NO AGREEMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 October 1940, Page 5

NO AGREEMENT

BETWEEN FEDERAL PARTY LEADERS ON NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL. I CONFERENCE NOT HELD. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 9 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. The conference of Federal party leaders, called by Mr R. G. Menzies today to discuss the political situation, did not eventuate, though' the four leaders concerned, Messrs Menzies, Cameron, Curtin and Beasley, were in Melbourne. Mr. Menzies conferred separately with Mr. Curtin, 'the leader of the Federal Labour Party, and then with Mr. Beasley, the leader of a group of four New South Wales members, calling themselves the Non-Communist Labour Party. Statements issued by Messrs Menzies, Curtin and Beasley later threw no light on the political impasse, but it is believed that Mr. Curtin firmly rejected the National Government proposal, declaring that Mr. Menzies should resign, thus allowing the GovernorGeneral to call on Mr. Curtin to form a Government.

Weekend developments suggested the possibility of Labour being willing to take office with the support of a small group of Independent nonLabour members, giving' it a majority of three or four in the House of Representatives. The only definite outcome of today’s proceedings was a decision by all leaders to call meetings of their parties at Canberra next week. The failure to reach an agreement on the formation of a National Government may cause Mr. Menzies to decide to meet the House and face a noconfidence motion moved by Mr. Curtin. The Independents, upon whom any Government must depend, will then be forced to declare their hand. INFORMAL TALK MESSRS MENZIES & CURTIN. RESULT INCONCLUSIVE MELBOURNE, October 7. A political discussion which was held today between the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, and the leader of the official Opposition, Mr Curtin, resulting from the election deadlock together with the desirability of the formation of a National Government, was inconclusive. The Prime Minister in a statement said that he and Mr Curtin had a frank discussion on the war and international developments, and that he informed Mr Curtin of his desire and the necessity for the formation of a National Ministry or an all-party administration on an equitable basis. Mr Curtin’s reply was that as an important principle of Labour policy was involved he was bound to submit the matter to the Federal Parliamentary Labour Party, which would be done probably next Monday. Mr Menzies later had similar talks with Mr Cameron, the leader of the Country Party, and Mr Beasley, leader of the Labour (Non-Communist) Party.