PARTY BADINAGE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 5, 6 July 1928, Page 10

PARTY BADINAGE

«. LEADERS AND NAMES i "CAPTAINS ALL" ; The question of leadership and names of parlies gave rise to a little badiriag* in the House of Representatives last night when the member for Wanganui, Mr. W. Veitch, was speaking. Referring to the Prime Minister ai the captain of the Reform Mr. Veitch said that the difficulty in the navigation of the ship was that while the captain might in a formal kind of •way have his hand on the steering wheel, there were more powerful influences which also exercised control. Mr. D. Jones (Ellesmere): "Your party are aU captains." (Laughter.) "Our party arc all fit to be captains," rejoined Mr. Veitch amidst laughter. "That is quite a different situation and in marked contrast with the Reform Party. The most serious disability about the navigation of that ship is that there is no map of the course." The Hon. A. D. M'Lcod: "There is no rudder to yours." Mr. Veitch made a reference to the Reform ship as a "poor old barque," which lie said had gone to pieces. Mr. M'Leod: "The hon. member's bark is worse than his bite." "(daughter.) Mr. Veitch was proceeding when the Prime Minister made an interjection about a speech delivered by the member, for Hurunui, Mr. G. W. '■'■ Forbes. "Is'he the Leader of the United Party?" asked Mr. Coates. "You worry about your own party," the speaker retorted, amidst laughter. "Let the Prime Minister realise that he is up against the hardest proposition he ever had to face." (Laughter.) "What is tho name of this party?" Mr. Coates asked with a smile, referring to the United Party. Mr. Veitch: "It was once the grand old Liberal Party until a cuckoo camo along and pushed if out of tho nest. The name of the Reform Party was once tho National Association." Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson): "Commonf ly known as the national ass." Then, said Mr. Veitch, it became the Reform Party. "They have tried everything," ho said, "and. they /are going to fail at the next election." (Reform laughter.) "We have the utmost confidence in our leader on this side of the House, despite any suggestions that may have been made by the member for Wanganui," said the Minister of Health (the Hon. J. A. Young), in replying to, Mr. Veitch. "Let me say'that "so far as tho present Prime Minister is concerned he has always been a true Liberal. The true Liberals in this country are to be found on the Reform side of the House. The party with which the hon. member is associated is made up of a lot of dissatisfied politicians, who are trying to live on a name of the past rather than getting down to business and doing things. I am prepared to take my hat off to such men as Ballance and Seddon for all' they did for the1 advancement of the. country, but I am bound to say that the legislation which they placed on tho Statute Book has been improved and liberalised under the present Government. Tho party with which the member for Wanganui is associated is a pseudo-party. It has been said that they have half a dozen men capable of taking on tho leadership, and I am just wondering if the member for Wanganui has been appointed to the leadership. He seems so satisfied. They seem to be a lot of dissatisfied and disgruntled politicians, and I would regard them as the political Adullamites of New Zealand." (Laughter.) The Minister expressed the view that the people had to decide between the policy of the present Government and that of the Labour Party, who appeared to want to go a little fast. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland): "You can't keep up with us." (Laughter.) The Minister said there was only, room for two parties in New Zealand. There was no room for an intermediate paity, and the Reform Party was quit* willing to carry on under the leadership of Mr. Coates.