vote with a party that he is expressly pledged to vote against." What, added Mr Harris, had the Labourites to thank the Ward Administration for? A groat number of empty promises—promises they had made and had not the slightest intention of carrying out. He and Mr Payne both owed 1 their position largely to the Labour I votes—(Mr Massey: Hear, Hear!)— 1 .but Labour throughout New Zealand' j had nothing to thank the Ward Goy- ! eminent for. On the contrary, it I had a lot to blame it for. (vHear, hear.) The Opposition, on the other j hand, claimed that they wore the , friends of Labour in this Dominion. 1 (Ministerial laughter). It was all very well for the lion, gentlemen to laugh, but they would bo laughing on the other side of their mouths after this division was taken. (Hear, hoar.) He went on to give a number jof reasons why the present Government had lost the confidence of the ; country. "I rose with the object of telling the member for Grey Lynn ' opinion of him,' raid Mr Harris in i conclusion. "I think very little of i him. He pledged himself to his elec- | tors to vote the Ministry out of powI er, and has shown himself a man j who can sink his principles and lower ' his manhood. It was ibetter that a | millstone were hanged around that i gentleman's neck and ho were cast ' into the middle of the sea."