"WAIPAOA” WORKS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXI, Issue 9854, 6 November 1924, Page 5

"WAIPAOA” WORKS

MR LYSNAR AND MINISTERS,

ANOTHER OUTBURST IN THE

HOUSE,

CHALLENGE AND COUNTERCHARGE.

WELLINGTON, Nov. 5. In the House of Representatives This morning, Mr Lyiyiar, the member for Gisborne, launched another of hi.> somewhat violent attacks against the Government and the Hons. A. IX McLeod and AY. Nosworthy, though the latter was absent at the time and so had no chance of reply. Mr Lysnar did this on the second •reading of the Finance Bill and, in doing so, was clearly out of order, but the Speaker, whose remarks were not quite audible in the press gallery, was understood to> say that Mr Lysnar could refer to matters brought up in a past debate, jn regard to the Poverty Bay Freezing Works, with the indulgence of the House. No objection being offered, Mr Lysnar was Allowed to proceed. Mr Lysnar said he understood there was considerable - freedom of speech allowed on the debate on the Finance Bill.

Mr Speaker: There is a wide scope '.on financial matters. Mr Massey offered no objection to Mr Lysnar proceeding. He said he had no desire to interfere with freedom of speech. Mr Lysnar then launched out on •a further condemnation of the Minister of Lands, and the Minister of Agriculture for their attitude towards himself, and the amendments he had proposed in the Meat Export Control Amendment Bill. He read a report, which, he said, had been signed by 'ten out of a committee of eleven Reform members, who had been appointed jn connection with the matter, making suggestions which, he said, had been embodied in his amendments. He also read the whole of the letter he had sent to Vestey’s, a protion of which had been quoted by the Minister for Agriculture in the former debate, and referred to the proposal- made to Armour’s when there was a danger of Vestey’s “gobbling up the works.” He held that it was not wrong to go. to the other company, under the circumstances, to finance the Meat Freezing Cov. The Government, however, had tied his company’s hands . in dealing with Armour’s. Yet they had let loose the •-biggest Trust in the world, with a -capital of eighty millions. He (Mr Lysnar) had been in the House five wears, and had believed in, and trusted the Government against these trusts, and combines but, after moving liis amendments be had foui.u that the Government were not in favor of them. They had been misleading him and misleading the Dominion. But now the wool had been pulled off their eyes, and the mask was dismasked off them. (Laughter). 'They were in favor of trusts and • combines. A Labor member: We have known it for years. (Laughter).. Mr Lysnar: I did not know it. 1 took the assurance from the Prime Minister and the Government in tins respect. In regard to Mr McLeod, he added that he had already warned him outside that, if there was one man that should not interfere in this matter, it was himself. He charged ..Mr McLeod with having got protecvtion for his own district, when his iOv.m works were in trouble. Mr McLeod: Nothing of the kind! Mr Lysnar said that Air AlcLeod had challenged him to take the platform and hand in his resignation. “ Whnt havo Ito put my resignation in for?” shouted Air Lysnar. “1 am •doing it on the floor of this House I have not broken my pledge.” Mr AlcLeod’s action, -lie added, : showed bad taste. Air McLeod laughed. Air Lysnar: It shows his bad taste. The lion, gentleman laughs. He has got no justification to laugh. The matter is one for my supporters and myself. I am prepared to meet him on any platform in Masterton and discuss it. I throw that challenge out to him. The hon. gentleman is more entitled to put- in his resignation than I am. He has broken his pledge to his electors by supporting trusts and combines, and voting against the resolutions I put in. if there is any man to put in his resignation it is .him. ft was a waste of time proceeding as they were. (There were some fervent '“Hear, Hears!”) Air Lysnar added that they liad been there five and a-half months. An hon. member: No, four and alialr' months, Air Lysnar: And what have we •done ? Very little. Air Sullivan: The Gaming Bill. Air Lysnar: Well, the Gaming Bill is all right. (Laughter). But the 'Government should stop unfair legislation ar.d assist the weak against the strong. Air Lysnar was proceeding to refer to a fusion of the Reform and Liberal parties when .the Speaker pulled him mp.

-Mr Speaker said it was not a time for general discussion. Mr Lysnar: Very well, then, I will take some other opportunity. The Hon. A. D. McLeod said that •;S0 per cent, of the statements made by the lion, member who had just sat down would be disproved before a 'Royal Commission in a place apart from that House and in a manner that would satisfy the people of the The position he (Mr McLeod) had .taken up, in a previous -debate referred to, had been proved jin what tho lion, member himself had just said. He would leave it to tho judgment of the House and rtho country. When the hon. member wanted to attack anybody, he always,

as far as possible, left them no opportunity to reply. In fact he (Mr j McLeod) would not have intervened in i the previous debate, but for the hon. member’s attack on a friend who was away in the Old Country, and had no •chance to reply. At a caucus meeting of the party early in the session, the Prime Minister had said that, if members felt very strongly on any, rsubject, he had no objection to them •.setting up a committee to go into it and report, so that the party could •consider tho committee’s report and ■decide what, if anything, should be -done. But the hon. member had tra-i to railroad the resolutions of his committee on to the party, without giv- i ing the party any opportunity to con.■sider them. Nothing had been done in connection with the Wairarapa Meat Works of which he had any r? reason to be ashamed. If, however, the attempt to borrow £320,000 from Armour’s and the Poverty Bay Meat Works had been successful, it would have meant nothing less than that, in two years’ time, the works would have been held by Armours, and Armours would have been demanding a license from the Meat Control Boa* a the same as Vestey’s had done. t Mr Lysnar : What is the difference between Armours and Yesteys ? Mr McLeod: Our fight was again;-t the American trusts; not against British trusts and British capital. 'The Wairarapa Meat Works, he added, had got into difficulties, and the - ' banks did the same as they bad done in connection with the Poverty Ba;. .Farmers’ Works—offered every facility for the farmers to finance the •works on a new basis. The farmers of the Wairarapa had a man at the head -of them whom they could trust but, unfortunately, in Gisborne they «vi- • dently had not such a man. He had had sheaves of telegrams from the lion, member, and from his distinct, -asking him what was best to be done, and he had told them all that 't was a matter,for themselves, not lor 'him to decide. Ho was prepared to meet the hon. member on anv ]u«tforrn in the Wairarapa, or .in Gis'Borne and,, when it came to a •'show i down” ho knew who would win. But only /way to clear it up was ' V - wvay of a Royal Commission witir all ./-the cards on tho table.—-Special. . '