THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10436, 29 September 1911, Page 5

THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION.

WAS HE INVITED TO JOIN THE „ - MINISTRY. AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.)

''WELLINGTON, Last Night. In the House of Represehtatvies this afternoon, Sir Joseph Ward brought up the matter of. Mr' J. Allen's speech, reported 'in the Time's,''.in which ' Mr Allen was stated to have said that if Mr Massey had' wanted he could have joined the Ministry many years ago: but he had remained staunch to his party. The secret object of the proposal made to Mr Massey was to form a junction:of the two parties, and to fight-the Labour party; but the. Opposition would not do a dirty thing like that. The.Premier asked Mr Allen when and where, and to whom the statement was made. ~ Mr Allen: "I say now that the statement is approximately correct, and I repeat the words here. Negotiations were going on, and Mr Massey could, if he had liked, have'been a memiber of the Ministry."

Sir Joseph Ward, continuing, said that if the statement was made ourjside the House, there was! only one thing he could sayr-that it was'absolutely false. He had never authorised any person to make the proposition that Mr Massey should join the Government. Prior ...to the last general election the position or the parties in the House was: —Government 60, Opposition 16, Independents 4. Towards the end of the se:sion, the Minister of Railways had asked him to meet two gentlemen in the.House who were not supporters of the Government. He saw these men in the lobby of the House, and refusedi to discuss their proposition. Had he' done what was suggested, he would not have - Remained leader of the party for one hour. - Mr Mavsey said.he had never been connected with a political intrigue in his life. He wanted to endorse what had been said by Mr Allen. Messrs Allen, Herries and Buchanan could endorse what he was going to say. A little over three years ago, extended pressure was brought to bear on him to ask him to say ho would join, .the Ministrv with .another member of his party, if given the. opportunity. The Prime Minister' had never had anything to : do with the matter. He would say that. Tlie proposal was a very serious one, and came from two gentlemen and more who were supporters of the Government. He toolc time to consider the matter, consulted his friends, and came to the conclusion that he could not, neither in the interests of the country or his party, accept the proposal. He had never received any offer or suggestion from either the Prime Minister or any member of the Ministry.

The Hon. J..A. Millar said that Mr Allen,,in his southern speech, had said distinctly that the Leader of the Opposition had been approached by the Prime Minister with a view to getting him to join the Ministry. He endorsed what the Premier had said in regard to the interview in tha lobby. He thought Mr Allen was placed in a peculiar position. He. should say that the inference throw:i out at Invercargill was not correct. A long discussion followed, during which Mr Allen was repeatedly urged to explain his statement. Mr Allen said that what he had stated had been absolutely proved by What the Premier had stated that afternoon. Sir Joseph Ward had acknowledged that he had been approached to open negotiations. What he had said was that negotiations Avere going on, and so they were. He had never .stated that the Premier originated the negotiations. He stuck to his opinion that Mr Massey and another member could have had seats in the Ministry had they so desired. He had nothing to withdraw. The subject then dropped.