OPPOSED TO MASSEYISM.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8246, 11 December 1911, Page 5

OPPOSED TO MASSEYISM.

STATEMENT BY MR DAVID McLAREN.

(Our Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, December 11. In this morning's issue of the "New Zealand Times" appears a ,lengthy statement by Mr David McLaren, the Labour candidate for Wellington East, in reply to the. "Dominion" newspaper, Dr. Newman, and the Massey' party. Mr McLaren says that although he has nothing to complain of in regard to the first ballot election, he now finds that he has to deal with a party and persons having seemingly no sense whatever of political scrupples, dead to all common fairness, and ready to misrepresent, falsely report, and distort, mangle, and pervert known facts out of a spirit of hatred to serve their own ends. Both the British and the i Australian Labour parties had acted in I co-operation with the Liberal Party, j and. considered that they could get more of their own policy in that way than by voting to turn the Liberals j out, and so it' was with the Labour Party in New Zealand. Until they were strong enough themselves they would act with those 1 who would go furthpst in the direction they wished to take. Mr McLaren goes on to say— " I am opposed to Masseyism, and so is my party,' 'and gives his reasons as follows • —"The definite reason why the Labour Party is opposed to the Opposition is that the Massey party is definitely and decidedly opposed to Labour. Thtf policy of Mr Massey's party is practically the direct opposite of that of tho. Labour Party. It can' truthfully be said that the objectives of the two parties ,are so distinctly antagonistic that a person cannot support the* one side without, at the same time', opposing the other." Mr McLaren demonstrates this statement by quoting the platform of the New Zealand Labour Party, and says: —"Out of the whole of the 35 clauses I find the Opposition are plainly against us on practically the whole." To sum up the matter," tho statement continues, " there is one reason, and an absolutely sound one, why the Labour Party must oppose the so-called Reform Party. It is because the body of self-styled reformers is a sham and a make-believe on all matters of progress, the enemy of labour, and the close friend of land monopoly, class dominance, . and reactionary principles." In conclusion, Mr McLaren says :—- " Behold the trials of this glorious body of reformers. Mr Bell (Opposition) tolls the public that the Government people should support the Opposition against

labour, and goes on to say, m effect, that the; ideals of the two old parties are the same, and only Labour is wicked. What a beautiful '' notunderstood. " to be n-cited just here, and this is the party that calls itself-" Reform," and speaks of cleaning up the politics of our country. 3'