MR. PAYNE'S PLEDGES

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1840, 28 August 1913, Page 4

MR. PAYNE'S PLEDGES

A CLEARING UP.

explanations and a challenge.

Mr. J. Payno, member for Grey Lynn, took an opportunity during the Imprest Supply debate in tbo House of Representatives last evening to revive tho subjcct of a letter containing a plcdgo which ho sent to the present .L'riiiio Minister soon after being returned (for tho electorate of Grey. Lynn. Ho said that ho honestly admitted that ho told Mr, Massoy that ho would support him on a no-couli-deneo motion, but ho hold that, in the first place, Mr. Massoy had no right to ask him what ho was going to do, and' subsequently ho had found that Mr. Massoy was a "political prevaricator of tho truth." Mr. Payne withdrew this term on being ordered to do so by tlio Speaker. Instead, ho said that Jlr. Massoy had misled him. Ho did not remember sending any letter to Mr. Massoy, but if ho had he would guarantee that the dato of it was subsequent to tho second ballot. Mr. Massey: Of course it is. Mr. Payno went on to stato that when ho camo dowii to' Wellington he found that Mr. Massoy's "innuendoes" about extravagant borrowing wore without foundation. Ho then considered that lie was entitled to go back on his "word of mouth." Ho challenged any member on the other sido of tho House to produce a single lino showing that ho had pledged himself before tho second ballot to support Mr. Massoy. While lio was speaking Mr. Payno offered to sit down while Mr. Massoy read the letter to which ho referred in a recent debate..

Tho Primo Minister took no other notice of tho offer than to say that it would J>o descending from tho sublime to tho ridiculous. At tho time tho House was in tlio middle of a debate on tho subject of naval defence. Mr. Massoy raised tho matter again on tho third reading of tho Imprest Supply Bill. Ho produced tho letter from Mr. Payne to which ho 'had referred. It was dated January 11, 1912, and stated, inter alia: "I may say that thero will bo no wavering on my part in counection with voting the Government out on a No-Con-lidenco motion." •Members: Judas I Another statement quoted by tho Prime Minister from tlio letter was: "I shall uso my best endeavours to seo that thoro is no vacillation on tho part of other Labour members." Mr. J. Payne, in reply, challenged Mr. Mnssey to produce a single lino of newspaper report to show that ho had pledged himself to his constituents to voto for tho Massoy party. (Derisive laughter.) This was a material part of the case, because it was a man's pledges to his constituents tliat bound his actions. The letter, ho said, was a document "without consideration," and was therefore invalid and illegal.

An lion, member: Did you get any consideration from the other side?

' Mr. Payne said he bad not. Ho had not oven been asked to voto for tho other side by any member of tho Liberal party. '