The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1912. THE ASQUITH GOVERNMENT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8180, 23 July 1912, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1912. THE ASQUITH GOVERNMENT

‘‘Never has a leader enjoyed in a greater degree than myselr the loyal, affectionate 00-operation of colleagues and the constant support of followers.”—Mr Asquith.

During the last week or so the Conservative press in England has been discussing tho existence of factional disturbance with tho Ministry and speculating upon whether the Prime Minister will be able to reconcile the “conflicting elements.” We have been told of comments upon “interesting domestic disturbances” and of “collision between the opposing wings,” all of which seemed to be the result of surmise based upon an article written .by Mr Massingham in the “Daily News,” of which we received a rather incomprehensible outline. “Are we to retain command of the sea,” Mr Massingham was represented as asking, “or lose Mr Lloyd George?” Some of our contemporaries have pretended that they were able to understand such a ?;uestion, and have made it the test or some very severe remarks about a Radical attitude which can prize tho Chancellor higher than territorial integrity. The probability is that Mr Massingham was assuming that Mr Lloyd George would most likely be a strenuous opponent of the enlarged expenditure recently foreshadowed by Mr Churchill’s naval statement. Tho question Mr Massingham had to deal with was whether Mr Lloyd George would identify himself with this increase? appropriation by the Admiralty or become associated with that section of advanced Radicals with whom he is in such 'close political accord and who would view the Government’s course with grave disfavour. The suggestion that the Chancellor might take the latter step not unnaturally led the Conservative press to assume that he actually contemplated severance from his colleagues. The report we have this morning of the speech delivered at Thornton Hough by Mr Asquith is doubtless the reply of the Prime Min ister to these little speculations of the other side. It will be seen that his answer is* of tho most definite charao ter. “There had,” ho said, “been mutual understanding, and a complete banishment of rivalries, jealousies and

rancour in the ranks of the party and a subordination on the part of individuals of their own ambition, even of their own particular fancies, in pursuit of common purposes.” The construction ip be put upon this is, we are inclined to think, the reverse of j the assumption the public was asked I to place upon the article by Mr Mas- j singhara. A rupture at this stage be-1 tween Mr Lloyd George and Mr I Churchill is almost unthinkable, and; it requires a considerable stretch of the imagination to believe that the Chan-j cellor Would for a moment contemplate assisting to smash a Ministry having on its hands such far-reaching questions as those to which Mr Asquith is committed and of which Mr LIovU George is so ardent a supporter. The “growing weakness of the Liberals,” the “disunion among Ministers” have been frequent subjects of comment in Opposition journals for a long time, but neither receive support from the! by-election campaigns or the progress of business in tho Commons. They most probably represent a feeling of what ought to be rather than knowledge of what is.