MOTUEKA TROUBLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 31, 5 August 1936, Page 11

MOTUEKA TROUBLE

ECHO IN THE HOUSE

A MINISTER'S REMARKS

CHALLENGE ACGBPTED

A challenge to Mr. K. J. Holyoake (National, Motucka) to go to Motueka with him and to repeat to the people of Motueka a statement he made in the House of Representatives, was made with considerable vigour. by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) during'the seconi reading1 debate on the Political Disabilities Removal Bill in the House yesterday afternoon. The challenge was accepted. Mr. Semple read a newspaper report of the speech, of the member for Motueka -when the Bill was introduced ih. the House on Friday afternoon, in •which Mr. Holyoake was reported to have said that addressing the men at Motueka, the Minister had said: "You shall not speak; you shall not think; you shall have no opinions." Mr. Holyoake also said that most of the men wh,ora.the Minister addressed in that way went to school with him and were personal friends of his. The Minister said that if he had been guilty of making a statement of that kind to New Zealand citizens, whether they, were working men or any other section of free-born citizens, he would not be fit to hold down his present position for five minutes. On the other hand, any man occupying a public position who in cold blood would make a statement of that kind reflecting on a Minister of the Crown was not a fit and proper person to hold public office. Mr. SpeaKfer: Order! . "In my life," continued the Minister, "I have made sacrifices- and been punished for standing four-square for the rights of free citizenship. I have been subjected to a campaign of vilification and slander by the Communist Party of this country for the past fifteen years. That campaign1 of vilification and slander has been more pronounced since I have held my present.office." I "SLANDEROUS STATEMENTS." The Minister added that the senti^ ments expressed by Mr. Holyoake were definitely in line with the slanderous statements of the Communist Party of New Zealand. ■ "I was amazed when I read the statement in the newspapers branding me as an individual not fit to hold the position I hold," said Mr. Semple. "If the statement had been v made by a member of the Communist Party I would not have put much value on it, but when it is made by a representative of the people it is time I took notice of it." . The Minister said there were four newspaper reporters present at his meeting in Motueka, including two members of the Press Gallery. Both those gentlemen said there was not a tittle of fact in the statement he was alleged to have made, and they had been good enough to swear an affidavit that he had made no such statement. ' ' ... - Mr. Semple said he had also discussed the matter ( with the, .Chief Engineer of Fublic Works, the Acting Secretary'of the Public Works Department, and-the District Engineer, and they were amazed and shocked almost at a statement of the kind being made. He added that he ,was putting the matter on record to show what Was done to try and discredit members of the present' Government—a Government that thought fit to give the peopfe freedom to think. Yet he was- branded as an individual who stood fop a form of despotism^hitherto unknown in this country., - THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE. After, 'quoting a remark by Mr. Holyoake that some of the' men at Motueka.;were blood relations, of his, Mr. Semple said that the man who caused all the trouble there was not a resident' of the district. He was a Iran with 33 convictions for theft and while in a position of.trust in the Government had stolen £1000. He was an educated scoundrel and was sent there for the deliberate purpose of creating trouble. A merrvDer: Who was he? Mr. T. H. McCombs (Government, Lyttelton): A relative of Holyoake's. Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford) raised a point of order and drew attention to Mr. McCombs's interjection, asking whether it should not be withdrawn. • Mr. Speaker, after obtaining from Mr. McCombs an admission that he had made the refnark, said that it must be withdrawn.^ Mr.. McCombs: I /will withdraw it; I certainly did not intend it in any vindictive spirit. Continuing his speech, the Minister said that between 700 and 800 people were present at his 'meeting .in Motueka, and not a single protest was made concerning anything he said. As . a matter of fact, Public Works organisations throughout the country had sent letters of i congratulation to him. ls*o one in this country," he continued, "would believe that myself or. ally other member of the Ministry or a)jy member of the House would presume or be stupid enough to stand on a public platform in New Zealand and tell people that they have not the right to think, to live, or to talk." The Minister said there was ample evidence that he did not make the statement. He challenged the member for Motueka to repeat the statement outside, and also challenged him to go to Motueka with him and make the statement to the' people of Motueka. Turn. HOLYOAKE IN REPLY. Mr. Holyoake said that some of the words and statements made by the Minister required dealing with. He explained that the report of the remark, though more or less correct, was not quite correct, and that it had been made in reply to an interjection from the member for Grey Lynn. Personally, he had no wish to enter into the dispute or episode or whatever it was, but his name had been besmirched in the whole transaction. The Minister: Why did you start the controversy if jjou were not interested? Mr. Holyoake: I think I have explained the position, that I was answering the member for Grey Lynn. He went on to say that the criticism made by the men at Motueka was not against the Minister, but against the general secretary, Mr. Cook. They :had no dealings, with the Minister. The Minister: You know all about it. , Mr. Holyoake: I am taking what I am saying from Press clippings. Mr. Speaker intervened at this stage, Vid pointed out that the House could ;ot be detained with a discussion on ■V7P situation at Motueka. 2'he Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (National. Kaipara) immediately raised a point iof order. Ho ■ said that a deliberate charge had been made against the member for Motueka under the guise of the Bill, and the member was entitled to answer that. The Minister:' The charge was made against the Minister. Mr. Coates: No. The charge was

