Letters to the Editor

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 19, 15 October 1937, Page 3

Letters to the Editor

"TOLERATION."

"Whole Truth" Sir,— Popr old Archie, always making the same unfortunat-o mistake — sitting on the branch he wishes to saw off. Just recently Mr Christie, speaking in public, made a statement which was corrected in the columns by a correspondent signing himself xAjax." In his attempt to verify Mr Christie 's statement and discredit "Ajax's" correction, Mr Lo.we quoted the facts as reported in an English paper, . which, incidentally, justified "Ajax's" correction. Now, Sir, again Archie has been moved to thought .by two letters appearing in Saturday's Herald-TriDune; one tells how the microphone is used in broadcasts from Parliament, and the other gives statements made by the Minister for Lands. In reference to the first letter, Archie states that ' 1 to speak of the microphone as though it was an arrangement similar to that upon an ordinary publiespeaking platform is to . coavey a misconception." That the microphone is not arranged similarly to that upon an ordinary public-speaking platform and free from cheap interjections was the bone of contention of tko wnter to whom Archie refers. His criticism of the second letter is a pure literary gem and a real pearler. Referring to Mr Langstone 's statement, he says: "Whether or -not these contentions of tlve Minister are right or wrong is beside the point, which is that misrepresentation of stateiU|ents or facts calls for condemnation if we are to make any useful contributions to our day and generation." Sir, I am only a working-man member of the Labour Party, but reason tella me that if the Minister 's contentions are wrong they can and should be corrected by facts, and facts are not misrepresentation; nor is a Minister '9 honest contention, whether right or wrong, a deception or a deliberate misconception. Furthermore, any contentions of a Minister or anyone else, whether they be rigbt or wrong, are useful contributions to our day and posterity. — Yours, etc.,

Hastings, Oct. 14, 1987.