THE LABOUR AMENDMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18324, 14 February 1923, Page 8

THE LABOUR AMENDMENT.

An interesting position, has been created by the Labour amendment to Mr. Wilford's no-confidence motion at present before the House of Representatives. Had Mr. Holland given notice of a further amendment to the Address-in-Reply, it would have had to await the final disposal of Mr. Wilford's motion before being considered. In the event of Mr. Wilford winning, Mr. Holland would not then have been heard of as a party leader. Having moved to add something to the amendment already before the House, Mr. Holland has his division taken first. Its success would not, on the face of the rules of procedure, affect the position 'of the Government. It would only be when the augmented resolution of want-of-confidence was put that the decisive test would come. Of more immediate moment, however, is the question of what course Mr. Wilford is to follow. He can accept the amendment, in which case a fissure may easily appear ill his party. It is not likely that all its members would consent to be pinned down to unconditional support of proportional representation. He can vote against it, when he will, while the mover of a no-confidence motion, go into the lobby with the members of the party which he has attacked. As a third alternative, he can leave the Chamber and abstain from voting. In that event he will, by implication, deny support to some of the things upon which he laid great emphasis in his speech, things which are included in his platform. The principal result of Mr. Holland's move seems to be that it has placed Mr. Wilford in a decidedly awkward situation.