MR MASSEY.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 286, 7 June 1909, Page 5

MR MASSEY.

The following is Mr Massey's ■ latest' pronouncement: "It is just- :is weli ; to understand that I '-have received ,no official invitation, to.be pres- | out, nor has the Prime Minister com- | municated with me on tho subject. -But I may say at once that, under existing circumstances, there a-re stronger reasons for my staying in iJfew Zealand and doing my duty here than, for my going to the proposed . conference. I have already made it perfectly clear that, in ray opinion, the public affairs of this country are jll SUCiI !i condition that they should be considered by Parliament at the earliest possible date and there should be no postponement of tho session. But if Sir Joseph Ward • proposes to go Home to the Conference instead' of making other arrangements for out representation there; no difficulty" 'will be placed in his way by Opposition members. At the same time, tho publication of the correspondence lie-, tween the Imperial Government and., tho Government 'of tho Commonwealth •shows that the coming conference, important though it may be, is not intended to be anything like so important- as the ordinary Imperial Conferences which, are held at intervals of four years. In Mr Asquith's words. ■tlie eoTiiiiifc; -eoiif«r.once- is 'subsidiary,' and 'the consultation will lie generally vipon technical or quasi - technical naval and military matters. ■ 'The conference.,' ho goes. on,- 'will.be of a purely consultative character, and ■will be held in private, and its deliberations will be assisted by the .presence of memlwrs or other expert advisors of his Majesty's Government. Jam suldi-essing,.' he says, '.'aj similar messa-go to othei; members of tlie Im'p'erTai'Conference,' so that I presume 1 a similar message came: to' the New Zuaiancl ■(rovernment to that which was forwarded to Australia, a nd : , if so, then what is wanted is the Defence Minister and a, military or naval expert, and, as Di-feu-cc; M mister. Sir Joseph Ward is' entithid 'to go. If Jit' so chooses, we are willing and anxious to d-:> <mr duty a.s [inporiaiists, but wo c.-;ui do what is right ax- tlie-; present -jiinc-tu.re without pntting the j I people- of this country to unnecessary ! inconvenience. «nd loss. With the principle that both parties should be

represented ait the ordinary Imperial Conferences, I .ihorouglily agree, "aju£* "" if such eonfe-r&nces could be arrange ~ edj.sji* a^ not t<£ clash with our Parliamentary sessioiu then I think 5^ -f would- be a very good thing "to havo the colony represented! by'tlie loaders of both parties. But'tnaVis not tuo postiion now;, and it would be absurd to suggest that every time, an Imperial Conference is held our Parliamentary business sjiould be postponed. I liaye looked at both sides of the question, and those are tho conclusions I have come to."