HARD WORDS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 8

HARD WORDS

" A STORM OF INDIGNATION "

SIR JOSEPH WARD AND A "PERSONAL EXPLANATION" . •A "personal explanation" by Sir Joseph Wjard led to some hard words in tho House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, all of them from Sir Joseph Ward himsetlf. Ho had spoken in tho debate on tho report of the Industrie.? Committee tho previous evening, and 600n after In? had finished his speech he went home. Later the chairman of the committee (Mt. Wilkinson) spoke in tho debate, and lie made some quite gentlo criticisms of the speech of tho Leader of the Opposition. Also he made just about'the same sort of. criticisms of the speech of Mr. Massey, leader of his own party. , Sir Joseph .Ward, beginning his "explanation,"- said he wished to refer to s.nne remarks of the member for Egmont. 'J'he honourablo member had said that if he remom'bered aright the recommendations, in the report of tho.Cost of Living Committee of tho House had got very Short shrift from the Leader of the Opposition. (Tliis was in 1917.) Sir Joseph Ward declared that the member for Egmont had made a statement deliberately in his ■ absence which had been contrary to fact. On what authority had the honourable member made this statement? • 'Mr. Wilkinson: Hansard. Sir Joseph Ward: Should not the honourable member have quoted Hansard? Mr. Wilkinson: I am prepared to quote it now. Sir Joseph Ward: "I am going to quote it." Sir Joseph Ward went on to quote his speech in Hansard on the report of tho Cost of Living Committee. In effect, this speech was on endeavour to show to the llouso that certain of tho proposals made were" not.safe or practicable. One of his expressions about one of the proposals was that it "might mean financial ruin." Mr. Wffiikmson: That is what you said about this 'report last night. Sir Joseph Ward: ,1 am not talking about what I said on the report last night. ... I think just as much of the honourable gentleman's opinion as probably anyone in this House, and that's mighty little. 1 have learned afll about political humbugs before npw, and I recognise the honourable gentleman is • one of them. .

Mr. Speaker onlled Sir Joßeph Ward to order for this expression, and the application of it. .Sir Joseph Ward: "Very well, I withdraw it." A moment later he accuesd Mr. Wilkinson of having tried to "twist his statements for the purpose of damaging me politically." Then he went on to explain to tho llouso, at the length of about twenty minutes, that ho had nover been opposed to keeping down the cost' of living, and that this had not been his reason for opposing tho recommendations of the Cost of Living Committee. Tho suggestion that lie.was.not opposed to the reduction of tli9 cost of living was, he said, "a vile and improper suggestion for any member of the Houso to make." Again he said: "For an hotu ourable member, who happens to be chairman of tho committee, to coiue to this Houso and use in my absence this statement contrary to fact is a pieco of political effrontery. That is the sort of statement that'*an unscrupulous persoii, outside, the House, might use to try to damagei a political opponent." Yet again: "Th^honourable member lias the unfairness to suggest that I have been opposed to keoping down the cost of living. It is a politically impudent statement to mako by any member of this Houso against another." Sir Joseph Ward made another personal explanation in reference to something said by Mr. Massty. Sir Joseph Ward had; spoken at some little length on tjio wheat production question, and had been at somo pains to show that the subsidy system by which a higher price was being guaranteed in Now Zealand than was being guaranteed in Australia would not be tenable when tho wheat countries of the-world recovered full production again. Mr. Massey, in traversing this in his. speech, shortened it all into a statement attributed to tho Leader of tho Opposition, a statement of- his opinion that in this countryvwe could not exp?ct to compete successfully with Australia in cheap and efficient wheat production. Sir 'Joseph Ward read his Hansard proof to show what r ho did say. Mr. Wilkinson: I am very sorry tluit any remarks of mine should have provoked such a storm of indignation as we huvo seen ,this afternoon. The remark I made with regard to the honourable gentleman to which exception is taken was, "If I remember aright, the proposals of the Cost of Living Committee had very short .shrift from the right honourable gentleman." That, I. think, is tho paragraph to which exception is being taken. I wish .to put myself right with the House and with Sir Joseph >\nrd. Jt was not my. intention to cast any reflection on him or to make any attack on him. If I had meant my remarks to be in the nature of an attack, I would liavo sent him word of my intention But no attack was mado by me, and I h a d. n ° intention of any kind to attack. J. think I' was making fair comment. But it any misconception still remains in the muid of the right honourable gentleman that I have .attacked him, I wish to tender to him an apology—if I ' lftVo ( '° nc " u f: But I should liko m »>rrnoss to myse t to refer to what tho right honourable gentleman did say in the debate on the report of the Cost of Living Committee. Mr. Wilkinson proceeded to read iron the speech, and he said that lie could get no other meaning, from them than that tlie remarks of Sit Joseph Ward at that time were not favourable to the! renort of tho Cost of Living. Committee. He admitted quite freely that Sir Ward "was sincere in Ins desire to Iceop down the cost of living. Mr Wilkinson concluded: I did not intend to bo unfair to the Leader of Hie Opposition, to misrepresent him, oi to mrke any political capital out of 10™'rks he 5 made l«t mght. I M ™ 'n* tentiou of doing anything of the kind. Sir Joseph Ward: I unreservedly acce'pt the explanation of the honourable gentleman. _________