WHERE TO POINT FINGER

Chronicle (Levin), 18 April 1947, Page 5

WHERE TO POINT FINGER

-Press Association

Farfiters Repiy To Minister's Criticism

By Telegraph—

_ WEI/LESfGTON, ApiHI 17. - "la liis- ieiTgthy reply to- Federated Farmers, the Minister oi RehabdlMation, Hdn. €. F.' Skinrte'r, nas avoided the nfain issue,.' ' sflys a statefnent i'sstied by headquarteTS oi . Federated Farmers today. "Federated Farmers made' an etiquiry as to- whether or not vtheMinister Would also puint a finger a-i those people who are restrictiag their efforts by striking: and by goipg slow and also fft those people who, through the- practiee1 of spelling, aetually work half thc number of hours for which they are paid. . •; ' "Mr. ^kinner says he wislies to emphasise he thinks just as badly of any other worker who disregards constitutional pTocedure and Who goes on strike or goes slow to aeliieve his ends, as he did of farmers who were taki-ng this .ttfrtude. That is not the point. The point is whether or not Mr. ^kinner will point a fmger at the workers in question. Will he ■uvimdly eondemn in- no uncertain fer.es, the liighwayman tacties to which erdinary decent people of New Zealand have been subjeeteQ tn reeent tirnes. "Mr. Skinner can provo his bona fides by saying exactly whtit he thinks of the workers' 1 ea dera who have endeavoured to hold the community to ransom. A great many people in the community are thinking a lot. at the present time but tha-f is a different tliing from t speeifie; denuneiation sueh as the Minister has been moved to make n the case of the farmers. " Let Mr. Skinner either attach •he much, more reprehensible conciuct of the Labour leaders eoucerned or let him hold his peace.'