THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18400, 5 June 1925, Page 8

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

QUESTION OF FUSION,

MR WILFORD'S ATTITUDE,

(FBISS ASSOCIATION TBLSOIUV.) WELLINGTON, June 4. To-day the following letter was sent by Mr T. M. Wilford, Leader of the Liberal-Labour Party, to the Prime Minister, the Hon. J. G. Coates:— We have apparently reached an impasse in our public statements. You have stated that as Prime Minister you wished to bury the political hatchet and bring about a friendly merger of the two parties, and have asked for proposals from tho Liberal-Labour Party, which is certainly the junior party in point of numbers. We in turn asked you, as the senior party in point of numbers and position, to submit your proposals. As nothing has been done with a view to clarifying the position, and, if possible, bringing matters to a head, I write you this letter.

First of all, let me make it clear that we believe that party is dust when matters involving the maintenance of the Empire is concerned, and we believe the British Empire to-day seriously is in need of all assistance possible, and I, myself, feel that with lessening production at Home, and competition by cooperation on the Continent, wo should try with all our might and main to make this little Dominion pull its full weight in the next few years. Necessity for Co-operation. I need not stress the position of India, Canada, South Africa, and Australia to-day. It is well known by us. Let me put on one side any vain quarrellings over petty things, for I am firmly of opinion that the pinch of compulsion very shortly will bring the necessity for co-operation home to every one of us. Nothing but an effort, with the assistance of the workers of tho country, can create national strength, and all must agree that an industrial war is worse than defeat for each belligerent. I feel we must all, as New Zcalanders, quicken our endeavours, reorganise many of our methods, and make use of every latent resource wo possoss. Is this possible First of all, let me say that the idea of getting together for the solo purpose of fighting Labour is simply suicide for both parties, and I cannot believe that tho same is your idea. Certainly it is not mine. The party I lend depends on workers very largely, and they have never failed us, and any getting together in my mind must admit the necessity for killing class consciousness, and producing a policy fair to all. That is a policy for the whole of the people and not for some of the people. A Progressive Policy. Can wo do this? Is it a job beyond us? I think not. No party these days can help New Zealand, in iny opinion, which does not have an up-to-date and progressive policy. When I say up-to-date, I mean up to the requirements and circumstances of the present day. I have long opposed your "party, and no man in Parliament has had longer continuous service than I have, so perhaps my statement may have some weight when I say I believe that under present policy, and political position of partios in Parliament necessary legislation often cannot find its way on the Statute Book, and this makes a football of the country. The- game is often played offside, and tho goal is sometimes forgotten. I cannot, of course, set out in t)iis letter concrete and fully definite proposals, for that means, among other things, the drafting of a national policy acceptably to both parties, but I can make the suggestion. It has been reported in the Press, though at present unconfirmed by you, that your caucus passed a resolution authorising you toappoint a committee to confer with a committee on our side, to see if it .is possible to make one party of our two parties. . Proposed Committees. Let me say, whether the Press report is true or untrue, that we are prepared to set up a committee-of six to meet a committee of the same number from your party, and see if a practicable modus Operandi can bo attained. Let me say to you and your party and the electors of New Zealand, I neither desiro nor would accept office' if the new party eventuated. I hope this statement will prove to the people' of New -Zealand that I am not blocking the way of tho conference. This attitude of mine, though made public for the first time, is known to my party. I think, having made that statement, I could bo a useful member of the committee

My sole object in writing this letter is to ascertain whether there is any way of arriving at a method bywhich a combined effort may be made to meet the many serious problems, economic and social, which w\ll surely rise, if I can read the signs correctly, in a very short time. I am satisfied,we must have reconstruction for recovery. In conclusion, let mo say, if, after a conference, no policy can be agreed oh, and no amalgamation can take place, each party will have the satisfaction of knowing that in the interest of the Dominion an effort has been made. ATTACK ON MR WILFORD. ROSKILL LIBERALS' SECESSION. (SPBCIAL TO "THX PBBBS.") AUCKLAND,' June 4. Aucklandcrs laughed this morning, the cause of their merriment being the following report which appeared in the "Herald":— After being addressed for two hours by Mr A. Hall-Skelton on "tho great betrayal of Liberalism," a meeting of Koskill Liberal electors and others last evening passed a vote of no-confidence in tho Leader of the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford), and pledged itself to support the movement to form a "Progressive Liberal Party" in Auckland. About 50 people were present at the meeting, over which Mr A. E. Eagleton, chairman of tho Roskill executive of the Liberal-Labour Federation, presided. Mr Hall-Skelton's speech was mainly an attack on Mr Wilford, who, he alleged, had repeatedly betrayed Liberal principles in recent years hy voting for reactionary class legislation, and had left the Labour Party to uphold those principles. Mr Eagleton, in opening the meeting, said its purpose was to show the electors what scant courtesy Eoskill Liberals had received from the LiberalLabour Federation in Auckland and also in Wellington. The Auckland executive had failed to give satisfactory

answers to letters, and had promised personal interviews which never eventuated. At last, his executive had become so sick of the way in which things were being mismanaged that it had decided to cut adrift. Later, a motion would be put to the meeting to the effect that the Koskill organisation should secede. It was hoped in the course of a week to form a strong Liberal Party in Auckland to take over the Liberal cause.

