POLITICAL CRISIS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 173, 6 July 1912, Page 5

POLITICAL CRISIS.

FALL OF THE MINISTRY. DEFEATED BY 41 TO 33. (Press Association —Special.) Wellington, July 6 A division was taken at 5 o’clock this morning and it resulted in the Government being defeated by 41 to 33. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, July 5. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. and the Speaker, with a number of the members, proceeded to Government House to present the Address-in-Reply to His Excellency. On resuming a Message from the Governor was read notifying that a vacancy had occurred in the Council through the absence cf the Hon. M i Pc re.

The Council adjourned until Wednesday.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. The Prime Minister, replying to a question with, reference to bush sicknerr, said the department was looking for a larger farm than was at present posscscd to work. THE DEFENCE ACT. Mr. PajMe rose on the presentations of the Defence Rejiort and said the time had now arrived for a full discussion cf the compulsory clauses of the Defence Act. Compulsory training did not conform with the best traditions of the British Empire. He objected to the suggestion implied by the compulsory clauses of the Act that New Zealanders would not light unless compelled. All men earning over £5OOO a year should take their places beside the youths of the country. Mr. Wilford said Air. Payne did not understand the position. He (Mr Wilford) could inform him that there were 50,000 drilled Japanese in Honolulu. In New Caledonia and in the Philippines a similar state, of affairs existed. The safety of New Zealand depended on the maintenance of the British fleet. He hoped the compulsory clauses of the Act would be retained.

Air. Hindmarsh objected to the possibilities cf a mlitary caste growing up in the country as the result of the present system of militarism.

Air. Isitt urged a modification of the compulsory clauses of the Act. The chances of an invasion by Japanese' or Chinese were very remote.

Air. Robertson said the Act was not democratic, nor did it provide for - . < . . ■ ■ The Prime Aiinuister said the Government was resolved to persist in the system of military defence. So fa?- the working of the scheme had been most successful, and the country was deeply indebted to the farmers and employers for the manner in which, they had assisted. The statement that defence had cost more than education was incorrect. Military defence cost £400,000 for the year and education over a million. In his opinion defence should occupy the first position in any Government.

Mr. Myers (Minister of Defence) said the present was not the time to go into the whole matter of defence. No sane person could take objection to young lads being taken in hand and disciplined metally, morally and in every other way. NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE. Mr. Parata continued the debate on the Addrcss-in-Reply. The Government had. done a great deal for the benefit of the country. He could not sec why the Government persisted in treating the Maori as different to the Pakeha.

Mr. Crnigie followed. He said he was not a very good party man. He deplored the way in which the present proceedings had been carried on purely through .party methods.

Mr. Glover continued the debate, and intimated to the Leader of the Opposition that he would be prepared to follow him if he produced legislation for the uplifting of the conditions prevailing among the masses. The House resumed at 7.39. Mr. G’owr, continuing his speech, stressed the matters of pensions to old soldiers. Only two, he said, had received pensions so far.

Mr. Isitt rose on the completion of Mr. Glover’s speech and asked permission to draw the attention of the. Speaker to an article appearing in the Christchurch “Press,’ ’m which he was referred to as a leader of a small coterie who had forgotten all about their pledges. He wished to inform the House that be would follow no Ministry with Mr. Millar in it.

Mr. Laurcnson intimated that he also had a matter to ventilate in connection with the same article.

The Speaker said the matte’- could not intercept a no-contidcnee debate, but might be brought up later. Dr. Te Rangihiora dealt exhaustively with Native land matters from 1 891 to 1911. One-third of the Natives’ land had been alienated. A great deal had been made of Natives holding unproductive lands. In 1891. he said, there were two ami tlii'cequaitcr million acres of Native land unclothed in title : in 1911. the amount had been reduced to 190.792 acres. Those facts did 'mt pomt to stagnation in the settlement of Native lands. ’Mr. Seddon explained the reason for the industrial unrest nt Rceiton. He suggested that a solution of the labour difficulties might lie arrived at by an amendment of the Law that would empower the Labour Department te. bring the parties to a dispute together to c oneniate the trouble. Referring to matters noliti- <•>!. he could not think that any man v.m> had am ice .a rd (or his word <.r pledge 'Amtld. m tlm I'm .- of tin' pre.

sent political crisis, desert his party. He referred to the urgency for a reciprocal arrangement with Australia regarding faun produce.

