THE POLITICAL CRISIS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8258, 26 December 1911, Page 6

THE POLITICAL CRISIS

THE LABOUR MEMBERS

MR PAYNE'S PROPOSED ULTIMATUM.

Per Press Association.

NAPIER; December 25. As a result of an interview kindly given to a "fiawke's Bay. Herald" reporter and telegraphed to all parts of the Dominion, Mr J. Payne, member for Grey Lynn, has aroused the iro of. a section of the Labour Party. On Saturday he received the following telegram from Auckland:— "We most emphatically p*-. test against your statement regarding: the Mew Zealand Labour Party i If you choose to play up to the Revoluti juary Socialist handful, that is your affair, but wo would point out in unmistakable terms that you must not try to do it at the expense of the Labour Party. , The 'so-called Labour Party,' as you jeeringly term it, is the political party of ' organised labour and was formed by a Dominion conference of Trades Councils, and don't you rv.n away with the Revolutionary Socialist notion that the Labour.. Party- is going to let' you or,, anyone else walk over it. That 'game was tried in Parnell, but it didn't work, not even with the full ! support of all the Federation CT-wd. Your statement to a "Hawke'3 Bay Herald" reporter that you. were elected by Federation men is incorrect. You were elected' by the R<>('orm Party's, vote, and we expect po ;;:ical honesty.—Voice of Labour." To this telegram Mr Paying who happens to be one of the company which owns the 1 "Voice. of Labour." sent the following vigorous ie t Jy.— "Just received most impertinent vire from you, consisting of mixture of musty drivel and bluff. Kindly keep that sort of communication for those you are likely to mislead. If I nave any more of it I shall challenge you through the public Press to publish your Dominion roll-call of the so-called Labour Party,- and then we shall see what we shall see.—Payne (the elected of the workers of Grey. Lynn and not elected of the Reform Party, as stated by the spineless individual who nides his name behind the "Voice of Labour" norn-de-plumo)." Mr Payne has now written to the other three Labour members suggesting a meeting at the Grand Hotel, Wellington,; on January 2, to discuss the position. In his letter lie says—" It occurs to me that probably the Independent members would like to meet the four Labour members, and I am writing to those gentlemen suggesting that they should meet us on.the same evening in the same place after the Labour meet-' ing. As it may materially influence you in deciding whether it is worth your while to meet me in' Wellington,' I will now give an outline of what my attitude would ,be at such a meeting. I: should suggest that we arrange to. work together in the interests of Labour entirely without the interference of any person or persons or organisations outside the House, that 'working together' shall only■• mean conferring and discussing Labour matters for the general good, and 'in no way bind the fr.ee and independent action of any Labour member. That ; j this individual freedom of action is absolutely necessary is emphasised- when we consider that Mr Veitch is the only Labour Party representative, that Mr Robertson is' a Socialist member, that; Mr Hindmarsh is a Labour member with party leanings in a certain direction, and-'that I myself am a Labour member without party predilections of any- kind, the welfare of the. worker being my only desideratum. Next, I should urge that we fully recognise and act upon the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the position of the four .Labour members. That position embraces the following matters: —(1) That we can, as it were, present an ultimatum to the Premier, requiring him to abdicate in favour of a Laboxir'Premier and assist such Labour Premier in the construction of a Labour Cabinet, taking in the other three Labour members. "In this connection I would support any of the other three Labour members being chosen as Premier, providing that the, portfolios of Finance, Education, Public Works, Health, and Customs were allotted to Labour members. (2) If this ultimatum be not complied with by the Premier, the only course open to us is to compel a full inquiry into the finances of the Dominion by voting the Ward Administration out* by our support of a noconfidence motion moved by .. Mr Massey." v