THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 142, 14 June 1912, Page 2

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

WX&& GovKaimaEjrr weateosh the stqsm; i " not afbaid of ast appeal to THE CQTJNTRY, PBIME. MINISTER CQOTIPESfT. , The Prime Minister, the Hon. Thomas I Maciendie, arrived in Auckland this morning a£ seven e'elook, and left an ! hpur later by the. Helensville express on , a Northern tour, which wilj" embrace : Helensville, BargavjlJe.. and. -Whangarej. Seen by a "Star" representative prior 'to his departure, the Prime. Minister had something interesting to say upon . the iubjact of the present political ; situation.. Questioned as to what might be eqjt , pected to happen when Parliament met at the end of the present month, the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie eaid that he was confidept that the Government would maintain its majority. When the members supporting the Liberal party met last February for the purpose of selecting a leader each man present pledged himself, before anyone was nominated, to stand by the person" elected. That was a covenant agreed to, and he believed that every Kin would carry out I the spontaneous pledge given when they met to select a "leader. "It has not been often in recent years," continued the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie, "that the Government party has in this way had the opportunity of selecting its own leader, and it would not hp a satisfactory thing to place on record if those who made .that .pledge now departed from, the responsibility entered upon; Personally, I do not think there will be any such departure, and the Government will, in my opinion, successfully weather the storms that are predicted .to be brewing." "As far as the country is concerned," continued the Prime Minister, "no one could desire better receptions than the members of the Mnistry have everywhere received. If th occasion for an early appeal to the country was to occur, I have not the slightest doubt as to what the result would be. Personally, I have met with the greatest encouragement wherever I have beep, and have had assurances from people of ail shades of political opinion that there is a sympathetic feeling towards the Government, and a desire that we should have the opportunity of putting into operation the work which we have either under- i talcen or indicated our intention to undertake. I was recently told that I daj-e not show my face in Bnnedin. I straightway went down to attend the opening of the Dunedin winter show, and received one of the finest receptions ever accorded any public man in that city. I told the people there that I considered that the statements which had reached mc were only ripples on the surface, and that deep in their hearts I stood as well with the people of Dunedin as with the people in any other part of the Dominion; and that the hard-headed Scotchmen of Otago showed that they were as well able to judge on the merits of a case as those wh-o most loudly proclaimed that the Mackenzie Government had nothing to commend it. At Invercargill I received such a reception as ha 3 . never before been my experience, and all through the Dominion I have found that the came good fpeling prevails." , "Saituning up the position," continued the Hon. Mr Mackenzie, .."T am of the opinion thai; the feeling of the country is strongly favourable towards the present Administration. There is no reason to recapitulate the causes which led to the position' of the liberal party being weakened at the polls last election. But the set-back then sustained by no means indicated that the desires of the people were in favour of the Conservative party. The Ministry which I have the honour of- leading meets with the reasonable wishes of the great bulk of the community. Our policy may fail- to satisfy the Cpnservativee and the ever-agitating Socialist, tut it appeals to the great mass of the people, and so I think that the 'bulk of the people are willing to put us on our trial, so that, we jpay show the mettle we are made of."