Air. Buxton continued the debate. He suggested that the public accounts should include a clear statement of the country’s assets. : Mr. Hindmarsh moved the adjourninent of the House at 11.50. I Air. Isitt rose to second it, and the [House divided, the motion being deI feated by 39 to 32. The following is the division list : — j Ayes (33).—Atmore. Brown, Buddo. | Buxton, Carroll, Colvin, Davey. [ Dickie, Ell, Forbes, Glover, Hanan, Hindmarsh, Isitt, Laurenson, Alci Callum, MacDonald. T. Mackenzie, ■ R. McKenzie, Myers, Parata, Payne. :Te Rangihiora, Robertson. Russell, 1 Seddon, Sidey, R. IV. Smith, J. C. ■ Thomson, Veitch, Ward, Wilford, Wittv.

Noes (39). —Allen, Anderson, Beil. J. Bollard, R. F. Bollard, Bradney, Buchanan, Buick, Campbell, Coates, Dickson, Escott, Fisher, Fraser, Guthrie, Harris, Herdman, Hine, Hunter, Lang, Malcolm, Alandcr, Massey, A. K. Newman, E. Newman, Nosworthy, Okey, Pearce, Pcmare, Reed, R. H. Rhodes, T. W. Rhodes, Scott, F. H. Smith, Statham, Sykes, G. Al. Thomson, Wilson, Young.

Air. R. IV. Smith followed the result of the division and held the floor for forty minutes. He extolled the qualities of the Government and deplored the methods used by the Opposition. Air. MacDonald carried on the debate. He held that the references to the manner in which Sir Joseph Ward had borrowed money for the country was quite unjustified. Sir Joseph Ward had never raised one penny but what he was urged, and strongly urged, to do by Opposition members both during Parliament and recess. Air. AlacDonald said he did not worry from a financial point of view about the result of the pending division. He had earned his living long before he ever came into the the House ,and he did not require anything from the Government to keep him going. The Prime; Minister, at 1.45, said he would never forget the loyalty of the men who had stood behind him during the last division, and who would also stand by him in the coming one. July 6.

After two o'clock, Air. Mackenzie, continuing, said what the Government had forecasted would take some years to accomplish, but it would be done if they had the opportunity to put it into effect. He would welcome an appeal to the country, and had rk solute confidence in the result. It had been his endeavour while leading the party to strike the highest possible level and he hoped Liberalism had not suffered at his hands, though men who had premised to support him should have seen him over the first hurdle. He had said lie would then hand back to the party the trust they had placed in him. He left the Treasury Benc’u s with a feeling of regret that his connection with the Agricultural Department would be severed altogether with the good work he war sure he could do there. The Premier was applauded on resuming his seat. Air. Rhodes indicated that he

Mr. T. W. Rhodes (Thames) indicated that he would vote for Mr. Massey’s amendment, and if he found the Opposition was opposed to his ideals, he would vote against them. The Hon. R. McKenzie said he always fought for Liberal principles, and would continue to do so. He considered that the Premier and Mr. Massey were Tories and Conservatives, and it did not matter to him what happened to either. He was out ’for dissolution. Why, he asked, should Mr. Myers or Mr. Buxton be members cf the Ministry > Mr. Myers’ name, he said, substractod from Mr. Myers’ wealth, would leave nothing. How could anyone with Liberal principles expect him to support a Government composed of people like Messrs. Buxton and Myers. He might say that he found Sir Joseph Ward most scrupulous and conscientious. Referring to the Premier, the speaker said that Mr. Mackenzie came into the Liberal party five years ago and joined the Ministry as junior member without portfolio. He got in somehow, and in time had '■worked every mother’s son of us out of our jobs.” Mr. AV. J. Dickie (Selwyn) was the next speaker. He deplored the attitude of th.e Hon. R. McKenzie. The Hon. J. Colvin asked the Hon. R. McKenzie if he did not believe in the Hon. T. Mackenzie, why he sat in the Cabinet with him ? Sir Joseph Ward said that everyman on his side should take the impending defeat philosophically. He declared that with the exception of Mr. Isitt and the three Labour members. all at the conference agreed to abide by the choice of the caucus. In his opinion neither Mr. Mackenzie nor Mr. Millar should have stood for ’the leadership. He took exception to the Hon. R. McKenzie’s reference to Messrs. Myers and Buxton. The former had done excellent work. Mr. Halford, indicating how things bad changed, said that only 30 out of 80 members were in the House who wore there m Mr. Seddon’s time. The Leader of the Opposition had great opportunities now. The House then divided cm Mr. Massey’s amendment with the following result: —

