POLITICAL POSITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15920, 4 May 1912, Page 12

POLITICAL POSITION.

AN INTERVIEAV IN AUCKLAND

MR MASSEY TOO BUSY TO TALK.

MR LANG DOES DUTY. [Per Press Association.] AUCKLAND, May 3.

The political situation is increasing in interest every day as the opening of the session draws nearer, and the leaders of both sides are hard at work hardening up that mysterious quantity known as "The Country." The leader of the Opposition is not talking to interviewers very much at present, and when a representative of tho "Herald" sought a reply from him to the recent utterances of Ministers, Mr Massey, who was very busy, asked Mr F. W. Lang. M.P., to reply for the Opposition. Mr Lang without hesitation made a vigorous and forceful reply. He said that the Prime Minister was touring the country, carefully cultivating the idea that the present Cabinet in general, and the Prime Minister in particular, were devoted to the interests of the farmers. Mr Mackenzie had omitted to correct the impression that he himself was a farmer. As a matter of fact, Mr Mackenzie was not a farmer, and never was a farmer. If the Prime Minister was so solicitous for the welfare of the farmer and the interests of freeholders, why was it that when he had the opportunity of forming a Cabinet he excluded farmers from it? The only member of the Cabinet who by any stretch of imagination could be called a farmer was the Hon W. D. S. MacDonald. Thens if the Government was in favour of the freehold, why was it that the Cabinet consisted of three Ministers who favoured the freehold, one whose opinion on tho point had never "definitely been shown and six others who were well-known leaseholders? ; . The Government, he continued, a-fc-tompted to lead the pnblio to think that the vote of wanfr-of-confidence moved by Mr Massey was lost by the reading of a letter by Mr Massey. It was nothing of the kind. That did not alter the situation one iota, for tho way tho voting was going was apparent long ero that. The only thing that saved the Government at the moment was the promise of Sir Joseph Ward' to resign, because the for Otaki, who would otherwise have voted for the motion, voted against it on the understanding that the Prime Minister would hand in his resignation. If Sir Joseph Ward had not definitely promised to resign the Government would have been defeated. What an extraordinary position was now revealed. The Ministry to govern the country was elected by a caucus of a party that had been only saved from defeat by the casting vote of the Speaker and the promise of a Prime Minister to resign. That Ministry did not. face Parliament, and had not met either Parliament or country; yet it had put off tho session till the latest possible moment, and set off round the country on an electioneering tour at the country's expense, drawing full travelling allowances and scattering profuse promises right and .left that it could not hope ever to fulfil. It took upon itself to make contracts and make appointments without knowing whether it possessed the confidence of Parliament and with a fairly sure idea that it did not possess that confidence. While the Cabinet was on this electioneering tour, Mr Lang asked, how was the work in Wellington getting onr" It was easy for Ministers to go round the country making promises they would never be called upon to keep. Mr Lang went on to say that an attack made upon Mr Massey by the Prime Minister, in which the Irime Minister presumed to accuse the leader of the Opposition of political unfair play in declining a pair for Mr Wilford, who was not sworn in and who had refrained from asking for a .pair, was particularly uncalled lor in view of the i fact that the Government had elected to take office by virtue of tho support of two men who had promised to vote for the motion. The Government only secured the defeat of the motion on the understanding that the then Prime Minister should resign and that the ?olicy of the last Speech from the "lirone should be earned on. But that policy had apparently been abandoned in favour of a section of the policy the Reform Party had placed before the country at the last election. It ill became the present Cabinet to talk of unfair play. The Prime Minister, in Christchurch, tried to tell tho public -that the present Cabinet had the sup- | port of the country. The present Cabinet had not the support of tho .country and never had had it. It had not oven yet mot Parliament. The Prime Minister took upon himself to interfere with the affairs of the Reform Party, and was. gradually becoming more ond more abusive of Mr Massey. The speaker could assure the Prime Minister that the Reform Party required none of his advice, and that as far as Mr Massey's followers were concerned there never was a more loyal set of men nor a party that had a more thorough appreciation of its leader..

" I am not surprised at .. Mr Mackenzie," added Mr Lang, "trying, together with some others, to 'injure Mr Massey in tho estimation of the people and to injure our party at the same time, because Mr Mackenzie and his friends fear Mr. Massey and fear the Reform Party. But we know Mr Massey and trust him, and we also know Mr Mackenzie.''

Mr Lang added in conclusion that Mr Mackenzie talked about a dissolution, but Mr Mackenzie knew very well that a dissolution would not follow the defeat of the Ministry. Before a dissolution was granted the possibilities of the House must be exhausted."