END OF PARTY TRUCE.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 22 August 1919, Page 3

END OF PARTY TRUCE.

. SIR JOSEPH WARD- RESIGNS. Sir Joseph Ward, leader of tli Liberal Party, tendered yesterday t his Excellency the Governor-Genera his resignation as a Minister of th Executive Council and as Minister fo Finance, Postmaster-General, and Min istcr for Telegraphs in the Nationa Government. Sir Joseph Ward after •wards made an important statement,ii reference to his political position, an< outlined his policy for the future. H had come to the conclusion, he said that now that the Peace Treaty ha( been signed, the object for which th< National Government was formed hac been achieved, and the truce betwcei the two principal parties in New Zea land was no longer necessary, and h( 'could not now remain in a Government that had been formed for war purpose> only. He had, after much thought, am with the full concurrence of his Liberal colleagues in the Cabinet, come to the decision that the continuance of an administration having naturally no real cohesion on any fixed principle, save ; f*-«l winning of the war, was not in the interests of the country. In rehiring ho had .a duty to discharge to fhe people of IVew Zealand in his position as leader of the Liberal Party. OTHER RESIGNATIONS TO S FOLLOW. '~p ■ ' 1 THE PREMIER'S TASK. i So far only Sir Joseph Ward 's resignation has been tendered, but it is understood Hous. W. D. S. MacDonald, G. W. Russell, J. A. Hanan and T. M. Wilford will resign to-day (Friday). The task before the Premier is to reorganise the Ministry before the meeting of Parliament. MR MASSEY NOT SURPRISED. NOT SUFFICIENT NOTICE GIVEN. ASKS FOR SUSPENSION OF .JUDGMENT. y Asked whether he was surprised to receive the news of Sir Joseph Ward 's resignation, Mr Massey said: "I cannot say I am surprised, because when I was in Paris I noticed in the New Zealand papers forwarded to me that a Meeting of the. Liberal Party had been held, arid that with the concurrence of thoir leader they had decided to dissolve the partnership, and bring the Coalition Ministry to an end. But, I did expect we should have had more notice than has been given. I think iko dissolution of partnership should have taken place directly on our arrival in New Zealand, or it should have becii held until we had got through the business of the session. We arc are now within seven days of the meeting of Parliament. "J understand that Sir Joseph Ward has taken advantage of the opportunity te put forward his policy. I am not going to complain. I simply ask the public to withhold their, .judgment until they have had an opportunity of comparing his proposals with those which I hope to submit later, but I want to make it quite clear that I am utterly oppose'd to setting paTfy against party."