TRACKING DOWN RUMOURS.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13458, 2 July 1912, Page 4

TRACKING DOWN RUMOURS.

A STATE OF/UNCERTAINTY.

LIBERALS WHO WILL NOT SAY.

(From our Parliamentary Correspond* ©nt.)

T , ~. Wellington, July 1. -Large headlines on the-contents bill ? % 'New Zealand Times" announced I? X ?, gtonians *his ipomirig that the Hon JR. McKenzio was going to vote against the Government, but the paragraphxjtsclf was not nearly so bold ■or emphatic. It merely referred to a, rumour that this was to be Mr McKenzie s course, and that on© or tw<». other, members wero likely to follow suit.

There are enough rumours of this sort to suggest tho complete annihilation o£ the Liberal party, but when traced dow« to bedrock, as I tracked this one and. another relating to Mr Rhodes, ofi Thames, they lead to no definite conclusion.

The Hon R. McKenzie's answer was that the first ho knew about his alleged decision was when ho saw it in tho newspaper. " 'The Times,' " he added, "has no authority for saying anything of the kind. I'm not going to say which way 1 will vote." The memberfor Thames, who publicly 'affirmed his independence during thw week end, is equally disinclined to locate his vote at this early stage. While some of those who figured iv the narrow Government majority tako up this attitude of uncertainty or mys.tery, Mr Massey is in the happy position of controlling thirty-eight men agreed, on the first movo at any rate. The time is a perilous one for tho Liberal Party unless the present suggestion of indifference changes soon to one of keen concern for the fate of Liberalism. If Mi* Mas'sey wins the no-confidence division i his followers plainly anticipate reinforcements sufficient to enable the new Go-, verninent to last until the ordinary election time, but another defeat for tho Opposition would on the sarao grounds warrant the assumption that tho Liberal Government could carry on, possibly with some change of personnel.

The Prime Minister is, it is reported,, willing to place himself entirely in thehands of the party, so that any personal reasons which may momentarily upset the peace of mind of some of hisfollowers''may, disappear as a result of a general understanding. Sir Rhodes, member for Thames, who was elected as an Independent Liberal, voting for the retention of the Government last February, announces that ho is now entirely unpledged save in regard to the freehold tenure, which lie strongly upholds, and has promised to support. In the short session he fulfilled his pledge to support Sir Joseph Ward, but npw intends, for a time at any rate, to maintain the attitude of an Independent. _He will not attend the caucus-, meetings of any party. To use his own. expression, the vote of the member forThames in the coming no-confideneo-division is an "open qxiestion." The question would be determined, hostated, by the nature of the amendment which Mr Massey was to move to the Address-in^Reply, and by the merits of the case as demonstrated during the progress of the no-confidence debate. Mr Rhodes mentioned that he was not pledged even by inference to support the* Mackenzie Ministry, for the reason that he had not attended the caucus in March which elected Mr Mackenzie as leader.

Mr. Massey's no-con fidence amend-., ment will, as I have before indicated, not follow tho formal phraseology of February's motion. The Leader of ths Opposition confirmed this statement tonight, and when asked for exact particulars in 'advance, replied that he could only describe it as short,, straight, .and to the point.