RETRACTION AND APOLOGY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 297, 11 September 1919, Page 4

RETRACTION AND APOLOGY

THE "WORKER" AETICLE.' Yet another mention was made in the Mouse of Representatives yesterday of tha aitido in the "iMaorilund Worker" in which insults were offered to soldier members of Parliament. Mr. M'Uombs asked the Prime Minis, ter tho following question:—"lf ho has read the mauly, straightforward, and hoiiow/able amende published' (by the editor of the 'Maorilaud Worker' regara. ing a paragraph which slipped into tho 'Worker' tlie previous week, and which the member for Christchurch North drew attention to on tho flour of the House: • "The 'Worker* intends to make a precedent in journalism, aud that is frankly to admit a mistake, and withdraw, with, 'out any pressure being applied, an often, sivo paragraph, which appeared in tho last issue of tho paper under the head. ' ing ",News of Paddy Webb." This has - beer, objected to, and' with good reason. 'It offends good taste, it was regarded as a slander of our soldier members of Par. )lament, and, indeed, was so crudely expressed as to justify tho inference that it was intended lo bp bo, The editor accepts filK responsibility for its appearance, which ho regrets. The paragraph is ' not a fair specimen. of our 6tyle or methods,, as even our most hostile critics will admit, and was allowed to pas-; in an unguarded moment. Therefore, wo withdraw the offensive remarks and tender to all implicated by them our sincere regret. The writer of the paragraph is himself a returned soldier,;, a man of culture and literary ability, 'but he acquired in Prance on the fighting front tho idiom of the trenches, which h& lapses into occasionally, with painful results. Wo regret that soldier members of the House . or their relatives should have been given pain by tho thoughtless paragraph. Nothing could be further from our principle and practice than to presume to judge of the motives of any man who went to the front, or refused to do so. We disclaim entirely tho right or tho power to glo tin?, and withdlaw the objectionable paragraph without reserve, tendering our apology to all 'our readers for this blot on' our pages.'" Mr. Ma«sey said that tho honourable member Iwd shown him the paragraph lie had just read. He could only say that when an neology was tendered there was only one thing to. do, and that was. to accept it in the spirit in which it was give-'. So far as lie was concerned, and so far lis tho soldier membei's of the House were concerned, tho incident was closed. He was sorry to learn that the writer, of tho letter was a returned soldier.