ABOUT A LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1579, 24 October 1912, Page 5

ABOUT A LETTER.

PERSONAL EXPLANATION BY MR. NGATA. COMMENTS BY MR. MASSEY. In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, (ho Hon. A. T. "Ngata (Eastern Maori) referred to the speech made by Mr. Massey on the Land Hill on rnday night, especially to the portions of it which concerned him (Jlr. Ngata), and to the explanation made bv Jlr. Massey. Jle ,siid he bad unfortunately mil been in (ho Jloux* on either uucusinii, but ho bad read the newspaper reports. "In my opinion," be said, "the explanation docs not go far enough, read with the honourable gentleman's speech of the previous Friday, and I want to allow him (o go a little laither to dispel what ho was pleased to term 'a cloud.' On Thursday afternoon last, sir, in speaking on tho second reading of the Land Hill, 1 read from a copy of a letter, or what purported to be a copy of a letter forwarded to the honourable gentleman from certain Natives. I stated then that tho original had been sent to tho Fl'iino Minister, and the honourable gentleman asked mo who had signed it. 1 told him that the signatures were on tho original forwarded to him, but (hat I understood that it had been signed by two chiefs (namesinaudible)." Mr. Ngata hero quoted the whole report of Mr. Massey's statement,' which appeared in >Tiik Dominion on Monday morning. Ho read also the report of tho explanation as made by Mr. Massey. "Reading between th G lines," ho said, "and judging by the interjections of honourable members, the impression left on their minds was either that ] had forged signatures, or that I had been up to trickery of some kind." He suggested finally that the Primo Minister ought (o withdraw any such imputation that might be read into his remarks. The Hon. W. F. Massey .(Prime Minister) said that he had thought, when he was speaking, and ho thought still, that it was strange that, copies of the letter wero circulated prior to the original document, reaching him. The letter was in his office then, but it was not recognised, being in the Native language, as a. letter from the Natives who had .interviewed him with regard to the provisions to bo inserted in the Land Bill. As soon as he discovered the letter was there, he informed the Houm of the fact. But the honourable gentleman had said that he had interviewed these Native people about the Land Bili, and it was on extraordinary thing that after that interview they should write to him expressing dissatisfaction with the provisions which ho proposed to insert, in the Land Bill. And since then he had been interviewed by a chief of tho Native race, and that gentleman had told him that although lie had signed the letter he had not changed his mind.' Ho was still anxious to have the Bill put through. He added that there was nothing in his speech to suggest vindictiveness. Mr. Ngata made a further explanation. Ho had on the Sunday preceding the speech made an explanation to a Native committee of the Government's land proposals, and given advico upon them. After that meeting a letter was- drafted, and signed, and the original was handed to Mr. Henaro l'arata, to be forwarded to Mr. Massey. For sonic reason a delay had occurred in tho delivery of the letter, but copies of it were not circulated until eleven hours after the original was given to Mr. Parala.