VERY INTERESTING SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1315, 19 December 1911, Page 6

VERY INTERESTING SITUATION.

: ".'..'' .. "— '■ —■♦— . I WILL THE PREMIER RESIGN? i MR. FISHER'S VIEWS. ', • .'ALTERNATIVE COURSES.'.. (By Tclccra-Dh:— SD«cial Corrcscoiidcnt.) ' . ... Christchurch, December IS. ; Jlr. -F. M..8. .Fisher, M.P., who.is at present on: a'visit.-to Christchurch, ■ saiil : . to-day, when asked regarding tho poliI <ical situation:—"ln my opinion, if Sir : Joseph "Ward acted as he ought, to act, ; ihis resignation would bo in the. hands of the. Governor before, tho end of this week, in which case Mr. Massoy would be tent for -by tho Governor, would form an Administration, call Parliament together in ' January,'and would no doubt at once bo ; iestcd'by a norconfidenco motion . moved ' by the new Lender of tho Opposition, '.that, I think, would bo the proper : ■ course to lake. The probability is, howover, that the inordinate, luvo of office j (if the Frinio Minister and his colleagues : •will 'induce them to hold on until tho ( last' possible moment. In this coiitin-, i {jency, it if practically certain -that Par-' I liament will meet in January, -that a noconfidenco motion will he -immediately tabled, and,-as aresult, Sir Joseph Ward : .will !,be. defeated. Tho Houso will iid- ! juurn fora.wesk.- Mr. Jlassey will be j £eht - for, will form.a new Cabinet, and i ■ .will, meet Parliament; A no-conlidenco ' motion will ha moved by the new Leader ! uf" the Opposition (Sir Joseph Ward), ; and ■ then real interest will arise, bi. , - ! cause whilst the .Attitude of tho four : Independents-and tho four Labour mem- : liers towards Sir Joseph Ward as Prime : Minister is known, their attitudis to Mr. Jfassoy,. as Prime Minister is- unknown, i Jf they agree to give Mr. Massey reason-' ; able j support, Ire will be ablo to carry on 1 through the . Parliament with much i • greater easo than the Labour Government is carrying on-at. present in New South ■ Wales. If, on the other hand, the. Labour'members and. the Independents ; decido'ti do everything they can to embarrass' the position of tlio Prime llinis- '.' lor, then it..is .'doubtful' whether Mr. : Massey will bo-able to carry on efficiently : under those conditions. liivsuch an event Jin, Massey' would probably ask ' Parliament to-repeal'tho Second Ballot Act and, give the-country a J'roportional Rc--1 presehhUibu -Bill. I think that ho would probably attempt to pass a Bill abolishing.or reforming tho Legislative Council, and-personally I hope that he would lay down as n definite, plrtnk of his plntfnnn the doctrino of. the Slate as a model employer, and show that' it was the intention of. the Government .'to stoji the present system of underpaid - State employees. .-With these, reforms attempted (and thoy'ore'reforms' upon, which tho IJouso would hiivp ho difficulty in .agreeing), Mr.' Massey might' be easily justified in asking for a dissolution, and going to the country' for ;tho, return r of a greater Kujorily ,tp'support:.liim.". -THE , MAORI EJECTIONS. ■ . V:--. POLL -TO-DAY.■:'. - '. 'Parlianientary repr'csentativea' of ■ tho Native race aro -to-bo'elected-to-day in three districts, the -Hon. A. T..'Kgatahaving .been returricd'.traqpposcd in the . Eastern district. I'ollbwjrig -are the candidates Bomi.nated , in, too Northern,. AVcstern, .and: Soiithurn Maori districts :— Koi'thern .I'a.ngihivpa,.. Jeji.u. 1 Mflfetafai .Hfiai'tc.Pjia, 'Huiriia '.Tito, Kcihinli 1 Nctan'a, Wfrtniii .Tuauru Kowhai, Eru Ihaka- Kiapo Timoti Puhini, Kaka I'orowini. Herepoto liapihana. Wiri Nehua. Western Maori.—Henare Kaihau, Maui Pomate, .Pepbne Eketone, Mgaiangi Taingakawa, PomaTO Hetaraka. Southern Maori.—James Anes, Teone Erihann, Taare Parata, Haimona Patete, John Ilopere' I'ru, Tahnaroa. Karira Watson. At tho general election of 1008 Hono Heko was returned in the Northern district, with a majority of 1045 votes over his single opponent, Hare ■Tβ Rangi. The votes polled for each candidate were respectively 1163 and -.23. at a by-election Te Bahgihiroa (Dr. Buck) was elected in succession to Iion« Heke. In the Eastern District, Mr. Njjata polled 47)0 votes, oxceeding by 3010 the total of 1730 obtained by his opponent, Tiki .Paaka. In the Western District, Henare Kaihau was opposed by four other candidates, .and with 2Q71 votes had a majority of 757 over his nearest opponent, Pepeno- Eketone, who polled, IGIS votes. In tho Southern District, Tame Parata, who has now retired, polled 358 votes, thus having a majority of -1 over Teone Hopere Wharewitu "Uru, for whom 351 votes were recorded. Twenty-one votes were polled for Charles West, the remaining candidate. Only 730 votes in all were cast in the Southern District. The aggregate voting in the other districts was as follows;— Northern, ISM; Eastern, 6170; Western, 7271. REFORM AND LABOUR, JiABOUE MEN CONGRATULATE MR. MASSEY. (By TelccraDh.—Presß Association.) Auckland, December 18. A deputation from tho Auckland Lab»mr party, headed by' Mr. C. Ingram (pre--Ridcnt) and Mr. T. Walsh .(secretory), waited on. Mr. W. F. Massey to offer their official'congratulations to him on fho success of, the Reform yart;v at the polls. ' - . . , LABOUR CONGRATULATIONS. Palmerston North, December 18. The local branch of the Amalgamated Society-of Railway' Servants passed a resolution congratulating tho Labour 'i/icmbers on their rotnrn to Parliament. REVISED LOCAL RETURNS. ■ 'An official scrutiny of votes.was completed 'yesterday' by tho Returning Ofli,cers, in each of-tho four.local electorates 'in which a second ballot.was taken. The revised returns -jro printed below.— ' WELLINGTON CENTRAL. ,Fisher.—Local booths, 3752 i votes allowed on''investigation, f>; absent voters, 23; searacji, 2fi; total, 3813. . Fletcher.—Locn.l booths, 3fio6; votes allowed on investigation, 10; ab=ent voters, if; roaincn, -12; total, 3681. . Majority for Fisher, 132. "WELLINGTON SOUTH. Hindmarsh.—ljO(vt.l booth.3, 3373; absonf >oto'rs, 1b; total, 3598. Wright.—Local booths, 3283; ab«enl ?olers, 59; total, 33H. Informal, 9. Majority for' llindmarsh, 251. WELLINGTON EAST. Newmnii.—Local booths, 3710; absenl vutf-rs, 20; seamen, (i; total, 3710. . 'M'Lnren,— Locil booths, 3fiS(; absenl ifot.nr.', 20; se.inien, 8; total, D7lO. Mujorily for Newman, 70. WELLINGTON SUBURBS. •Beil.—Local booths, :>016; absent voters it; total, 3060. MoOrci—ljocal booths, 28l(i; aljseni voters;, 13; total, 2C(il. Informal, 'JO. Majority for Bell, 3!)9. QREY LYNN. IBy, Teleeranb.—Prose Association.l Auckland, December 18. A reporter was informed to-night tha Mr. Payne's majority in the second bal lot'for Grev Lynn is'3B. The actual fig ures will not bo available-until to-inor tow. '