THE COALITION.

Auckland Star, 2 September 1933, Page 12

THE COALITION.

LABOUR INVITED TO JOIN? CONTROVERSY DEVELOPS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. A controversy has developed on the question of whether at the time the Coalition Government was formed the Labour party was invited to join in forming a National Government. Mr. E. J. Howard, M.P., has made a complete denial of the Hon. E. A. Ransom's contradiction of Mr. H. E. Holland's statement, made in a political address earlier in the week. Mr. Howard declares that none of Mr. Ransom's statements' is in accordance with fact. Mr. Holland has telegraphed to Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., another complete denial of the statements. Mr. Holland says: "Mr. Ransom's statement is wholly wrong. No invitation was ever issued to the Labour party through me by Mr. Forbes." Mr. Holland related at length the conversations and discussions preliminary to the setting up of the Interparty Committee, and the details of some of the discussions at committee meetings. He stated that every proposal made by Mr. Forbes for the promotion of a National Government was accompanied by the condition that the general election be postponed, to which tha Labour party had declared the strongest opposition. In a telephone conversation from Wellington last night Mr. Coates gave a definite support to Mr. Ransom's statement. Mr. Coates said: "Mr. Holland ia just playing with words and side-step-ping on the question of the postponement of the elections. He is trying to excuse his party's failure to seize the opportunity which it then had to come in and help the country." He declared that in words which Mr. Holland himself had quoted, Mr. Forbes issued an invitation to the official Opposittion and all other members of the House to join in a National Government. The Labour party refused the opportunity. Mr. Ransom, speaking at Sumner last night, made an emphatic reassertion of his contention that the Labour party was invited to join the National Government, and refused- He said he was present when the Leader of the Labour party declined the offer, and Mr.' Howard was not.