COUNTED OUT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 316, 4 July 1912, Page 5

COUNTED OUT

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTERWARDS? (From our own correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. What is practically the true inwardness of the political situation was gleaned by your correspondent i:i ."OTuiection with an erstwhile member of the Government party, who makes no secret of the fact that he intends to vote against the Government on the No-confidence motion which .Mr. Massey moved last night. "You want to know," he said, "why I am going to vote against the Government. To put it in plain terms, we have no faith in Tom MacKenzie. Why? Well, it is only a few years since he sat on the cross benches, indiscriminatingly criticising the Government and the Opposition. If anything, he was more Opposition than Government- and we are full up of that sort of thing." "But your vote will put Mr. Massey into power," was the retort of the reporter.

"Mr. Massey," said the member interviewed, "need be under no delusions. Our desires are to make it perfectly apparent to Mr Mackenzie and those associated with him that we have no sympathy with him in his political campaign. Only a few years ago Mr. Mackenzie was sitting on the cross benches, more Opposition than Government. Then lie cast in his lot with the Government, and, taking precedence of members who had toiled long and arduously for the aims and ideats of the Liberal Government, he assumes the lead. Why should we follow him—he who has only lattely come into the fold after a long course of rail-sitting? Who was to say which side he would fall? It suited him to descend into the Ministerial 1 paddock. Why? Because he considered that therein lay his best chance of political pasturage. Is that the man we are going to support? No. Are we going to support Mr. Massey? No. Mr. Massey hasn't got a hope. We will help 'him to defeat the Mackenzie Government, which is composed of details with which we have no sympathy, but it is no part of our policy to keep Mr. Massey in power. If we put him in we can as easily put him out. We do not, by voting against Mr. Mackenzie, go back on our Liberal aims and aspirations; we only make it clear that we have no time for opportunists, or those who come over with shortdated Liberal debentures. We are out for a stable Government, and we see only two possible avenues to that elld —coalition or dissolution." Coalition, the member added, was the line of least resistance—the easiest way to attain the desired political end—but he considered that the only real solution of the problem was to be found in a dissolution. Only by that means, he considered, could parties meet in'the House on an assured basis. He was. 'ho added, not speaking for himself alone. He knew what the House wanted and what the country wanted, and the only road to salvation was a dissolution. Meanwhile the Mackenzie Government was doomed to destruction.