AYES 41 NOES 33. I. Allen H. Atmore G. J. Andermn J. V. Brown W. IL D. Bell D. Ruddo J. Bollard T. Buxton R. F. Bollard J. Carroll J. H. Bradnev J. Colvin IV. C. Buchanan T. H. Davey I). Buick IV. J. Dick’c H. M. Camubcl! H. G. Ell E. H. thir’- (I. IV. Forbes J. G. Cc.Tc- A. E. Glover I. S. D : ck=cn J. A. Hanan J. rl. Escotr A. H. Hindmarsh F. M. B. Fisher G. Laurenscn IV. Fraser I. M. Isitt D. H. Cril,!l<- R. McCallum A. Hair’s W. D. Macdonald

AYES NOES A. L. Herd-inu T. Mackenzie J. B. Hme A M. Myers G. Hunter T. Parata F. W. Lang J. Pavne A. S. Maleo'm H. Poland F. Marnier Dr. Rangihiroa W. F. Masse. J. Robertson J. A. MdH- ' I. W. Russell A. K. Neumm T. E. Y. Seddon E. Newman T. K. Sidey W. N. sworthv IL W. Smith H. J. it. Okey J. C. Thompson G. V. Pearce W. A. Veitch Al. Pomare J. G. Ward V. H. Reed T. AL Wilford R. H. Rhodes G. Wittv P. AV. Rhodes R. Scott

F. H. Smith C. E. Stratham G. R. Sykes G. M. Thompson C. K. Wilson J. A. Young * The following members did not vote: — J. Craigie (Timaru). Sir A. R. Guinness (Speaker). W. H. Herries (absent from colony) E. P. Lee (Oamaru) Hon. R. McKenzie A. T. Ngata (Eastern Maori). The Premier congratulated Air. Afassev.

Mr. Massey said he was glad to acknowledge the entire absence of acrimonious reference during the debate. He thanked Air. Mackenzie for generous references to himself. Air. Alasscy moved that Messrs. J. Allen, G. M. Thompson, IV. Fraser and the mover present the Address to His Excellency the Governor. This was carried and the House adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.

THE FINAL SCENES. PREMIER'S DIGNIFIED SPEECH HON. R. McKENZIE’S BITTERNESS. [BY TELEGRAPH — SPECIAL. ] Wellington, July 6. The Mackenzie Government was defeated at ten minutes to five o’clock this morning in the “Noconfidence” division. Forty-one votes were recorded for the reform party and 33 for Government. A critical point in the political drama that has been evolving for a week past was reached at ten minutes to midnight last night. Five minutes earlier Air. Buxton was holding forth on trade expansion, and how to ensure it, to a House that contained little more than a bare quorum of members, and a number of very bored spectators. As Mr. Buxton concluded, the empty benches rapidly filled when Mr. i Hindmarsh moved the adjournment of the debate. The Opposition challenged a division and Messrs. Sykes and. Sidey, and other members who have been absent from recent sittings through tillness, appeared in the lobbies. As the division bell commenced to ring, spectators trouped in eagerly and R. McNab quietly surveyed the scene of his former activities from a seat near the door of Ayes lobby. There was visible pertubation in the Ministerial ranks while the voting was in progress. Excited members gathered round the Hon. T. Mackenzie and other Ministers when they returned to their places. On the other side of the House Air. Massey leaned in an easy attitude against his bench ami quietly surveyed what was going forwatd. There was no demonstration when the division was announced. Massey warned his followers with uplifted hand to hold their peace, and members of the defeated party busied themselves in desperate haste in putting up a member to inaugurate a stonewall. For a moment or two there was no response, and it looked as though the vote on the No-confidence motion would immediately be taken. Mr. Smith, of Waimarino, however, stepped into the breach at the last minute and the dreary debate proceeded,.

The division figures were first announced as 09 to 32. but the name of the Hon. R. McKenzie was subsequently added to the list of defeated “Ayes,” making the voting 59 to 33. The Hon. IV. D. 8. MacDonald was the next speaker put up t° g ;i in time for the defeated party. At 1.45 a.m. the Prime Minister commenced a dignified speech, in the course of which he defended his party and admitted that it was beaten.

