LABOUR PARTY'S ATTUTUDE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8257, 23 December 1911, Page 5

LABOUR PARTY'S ATTUTUDE.

MAY SUPPORT EITHER.SIDE

STATEMENT BY MR, PAYNE.

NAPIER,, Dumber 22. Mr J. Payne, the. newly elected member for Grey Lynn, arrived by the mail train this evening, and was met at the railway, station by 'representatives of Labour. He was heartily welcomed to Napier, and congratulated on his victory over the Hon. G. Fowlds at the recent elections. Subsequently Mr Payne was, interviewed at the Caledonian Hotel, by a representative of the " Hawke's ..Bay Herald," and made an interesting statement as to the attitude he: thought the "Labour members should take up. "1. was on my way to Napier from Auckland on Thursday," said Mr Payne. When at Marton I received a telegram asking me to go onto Wellington to attend a meeting of Labour representatives, and I did so. We held that meeting; but, as only two of the elected Labour members were present, Mr Yeitch (Wanffeniii), and myself, no definite decision wasi arrived :<at. ,I;n addressing a' meeting 1,*"! pbinted'out that Labour held the balance of power, and I urged that we should be careful as to how that power is used. „ In my opinion, I said, it was highly desirable that a change of Government should be brought about, so as to 'free the workers of the excessive taxation that had resulted from the , unbusinesslike finance of the Ward Administration. I pointed out as plainly as I could that it is m our .power to do one of two things—to throw our weight with the Massey party on a no-confidence motion, and so bring about a change of Government, or to insist \ upon Sir Joseph Ward forming a -new party with the four Labour members on top. ■•If-Sir,- Joseph -will .reconstruct the Govern iTi.ent■■■'.as a Labour Government, with Labour,, members at the head, it will be all right; but if not, I suggested to the meeting that we should throw m our weight with the Massy party and defeat th a present Government on a no-confidence motion. Personally, I am an Independent Labour representative, and have no connection with the Labour Party proper. The so-called Labour Party is 'a comparatively small section of "unionists. Numbers of unionists are Federation of Laboui [men, but numbers of them don,VrT long either to th« Federation of i^oour or to the Labour Party. An attempt has been made to class tne four.Labour members as r.°V rsf?™: tives of what is known as W°™ Party, but, as I have been elected^ Federation of Labour «?en «md othu unionists not attached to the Labour Party, I am an Ind^endent Ijbaa. representative. W| f >c stron& i y ur g e d sent situation, ana *■ TV , IIK + «t is that the Labour membeis must act as

one body. In suggesting that we should support Sir Joseph Ward if he will form a Ministry with Labour members at the top, or, if he won't, vote for the -Massey party- on a no-con-fidence motion, my idea was that we should get hold of the,, finance of the country, m order to make a thorough investigation of it m the workers' interests." "Is an early dissolution probable?" asked the reporter. "With regard, to the possibility of a dissolution/:^ replied Mr/#Paynej "I consider it merely a bogey raised by Sir Joseph's supporters m order to m Hnmidate some,,, of.the.,•yoiin.g'members, who 'are naturally " ahxious": to retain. their, seats.*: I)consider an early dissolution not .yeiy fprob^ble, owing, to the fact that neither, the .^lasseyparty nor tlie Ward jilarty'ca'ii>'foresee how' they would- come c ou^i :.if \fcftey weiii;: t6 the country again.;, ;It „is. my belief that one of tlie two sides will carry on, even though with a small majority^ the same as m New South -Wales, where the Government is working with a majority of two, or m Victoria, where the Ministerial Party have only a majority pf one."