STATEMENT BY MR FIELD

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 13 May 1912, Page 5

STATEMENT BY MR FIELD

At a presentation made to him on Wednesday last, Mr AY. H. Field, formerly member for Otaki, said that there was a certain section of Liberals who, it was thought, would pull out of the .ranks. These people would probably change their minds. If they did pull out, however, it would mean that Mr Massey would go into power, and that would mean an appeal to the country very shortly. Assuming that •there would be another election at an early date he could not tell them what his position would be. In the past he had been a general supporter of the Liberal Government, though not agreeing with them on several important questions. They had now a new Government, however, and we did not know what their policy was. _ In the near future the two factors in New Zealand politics would be the moderate Liberal party and the radical Labor party. If he contested the seat again under these circumstances it would be as a moderate Liberal. , (Applause.) The complaint of the Opposition party had been that he was on the wrong Side. He would remind them that he had been one of those who had helped to keep the policy of the Government within the bounds of moderate Liberalism. That fact had not been duly recognised. Had he and others joined the Conservatives at the last election and put them in power, they would have been thrown out, and then the country would have suffered by radical legislation. Therefore he felt somewhat keenly that the people he had loyally supported should supplant him by a man whom they only wanted for his vote on one division, and whose views of general politics were abhorrent to a great majority of the electors of the district.—N.Z. Times.