MR MONTAGU’S REPLY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16681, 13 March 1922, Page 2

MR MONTAGU’S REPLY.

ATTACK ON LORD GURZON. By Telegraph—Preps Association —Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, March 10. The A uatralian Press Association learns that Mr Montagu will explain the causes of his resignation to his constituents at Cambridge to-morrow. There are promises that the speech will be most sensational. Ho will attack the Prime Minister for an alleged unjustifiable view of Air Montagu s action in permitting the publication of the Viceroy’s elegram and will deal with Lord Cur'zoii’s attitude regarding the Middle East problems and its conflict with Indian aspirations. He will endeavour to prove Lord Curzon could have stopped the publication of the Viceroy's message if ho had desired and will rend out Air Montagu's telegram from the Viceroy which Mr Lloyd George refused to publish on the ground that it would aggravate the effects of the manifesto already published. Tie will declare that Air Uoyd George got rid of him not because of the publication of the document but owing to a desire to catoh the “ Die-hard ” Conservative votes at the election. Air Montagu contends that he was sacrificed to the political exigencies of the moment. LONDON, March 11. Mr Montagu. addressing his constituents, said the country should welcome Mr Lloyd George’s return to the principle of Cabinet responsibility. The genius dictator now ruling had, on many occasions, reached epochal decisions without consulting the Cabinet, the most notable recent instance being the decision to Invite Russia to Genoa. Later Lieutenant-Colonel Amery, without Cabinet authority, published the Admiralty’s reply to the, Geddes report. The real explanation of his dismissal was that, iu view of the threatened collapse of the Government. Air Lloyd George wanted to offer his bead on a charger to the Conservatives. Every member of the Cabinet had a. copy of the Indian despatch a week prior to its liberation for publication. Lord Curzon or anyone else could have vetoed the, publication if he had wanted to. No one did so. Lord Curzon. whose policy of missed and bungled opportunities had disastrously embarrassed his policy in India, instead of raising the question in Cabinet, wrote to him after the cabinet meeting a letter in the form of a hectoring protest against the proposed step. He had often been on the verge of resignation hut had carried on lioping he would be able to show Indian Moslems that Britain’s pledges load not been irretrievably broken. Concluding his speech, Mr Montagu offered to resign his seat, hut the meeting refused and passed unanimously a vote of confidence in him. THE SUCCESSOR. EARL DERBY NAMED. LONDON. March 10. Air Honor Law is among the probable successors to Air E. S. Montagu LONDON. March 12. The “Daily Chronicle” states that Mr Lloyd George has invited Earl Derby to take up tile position of Secretary of State for India.

(Earl Derby, K.G., G.C.V.0., F.C., D.L.. was born in 1860. He served in the South African War ns secretary to Lord Roberts. Ho wag Financial Secretary to the War Office. 1900-3; Postmaster-General. 1903-5: DirectorGeneral of Recruiting, 1915-16 ; Undersecretary for War, i 916; Secretary of State for War. 1916-18; and Ambassador to 1. 1 ranee from 1918 to November, 1920.) PARTY differences. SOLIDARITY OF UNIONIST PARTY. LONDON, March 10. A largely-signed resolution uill bo submitted to a meeting of the Conservative Unionist members of Parliament on Tuesday, pointing out the. grave concern with which the signatories regard the tendency to weaken the solidarity of the party and emphasising the conviction that, in view of economic depression, widespread unemployment and urgent necessity for continued effort at the reconstruction of Europe, conflicting action within the party is deplorable.