OPPOSITION WANT TO BE IN HIS CONFIDENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3463, 1 March 1912, Page 5

OPPOSITION WANT TO BE IN HIS CONFIDENCE

but the premier declines. WILL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE GOVERNOR. The Premier: And you are still over there and we are over here! He repeated that he was not going to take the Leader of the Opposition into his confidence. His duty was to the country, to the party, and to all sections of that party which supported the Government. He would take the earliest opportunity of meeting them, and within a short period from now—a week, maybe, or two, maybe more—he would make a recommendation to His Excellency the Governor as to the alteration that _ was to he made, and the . new Ministry would meet the House in June next. He believed it would he strong enough to deal with anv matters that might come up and the * Leader .o- the Opposition could then constitutionally meet the Government that would be constituted. He hoped he had made himself clear, and he thought he could hardly be expected to place himself under the control of the antiquated news of the Conservative press when they had been clubbing him in every direction. With the Leader of the Opposition he was not oping to accept gifts from the Greeks. When he found those people (the Opposition), who were in a minority in respect of the combined votes, behind them of 100,000, suggesting that he shoidd be advised by them, he thought it was an insult to the people of the countrv and the party and the House. He was going to carry out the Constitutional course absolutely, and later on he would give his reasons publicly and he would carry it out in the right and proper way.