GOVERNMENT'S FATE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 21 November 1928, Page 2

GOVERNMENT'S FATE

DECIDING THE ISSUE

POSITJON" OF .INDEPEN DENTS

In a statement to "The Post" yesterday, Sir Joseph Ward said :__ " "Hie attempt tu convey an impression that 1 was in a similar position in 1911 as head of the Government to what the Reform Government is in now is quite contrary to fact. The positions are not in any way analogous. The plain fact is that after the General Election in 1911 I had a majority of two over my then opponents; one was absent in England and the other was iii the Speaker's chair. When a motion of want-of-confidence was moved bv Mi' Massey it was rejected by the casting vote of the Speaker, which still left me in a majority of one—the member absent at Home. The. Opposition had declined giving a pair, quite'irrespective of the fact that we were in office on the casting vole df the Speakei, and without the VoU 1 of the absent member of onr party being recorded. I was in the position of being able to advise llis Excellency Urn Governor, as representing the, majority of the House; and at that crisis the Governor took my advice, without, in the leasl dissenting from it. I had the, undoubted right, to advise him ; otherwise it would have been within his power and llis right to dissent. The date of convening the re-assembling of the House was fixed not by the head of a Government representing a minority, but by the head of the Gwernment representing a majority, although a small one. By the same token, although I bad the undoubted power, being in a small majority, of making appointments to the Legislative Council or otherwise, the fact remains that I made none; and this was done by me of my own volition. When I tendered my lcsignation, I did so entirely on the ground that I would nut he in the position as head of the ( mverument* of being squeezed, because I considered that the country ought iu.<t to be governed by so small a, majority. "The view of the position taken by a correspondent, writing ever his own signature in the '"Evening I'ost"' of the 17th insl.. is distinctly misleading and does not convey a correct impression, lie has entirely overlooked the fact in his calculations that the United Party had candidates for 62 seats only; the Re-

form Party had candidates for 72 seats; and to talk about the average votes over each of the electorates when there were ten electorates without candidates for the United Party, on the face of it is at variance with the facts." Sir Joseph "Ward said regarding the position of parties:— It is quite evident that my opponents have no knowledge whatever of the position of what they term the Independents, whom they attach lo no party. My communications from the whole of these gentlemen show quite the contrary.