made against a private member of this House, who is claimed to have used certain words. Mr. Coates alleged that Mr. Speaker was endeavouring to curtail the right of reply. Mr. Speaker: Order! Order! You are entirely out of order in making that suggestion. I was endeavouring Lo give some guidance to the member for Motueka. I indicated that I had no desire to curtail him in his speech, but the whole of the time of the House must not be taken up in discussing the rights and wrongs of whatever happened at Motueka. I am the judge in this matter, and the time has not arrived for any question of my fairness to be impugned by the honourable member. Mr. Coates: I have not done that. Mr. Speaker: I think now that the matter has been made sufficiently clear. MINISTER NOT CRITICISED. Mr. Holyoake said that as far. as he knew, the men at the Motueka Aerodrome did not criticise the Minister. They criticised the agreement to which the Minister was a party. They criticised their general secretary for signing the agreement, but not the Minister. The Minister was invited to go to Motueka, but the men at no time had contact or correspondence with him. The secretary had been criticised because the men had no part in framing the agreement. The resolution expressed a complete lack of confidence in the general, secretary signing such a document as Mr. Semple's so-called agreement. Surely the men had a right to an opinion—had a right to think. They had criticised their secretary and the Minister had said "get off the job." Mr. Semple: You know that is absolutely wrong. ■ Mr. Holyoake said it was reported in the newspapers. The men had to withdraw and apologise if they were to retain their jobs. The Minister had said the men must have no opinion, must not speak their minds, or else they would not have the right to live. He could not get affidavits to prove it. He had been merely replying to the member for Grey Lynn, and he was not apologising. If a stop-work meeting lasting even a whole day had been held it would not have mattered, as the. men were on contract. Mr. Semple: Does your party stand for that? Mr. Holyoake said the Minister had proved that the men were nof malingering." He had shown that they were earning from 19s 5d to 23s a day. Mr. Semple: Under your Government they would have earned 10s a day and'some 10s a week. i A GENERAL STATEMENT. Later, Mr. Semple said he had made a general statement of. principle in regard to men offered work and who would not take it—that they were not going to be allowed to live on the nation. , ' Mr. Holyoake said the Minister was reported as having made the statement. He quoted,statemenjts from reports of the meeting, one'being that if the same thing happened in . Germany heads would be missing in the morning. The Minister had said on his return that he (Mr. Holyoake) had incited the men on the job. ■' > "1 --will take the Minister on at Motncka any time he likes to come clown," he added. If the Minister desired to besmirch his (Mr. ' Holyoake's) character he would have to improve 100 per cent, of the speech he had made at Motueka. He can take every hall and I will pay for them," he said. . Mr. Semple: I will be down in due course. I will be there all right. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong): Can anybody come into it or will it be just a private affair? • (Laughter.)' . . i : Mr. Holyoake said the Minister had said that the member for Motueka was not worthy to hold a public position, and he accepted the Minister's challenge. "I will resign my seat if he will resign. his, and contest Ihe Motueka seat on this point," he added.