There were highly sensational developments before the division bell was permitted to ring. The Hom R. McKenzie made a remarkably bitter speech, and the Hon. J. Colvin and Sir Joseph IS aid strongly deprecated the tactics of the member for Motne-ka. One of the members who spoke before the division was Mr. SSilford, and his closing remark clearly indicated that the Reform party may in future draw support from more ample sources than is now thought possible.

Mr. Wilford sat down at 4.40 a.m.. and ten minutes later the Mackenzie Government bad suffered defeat by eight votes.

AFTER THE DIVISION. MR MASSEY INTERVIEWS THE GOVERNOR. HIS EXCELLENCY’S REPLY. [by TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL.] ; Wellington, July 6. The lobbies of the Parliamentary Buildings giv" die impression that they have been struck by a political tornado. Only a very few members of Parliament can recollect what teck place wiicn the Atkinson Parliament fell to Ballance m 1890. Since then nothing of political importance has happened until Sir Joseph Ward resigned b.ts position as head cf the Government in March last. [ Now members arc face to face ••■fib ccmht’c’; ol affairs of which [they have bed no previous experience. For the first time in over 20 | years Government has gone out, and J even the most ardent supporters of the Opposition find it <!iilicult t<> readjust their political outlook.

Meanwhile matters have been progressing on constitutional lines, and Air. Speaker and a few members had an interview with the Governor this morning. They conveyed to His Excellency the formal text of the Ad-dress-in-Reply. which, however, bore an unusual tag as follows: — “We feel it, however, to ba our duty to submit to Your Excellency that it is essential that Your Excellency’s Government should possess the confidence of the House and of the country, and respectfully to represent to Your Excellency that such confidence is not raposed in the Government as at present constituted.”

Usually His Excellency’s reply is mere formality. On this occasion it assumed more important proportions, because of the fact that there had been tacked on to it an expression of no confidence in the Government, which spells dissolution of the Liberal Government and the incoming of a new political factor. His Excellency (this is the first occasion on which the Governor has had to do anything of the sort for twenty-one years) added to his stereotyped reply the following paragraph

“With reference to the paragraph in your reply to my Speech, intimating to me that the House has not confidence in my advisers as a present constituted, I desire to assure you that I shall take the necessary step to appoint advisors who will possess the confidence of Parliament.”

There the situation rests for the moment. The Hon. Thomas Mackenzie will either to-day or Monday inform His Excellency that he has been defeated and in the ordinary course advise His Excellency to send for Air. M assey. All those preliminaries will be completed by Tuesday, and when the House meets Mr. Alassey will announce that he is the new man on the bridge, that he is going to form a Ministry, and that be requires a fortnight to enable him to select his Cabinet and formulate his policy.

PREMIER NOTHING TO REPROACH HIMSELF WITH.

The Hon. T. Mackenzie declined to make any public statement when approached by a press representative this morning. He was glad that the fight was over. He felt more free from care than he had done for the last five years. He had nothing! to reproach himself with. The fight had been fought on clean and wholesome lines, and the result could only be awaited. His resignation would be handed in to His Excellency in due course. STATEMENT BY MR. MASSEY.

Mr. Massey, who was at Parliament Buildings at an early hour, was obviously showing signs of the strain of the last few days, though full of his usual vigour. “I cannot say anything yet,” he replied to a reporter, “except that I have received sheaves of telegrams of congratulations.” Mr. Massey pulled a roll of telegrams out cf his pocket. Can you say anything about the future ! ■

Mr. Massey replied that he had seen the footnote to His Excellency’s answer to the Address-in-Reply. He expected that he would be called upon on Monday or Tuesday, and that when the House met he would ask for an adjournment for a day or two. and would then meet the House and submit his plans. “It has been a long wait. Mr. Massey.”

Mr. Massc.v merely nodded his head and smiled.

“ Can you say what members of your party are likely to be m the Ministry i”

“ It is far too early for anything of that sort.” replied the late leader of the Opposition. “ really cannot say anything that will help you until after Tuesday.” “In the event of the Governor sending for you before Tuesday, the adjournment you will ask for will only be for a few days?”

“ Yes, only a day or so. Then I’ll meet Parliament.”