LIVELY SCENE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 July 1924, Page 5

LIVELY SCENE.

PARTY PROSPECTS. MR. MASTERS AND THE PREMIER. (By Telegraph.—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, July 4. The no-confidence debate was livened up considerably in the House to-night, when a vigorous speech by' the Minister for Agriculture provoked Mr Masters (Stratford) to strong party criticism, during which the Prime Minister interjected with h denial that he was the bosom friend of the Protestant Political Association organiser. ' The Liberal was urged by a Reform member to play the game, Mr Massey interjecting: “I believe you never played a. game that, was not crooked.” When the uproar had subsided, Mr Speaker requested the Premier to withdraw the words, Mr Massey immediately doing so out of deference, he said, to the chair. There was further lively cross-talk when Mr Masters ventured to discuss the prospects of a Government defeat, declaring that if the Premier was ever torpedoed it was by his chief whip, the member for Parnell, who told the press that it was absolutely necessary that there, should he a reconstruction of the Cabinet, as nothing else would satisfy the country. If such a thing was said by an English chief whip people would say it was inspired, and he wondered if this statement was inspired. The Government whip certainly ought to know if Cabinet reconstruction was needed. The Premier had once told the country that he could run the country with half a dozen secretaries. Perhaps he knew they compared with half a dozen Ministers. The Government had lost the confidence of the farming community in Southland. Mr Massey: ‘‘Oh, nonsense.”

Mr Masters: “You haven’t a seat left there. You are losing the confidence of the Canterbury farmers; Taranaki has gone' for ever, and all that is left for the Reform Party are the squatters of Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay, and the only hope of remaining was the unholy alliance between Reform r.ncl Labour to keep the Liberals out because they knew that if once the Liberals got into power they would pass such legislation regarding land settlement, housing and pensions and show such economical administration that Reform would be out in the cold for years.” • Mr Holland; “If you got on those benches you would have to do as we tell you.” (Government laughter). Mr Massev: “And they would do it.”

Mr Masters: “If we got there .and we were dependent on the Labour Party to do as we were told we would get off.” Mr Wilford : “And quickly, too.”