NORTHERN LIBERALS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 131, 6 June 1925, Page 13

NORTHERN LIBERALS

MR. SKELTON REPLIES TOfl MR. WILFORD. ■ i» ALLEGED S SECRET .NEGOTIATION^.

(B* TELEGRAI-n.-PRESS ASSOCIATION.) ■AUCKLAND, sth June,;, / The comments of the Leader oi ti4 Liberal Party concerning a resolution, passed by the Roskill Liberals iormed the subject of a statement to-day hy Mr. Hall Skelton :— ' • „"%• reply...lo- our eseeu,■ve is not correct," he said. "Briefly • the position was that . our execntwS s churned the right to select its candidate. The so-called Auckland pro; IS T?i T* raostly *c* tenting no Liberal organisation, norweri they truly representative of the ■ province u-a whole. Havingbeen inforCd' at no person was to be-a membejr of ho council unless he were duly elected' by an organised body.of electors, ao& that no person seeking selection by tbV party as a .candidate was to be eligiblelm the council, our executive took, and: still takes, strong exception to the' present composition of the so-called council by hole-and-corner methods. Four out of about eight of that body have norn! mated themselves for various seats.. thU R •nXe I CUtIVe stronSly objects w this. Eoskill demanded a policy and' constitution, but 'taihoa' and spurious' promises were made to them, oalv to bo broken. Letters and telegrams were left,' unanswered, even unacknowledged. As time passed it became abundantly clear that this pseudo council did not intend to organise, but wished "to exist as-a dummy, behind which.Mr. Wilford. couli shelter in the case of expediency: The Hoskill executive were told, (never''in. uri.ng) by Wellington that 'the Aaickl.ind_ council had some matters which, required to be cleared up. Informal conlerences were therefore held with Air ■ lnevethick, when the matters whicli; proved to be trivialities were, easily cleared out of the way." • ' '-Then Auckland Council (always informally) suggested that Mr. wWord had some complaints, and that this was where the real trouble lay, and I beheye they were right. "Mr. Wnford' wel knew 1 was not the type of man to be led by any party or persoa to betray my party's principles. Jlr.UUiord well knew my principles i-er» those of the true Liberalism of Grey Ballance, Seddon, and ..Ward. As'he■'hadvoted against these principles he could not logically bring down a policy which should embrace these fundamentals. Mr. Wilford well knew. I was quite aware of his masquerade in Liberal clothing. He knew I was aware that on at least three occasionsthe Tory Government had been'placed in power by a Tory in the Liberal ranks. The only cause "of the' troublebetween the^Roskill Liberals" and tfiis. party was a desire by .the former"tb>clear the ranks of these Tories " im' disguise. Mr. Wilford says he wilt not accept a portfolio in any CoaEtiort Cabinet, Perhaps so, but will "Mr. Wilford deny the rumour that he is" accepting some ambassadorial post in; Washington or High Commissionerahip f Will he pledge himself not to accept any such positions ? Will he say whether secret negotiations for coalition havo. been in train for some time past, and will he say whether any such, positions: as the above havo been mentioned to him in the event of fusion? Finally, will he toll us by what right he can, without a mandate from the Liberals of New Zealand, attempt to destroy thtf party which he is supposed to guide?"