OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18592, 28 June 1922, Page 5

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

MEMBERS ARRIVING.

THE LIBERALS AND MR STATHAM.

(From Oce Own Correspondent.) ■ WELLINGTON, June 27. Several members have already arrived in Wellington, and others from the north are due by to-morrow’s train; and as the ferry steamer will bring' up a number of southern members to-morrow morning, there .will bo about the usual muster for the. opening .of Parliament in the afternoon. - - The business to-morrow will be forma!!, and possibly on Thursday reference will bo made to the deaths of _ members of the present and past Parliaments, and the House will adjourn out of respect to their* memory. The floodgates of talk -will bo opened on the first Imprest 'Supply Bill, which must be passed before the banks close on Saturday. It will therefore most probably .be put through all its stages on Friday. , There will be a further lengthy debate on the Address-in-Reply to his Excellency's speech, which will be moved by Mr D. Jones, member for Kaiapoi, and seconded by Mr Clutha Mackenzie. It is, expected that the Labour Party wiD have a good deal to say during the present pre-election session, but they will be somewhat handicapped by the recent illness of their leader, Mr Holland, and one of their principal debaters, Mr Fraser. Mr Holland, who is a very hard worker, and who takes a good deal out of himself when speaking,will apparently have to conserve his strength as much as he can. MR STATHAM 1 S DEFECTION. The main topic of conversation among members who have arrived in Wellington is the break-away of Mr Statham, the member for Dunedin Central, from the Now Party, which he so recently helped to form. Among those most interested in the new development are the .few remaining die-harda of the old Liberal Party, who have resisted all efforts to get them into. the new fold. The slight accession of strength gained last session has not benefited the official Opposition, but rather the reverse, for with the loss of the Dunedin North seat, and the defection of Mr Statham, Mr Wilford sees his party again dwindling away, and in view of the altered circumstances, and the advisability, if not necessity, of again changing the name or the party, “Wilfords, Limited (in liquidation),” would seem to be" a not altogether inappropriate title. The Dominion, referring to Mr Statham's .decision, says that the member for Dunedin Central was a little too outspoken to be a' comfortable colleague in a party whose guiding principle has been “Wait and see,” and whose policy is concealed under the hat of its leader. This, really, is the true explanation of Ur Statham’s further change of party. The official announcement of the defection came from Mr Wilford. and Mr Statham to-day declined ter make a statement about the reason’.for the break. From other sources, however, it is gathered the reason. is the failure of Mr Wilford to produce a policy. At the first meeting held under the auspices of the new party, at Petone, early in the year, Mr Statham being on the {fiat, form with his new leader, Mr Wilford pro-* posed to formulate a policy within three weeks. Mr Wilford afterwards said he. had been misreported, but Mr Statham ' and others aver that the policy was promised within three weeks. It was no doubt a sore point with Mr Statham that it was not forthcoming before the Dunedin North by-, election took place. However, Mr Wilford ha* assured the country that Mr Statham and he “have parted good friends.” Meantime the ohameleon-like changes of the member for Dunedin Central, which must be s little puzzling, if not disconcerting to his constituents, have become the subject of general talk. The New Party, now reduced by two, appears to be "about 13, but Mr Wilford has regarded 13 as his lucky number. There is. however, a suspicion that the party numbers only a dozen. There are also 11 or 12 Independents, several of whom will support Mr Massey on *a noconfidence motion. The Labour Party now numbers nine, and as it is more_ likely than the Liberal Party to_ increase its numbers ar. the General Election, Mr Wilford may eventually find his position as leader of the official Opposition challenged by Mr Holland. It appears now that there is some chance of the resuscitation of the National Progressive and Moderate Party, which was brought into being by Mr Statham. As a matter of fact, its organisation was never completely merged into that of the New Party. So far as Parliament is concerned the party would now consist of only one, instead os formerly of two members, and its candidates, if it puts up any, could not, in view of recent happenings, hope for modi success at the General ElectionIn an article on the coming session the Post, which now appears to support Mr Massey, says: “If the recess opened badly for the Government under the shadows of depression and retrenchment, _ the sorry showing made by the Liberals in the Dunedin North election and the secession, of Mr Statham are closing it in gloom for the Opposition.”