A DIVIDED OPPOSITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18075, 25 October 1920, Page 5

A DIVIDED OPPOSITION

MR M'CALLUM EXPLAINS AN INTERVIEW. WELLINGTON. October 20. lii the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon Mr hotter (the member for Roskill) asked u, quest.on without notice legardiiig tno new party that was supposed to have coino into existence 011 tlie Opposition sido cf the House. He drew attention to an interview with Mr M'Callum (Wairau) that had appeared in the Auckland fei-ur, stating that the following formoa the new party' Messrs Witty, Brown. Poland, Atinore, Uraigie, M'Callum fetatham Sykes, Kellett, & G. Smith. Veitch, Mitchell, J. AI, Dickson, the Hon. J. A. Hanan, and Dr Nowman. Ho said they were described as an Independent-Liberal-Labour-Ruform Party, and he asked if the Prime Minister would allot them seats on that side of the House. One of the New Party: "You're getting frightened."—(Laughter.) Another Member: ."You're getting nervous." Mr Massey replied that lie regretted exceedingly that there were no seats to-be disposed of on. that,, side of the liouss llie scats on his sility of the House were all full, and so far as •lie was able to judge they were likely to be filled by members of the same party for years to come. He would be interested to hear from the new party and to know who was its Leader, and also who was to bo its Whip.—(Laugh'ter.) Later in the aiternoon Mr M'Callum craved the indulgence of tho House to make a statement. Mr Massey: "Is this official"? Mr M'Callum: "No, only some people," he added, "had been drawing upon their imagination. He had never suggested that there was a new party. They ware free lances, and there was no cohesion at present among those 15 members. He had stated that they were Liberal-Labour and unattached Independents. If the full context of his j remarks was read they could not be construed into anything that might not be expressed publicly by any member of Parliament to a paper for circulation, bince the interview had been published- at least one member had come to him and expressed his regret that he liad not been included, because he belonged to one of cmU. samo , band.—(Laughter and cries of What is his name?") Mr M'Callum.added that there was not a new party, and no suggestion of a new party had been made by him. Mr Mitchell (Wellington South) had no. authority to speak on behalf of tho new party.