FUSION PLAN REJECTED

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1931, Page 9

FUSION PLAN REJECTED

REFORM LEADER’S DEFINITE REPLY

NEW PARTY REGARDED AS DANGER

NONE OF ELEMENTS OF STABILITY

Per Press Association.

Auckland, Last Night.

f)N Tuesday of last week the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Right Hon. G. W. Forbes, issued an invitation to the of the Reform Party and all .others- having the welfare of the - minion at heart to join the members of the United Party ini foiuni g a new National Party with tfre object of ensuring stable during the present times of difficulty. Mr Forbes and his Min s terial colleagues offered to resign their portfolios m ordei that proposed new party should be free to choose its own and Ministers. The Leader of the Reform Party the Right Hon. J. G. Coates, has now made known his reply to Mr. Kolbes. M Reform Party refuses to give up its identity and .join wl J b °“ iei sin the ponstn vtion of a new party, but Mr. Coates assuies; thes ment of .Reform’s willingness to help during the coming session o£ Parliament and offers the assistance of a small committee of R , formers in_the preparation of legislation.

In ■■statement' regarding/., fusion, which has been handed/to the Prime Minister, iihe - Leader , of, the ..Reform Party, , the Right Hon< J? G.- Coates, says:—' ''/'' ’

You will readily understand that the answer to your proposals for the elimination of the Reform and United Parties and the formation of a new party has demanded .from me as gpave and careful consideration as I do not doubt you gave your offer before making it. The Reform Party has accepted without reserve your assurance - that your suggestion is dictated withi no view to personal or party advantage and is made in what you consider the best interests of the country, and I ask you to believe that the Reform • Party in refusing at this late stage in the life of the present Parliament to disband and form a new party with the United and Independent members of the House does so in the belief that such action would not he : in the best, interests of the Dominion.

It does not appear to us that .by namhm the proposed party the Nationalist Party any special sanction or authority is acquired which entitles either party to depart from its pledges to the electors, or without consulting the electors to start anew with, as you express it, a clean slate. My experience is, as you are aware, that the Government must fall or resign when its policy ceases to command public apnroval, or' if it wishes to change its declared policy it must consult the electors. If this sound rule is to be relaxed- it. :,prust ; be; done by;the_^clectors and- no one else.

.No offer of office will induce us to, join in an attempt to remove from 'the electors this right, especially when at so early a date as next November the future policy of the country will be determined by them.

ANIMOSITY TO REFORM PARTY.

“Avowedly thp.. bond between the United Party,v,the Labour Party and the .’lndependents which enabled the United Party to gain and retain office their common animosity to the Reform Party. Our policy has not changed, and as we are aware the alliance you have' maintained with the Labour Party for two sessions has come to an end, not because you are converted to the policy we have advocated, but because the Labour Party is dissatisfied with your policy. Those who are asking that all available political forces be ranged against Labour .arc influenced by fear of -tfio accession of Labour to power. Since-We do not share that- fear we refuse do destroy ourselves and to become part of a party, however named, called >nto being for a reason’ which will influence every step it tstjtcs. “The Reform Party seeks 'to - represent, not a section of, but the whole iieople: not country or city, but country and city.; not employer.or employee, but employer and employee. The course you suggest would, in our opinion, set up class Government and create a definite separation, in politics between employee and employer, which would be disastrous to New Zealand. Ihe application of the term ‘Nationalist’ to such a party is misleading, and would react against those sheltering under it.

MORE THAN A NAME NECESSARY.

,“While. I appreciate the good faith which dictated your statement, I canhot but think that the vety short , life of your own party lias blinded you.- to the fact that, a party that Mie served the country for many year# and has a record of service'in office -and. out of office of which its adherents, are proud cannot be torn up by the roots by its representatives in Parliament at a moment’s notice, and I think on further reflection your long experience in Parliament z will convince you that more than a name is needed to secure the stability and harmony so essential to stroii" Governments, and you must know” that the proposed new party would contain none of the elements of stability or harmony and all the seeds of inefficiency.

“To my mind the suggested party would mean to the country great loss and little gain, inasmuch as at the present time a party to be effective must be knit in the closest agreement on principle and policy. A Ministry of expediency, chosen as suggested on practically the eve of an election by members elected on different programmes, would com- ' mand in the House neither confidence nor loyalty, and in my opinion would inevitably suffer from disruption.

CRITICISM STILLED FOR TIME.

“It would be grossly unfair on my part to allow you and your Cabinet to resign your portfolios in the belief induced by the recent comparative absence of criticism in matters of administration, apart from known differences bn * major policy measures, that your Administration has been such as to command from our party any substantial degree of confidence in the administrative abilities of the Ministers. Sir Joseph Ward's long illness, your , own absence at the Imperial Conference and. the necessity we have been under lately; to assist you in your economy measures, stilling criticism for the iimeibe-; ing, may have misled "you into ah tie-. sumption of a wider range of agreement than actually obtains. Any misconception’ of this nature would ultimately; lead to internal recriminations, which • must provoke discord, and prevent harmonious co-operation. “In conclusion, we think it is in the best interests of the country that the assistance you are entitled to a?k of us should be given on the lines traditionally adopted and so far followed by us. The Reform Party has made it clear in the session just closed that it will support such measures of economy and finance as the present crisis, demands. We recognise your responsibility to balance your Budget, and will offer no factious opposition to such measures as may be necessary to attain that object. If further help is required, not merely in the House, but in the preparation of legislation, I am prepared in the public interest, if you so wish, To furnish a small committee of Reform members to confer with your Ministers before legislation ip introduced. “If you agree with my proposals it should' be reasonably possible to safeguard the interests of the people in the present period of economic strain and to carry on thp government of the country until the time when electors will decide for themselves the policy and the Government the country desires.”