CAPABLE MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 237, 6 October 1936, Page 5

CAPABLE MEN.

IN N.Z. PARLIAMENT. EARLIEST YEARS REVIEWED. PROBLEM OF LEAVING HOME. By S.S. (Third Article of Series.) Only thirteen members of the first Houwe of Representatives came back to the first session of the second Parliament of New Zealand. It still was difficult to persuade capable men to leave their homes for lengthy periods. A laro-e proportion of those members who had been elected to the second Parliament, either never went to the House at all of resigned before the first meeting of the House. But when that meeting did take place it was soon evident that some few abler and more trusted men had been prevailed on to accept a seat in the new House. The town of Nelson sent two coming Premiers in the persons of Edward William Stafford and Alfred Domett. William Fox, John Hall, William C. Richmond, Francis Dillon Bell and William Fitzherbert made up seven of the new-comers who were soon to make themselves known to the colony. Abortive Attempt. As both Mr. FitzGerald and Mr. Weld were absent at the time, the Governor sent for Mr. Sewell, who was the only member in the House who had represented the majority of the first House in its abortive attempt to form a responsible Government. Mr. Sewell at once applied to Mr. Stafford to join him in forming a Ministry; but without success. Mr. Domett also declined, whilst Mr. Fox and Dr. Featherston were known to be distinctly hostile to Mr. Sewell's views. After failing to obtain the assistance of any of the ablest and most experienced men in the House, Mr. Sewell would have placed himself in his only proper position if he had gone back to

the Governor and reported his failure. But, like English soldiers, Premiers do not always know when they are beaten, and Mr. Sewell resorted to a forlorn hope when he decided to meet the House with only Mr. Francis Dillon Sell, ill the Lower House, and Mr. Whitaker and Mr. Tancred in the Legislative Council. Did Not Vote. On the first division of the House after the formation of the Ministry, Mr. Bell did not vote at all, and Mr. Sewell vcted in a minority of five against 21. On the second division, after a three hours' Ministerial statement by Mr. Sewell, both voted in a minority of 11 against 10. On the fourth division the Premier voted in a minority of three against 26. On May 6, nineteen days after accepting office, the Sewell Ministry was defeated by 17 to 15 on the Address-in-Reply, and at once tendered its "esignation, advising the Governor to send for the Auckland superintendent, Dr. Campbell, who had moved the amendment to the Address-in-Reply. Dr. Campbell soon pronounced himself unable to form a Ministry, as did Dr. Featherston forthwith, so that on J l"y 7, Mr. Sewell had to inform the House that he and his colleagues still held office subject to the pleasure of the House.

In the following week Mr. Fox made a full and a very uncompromising statement of liis views of the relations that should exist between the general and the provincial Governments, which provoked an amendment from Mr. Sewell that was defeated by nineteen members to seventeen. On the following day this was followed up by Mr. with a. direct vote of no confidence, which caused the Sewell Ministry to resign without waiting for any further debate or division. Still Mr. Sewell advised the Governor to send for Mr. Stafford and not for Mr. Fox. Mr. Fox was the last man that Mr. Sewell or Mr. Stafford wished to see in office; but there was no excuse for this unwise and unusual advice, which Mr. Sewell endeavoured to justify by quoting an English precedent that certainly did not apply. Policy of Concession. The House proved to be so equally divided between Centralists and Provincialists that neither the one nor the other could obtain a working majority in the House, and Mr. Stafford, although

sympathising with Mr. Sewell, was still free to adopt a- policy of concession which neither Mr. Sewell nor Mr. Fox could consistently approve. Mr. Stafford soon found that he could obtain the support of only one half of the House and wisely declined to take office under such conditions. Mr. Fox was therefore sent for, and although supported by exactly the same number of members as Mr. Stafford would have been, he boldly accepted the position, taking for his colleagues in the House, Messrs. Hall, Brown and Daldy, and in the Legislative Council the Hon. Ralph Richarson. Mr. Fox. and his friends had barely taken their seats when Mr. Travers, a southern member, arrived. He was pledged to neither side, and was soon overwhelmed by the attentions and promises of both. Mr. Travers was not a friend of Mr. Stafford, and was not supposed to be a Centralist of a Conservative; but he was quite shrewd enough to see which was the rising, and which the setting sun, and gave his balancing vote accordingly. Fox Resigned. Thus it came to pass on Monday, May 26, 1856, that the name of Travers appeared in every division, immediately under that of Stafford, and in every division there was a majority against the Ministry, and, on the following day, a vote of "No Confidence" was carried by the same majority, 18 to 17, and the Fox Ministry resigned. On the third day of June, six days after the resignation of the Fox Ministry, Mr. Stafford met the House of Representatives with a new Ministry and with a well-considered Ministerial statement. . The first five years of the Stafford Premiership had begun.