POLITICAL FUTURE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 188, 9 August 1919, Page 11

POLITICAL FUTURE.

I COALITION CONTINUANCE. (By to "Star.") •WELLINGTON, Friday.. *■ The National Government leaders had reason to be well pleased with the public reception in Wellington, though they have no pleasant recollections of the final stage of their journey down the West Coast. Thirty hours tossing in a small steamer was a poor end to a. trip which throughout had been in pleasant weathers. "We don't want any further arguments in -favour of the resumption of the Tailway services as soon as possible," declared Mr. Massey, apropos of the journey on the steamer Pateena. Journalistic efforts to pierce the veil of mystery regarding their future political intentions have been hardly more successful here than in Auckland, though it has now (become evident that the National Government will be maintained to meet Parliament in that capacity. Sir Joseph Ward, who goes to Christchurch on Friday night, returns on Wednesday to resume Ministerial work. The Prime Minister has started office business. His proposed , - consultation with members of the Reform .party i 8 to be postponed until the opening of the session, owing to the difficulty of communication. HEW ZEALAND'S NAVAL POEICY. NO CHANGE INTENDED. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. Mr. -Massey was questioned by your correspondent regarding the acceptance on behalf of New Zealand of the cruiser Canterbury, and the suggestion made that the country was thus committed to a. change in its policy of contribution towards Imperial defence. "There is no change of policy," he replied. 'This is the policy .under which we maintained H.M.S. Philomel out of New Zealand's £100,000 per annum subsidy. We shall do the s%m e with this ship, which will be more suitable to the future needs of the Dominion. Your Island interests are greatly extended; we shall have plenty of work for the new cruiser. We have long felt the want ot a fast vessel which can go out in a hurry to ship.s in distress off the coast. Not only have we the Cook, Niue, and Samoan groups, but our connection with the Gilbert and Ellice gromps is becoming closer, while Nauru is geographically within our sphere; and we have a part interest in its phosphate ■ deposits, the value of which to the "farming /community is hardly yet realised to the full. We have depended on basic slag, but we cannot get it from England nor from Germany. In future phosphate must replace it, and having gone exhaustively into the matter, I feel our interest in Nauru is one of the best things we have obtained."