"The so-called Liberal-Labour Party has proved a complete fiasco," declared Mr Hall-Skelton at the beginning of his speech. "For six years it has been under the leadership of Mr Wilford, and it has been grossly neglected by him. He has proved a colossal failure as leader, and he ought to resign. I intend to show that Mr "Wilford nt every opportunity has voted against the foundation principles laid down by Grey. Ballance, Seddon, and Ward. No one has done, more to support a squatter Government than Mr Wilford. It is time that this man was exposed." After describing the state of the country in very doleful terms, Mr HallSkelton denounced the Reform Party as a "squatter, Conservative Party," and accused it of patronage and wholesale statutory frauds by which, he said, its friends had become wealthy. Against this, Wilford had made no protest, but had voted for the Government's most anti-Liberal proposals and against good legislation proposed by Labour. He had shown no idea of Liberalism and no capacity for leadership. Speaking of tlio Liberal organisation, ho said he and others had tried for rx years to get inside the little exocutive in Auckland. The latest Liberal manifesto showed that Mr Wilford did not know how to organise a eat fight. The people who posed as Liberal representative* in tho Auckland provineo had not been elected by the Party's supporters and know nothing about Liberalism.

In the course of a long denunciation of the Eeform Party, the speaker declared that the Dominion was in a bad wa3', and that the first romedy was a tax of 3d in the pound on the unimproved value of land. He gave a list of measures upon which he claimed that Mr Wilford had voted wrongly. These included lanff-tax remissions, the alienation of national endowmont lands, reduction of railwaymen's and other public servants' wages, and compulsory control of dairy produce exports. "The flag of Liberalism is not dead in this country," ho declared. "We shall give out a message from a hundred platforms in the next few months, arid this man will be exposed, root and branch.''

In reply to a questioner who asked what he had against the Labour Party, Mr Hall-Skelton said he had absolutely nothing except its treatment of the land laws. There was no differenco between Labour's aspirations and those of true Liberals. The motion of secession, from the Liberal Party was then carried. THE ROSKILL SEAT. DISSENSION TN LIBERAL CAMP. (PEESS ASSOCIATION TXLIQRAM.) ' WELLINGTON, June 4.

"The resolution of the Roskill electorate was not unexpected," says Mr Wilford, "for a member of our executive was informed that wo were to be 'dealt with 1 because our Auckland Provincial Council would not recommend Mr Hall Skelton to lis as the LiberalLabour candidate for Roekill. I have a petition which I have shown to the editor of the 'Evening Post,' dated May 30th, 1835, signed by twenty-four electors of Roskill, including the secretary of the organisation in Roskill, 'asking the executive to confer the official imprimatur of the party oh the candi- j datura of Alfred Hall Skelton in tho lloskill electorate. The Auckland Provincial Council under our constitution must recommend candidates in the Auckland province for our approval. They considered the request and failed to recommend that gentleman to us for that electorate, and now the electors who petitioned us to have Hall Skelton as our candidate, presumably because they had confidence in our party, passes, a furious resolution damning the very organisation they wanted to serve under less than three weeks ago." . j POLITICAL PARTIES AND ' LOYALTY. CSntCIAI. TO "IHB »K83.") DUNEDIN, June 4. The Hon. W. Nosworthy, speaking at the Overseas Club, said he- hoped and believed that the Hon. J. G. Cbates would be equally worthy of the high esteem in which the late Prime Minister had been held. He was glad to say that the two principal Parties in the House to-day were absolutely loyal. Though tho Liberals were his political opponents, he would give them this credit: that they were actuated by a spirit of loyalty to the Crown and the Empire to just as groat an extent as were the Party in power. There was another Party, however, he was sorry to say, whoso views wore questionable. WELLINGTON GOSSIP. THE ROSKILL INCIDENT. (BP?CIiIL TO "this pbbss.") WELLINGTON, June 4. Matters concerning the government of the country are going on very much as they were before Mr Maasey's death, and generally tho political situation, has quietened and is not so much talked about. The Liberal breakaway at Itoskul (Auckland) came as a shock to such Liberal "diohards" as remain m Wellington. Shrewd students of New Zealand politics regard the breakaway as an indication of the end of tho Liberal Party as the official Opposition in Parliament, and go so far as to say that after the next General Election Mr Coatoa may be in such a strong position that fusion with tho Liberals may not be necessary. In this connexion, however.. Mr mliord's most recent statement on the fusion question is interesting, especially that part of it which states that he himself does not desire office, nor would accept it if the new Party even- '■ tuated. It is suggested that possibly Mr Wilford would be content with the Speakeiship, or an official posrlaon in England or America. Anyhow, his decision may make a solution on the problem easier than was generally anticipated. REFORM PARTY. ACTIVITIES IN CANTERBURY. A meeting of members of tho Reform Party in Canterbury was held in Christchurch last night. There were about 50 members present and the object of the meeting was to set up a new executive and review tho political situation in Canterbury. Mr H. D. Aoland, who had been president of the Party in Canterbury for a considerable period, intimated his in-

x? n "tiring from that offico, and Mr Xj. O. Hui© was elected in his stead. An executive of twelve members was set up and Mr H. G. Livingston© wns re-elected hon. secretary. A number of suggestions were made for a more complete organisation of the Party in Canterbury, and after these had been discussed it wns decided that the executive should consider the question of the appointment of an organiser for the province at an early date.