MR W. RADCLIFFE AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12364, 1 December 1905, Page 9

MR W. RADCLIFFE AND THE GOVERNMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THK PESS3." Sir, —Certain corespondente writing to you of Into have sought to show that my candidature for tho Lyttelton eeat ie being oppoeed by the Government, and that in spite of all -that hae passed of late Mr Seddo-n and his colleagues etill retain confidence in Mr G. Laurenson as a supporter of the present Admi liiLstration. I am sorry the point hae been raised, but presumably friends of tho New Liberal candidate are anxious to damage my prospects if possible, and whiio one section of Mr Laurenson's friends are supporting him' lis a member of the now notorious New I Liberal party, whose leader and many of whoso candidates aro pledged to him, nofc the Government, while others aro voting for him on the understanding that ho Is a friend of Mr Seddon'e Administration. These people, I repeat, are attempting to discredit mc, and I am therefore compelled, in justice to my' eupparteae, to give the- facts. Long before the New Liberal advent, I wae approached and asked to contest the seat. When the country wae in aJi uproar over the "voucher" incident and other acte of the New Liberate I wae again approached, and as there was co much discontent with the then members associated with that party, I agreed to con tost the eeat. I wns advised by my ■ iende to seek tho assistance of the Government, bat I declined, and took the first opportunity of interviewing the Premier, and explained to him that I had no wish to take an undue advantage of air Lawrence's apparent disagreement with the Government and that provided the Premier wonld do nothing to further Mr Laurenson's prospects, i was quite satisfied that he should do nothing for mc, but leave us to conduct the contest "on our own." The Premier replied that he thought my suggestion was a most honourable one, and he wae prepared to respect my wishes, but that at the same time ho would have been prepared to have given mc any assistance he could. I have the best possible reason for knowing that this view of the position was explained to Mr Laurenson as the result of his enquiries through the medium of a third party, but in any case the position, as I have explained it, is the correct one, and I have the authority of the Premier, now that he is in Christohurch, to fully set out the facts. The action of tho friends of Mr Lauroneon in attempting to discredit mc, in suggesting that I did not have, and could not have obtained, any assistance frpm the Premier, ie beneath contempt, more particularly when my intention in asking the Premier to refrain from eueh assistance, is fully recogI nised. —Yours, etc., W. RAPCLIFFE. Lyttelton, November 29th, 1905.