A STATEMENT RESENTED

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1929, Page 3

A STATEMENT RESENTED

AIR D. JONES ON LABOUR

WELLINGTON, Juio 29

Declaring that the workers of the Doin.nion had never had more done for them by any ot.her Government than by the late jlefonn administration,Gvlr i). J ones stated in the House last night that a tribute to .the |Rc!form Government had been paid quite recently by the menibef for Christchurch Soiithj. All- Jones declared that Mr Howard had sr id iii Christcliui-C'h tha t New land was not yet right for the Labour Party because the working men uero too well off. • Mr Howard: That, is a deliberate mis-statemeri.t and you know >t. Mr Speaker: Order! The lipii geutlemari must withdrayv that.

“Well, it was, sir,” said Mr Emvard. Air Speaker, again asked for v.l. R ‘ statement to bo withdrawn.

~ Mr Howard: “Well, if you insist, sir I will do so.

Mr Speaker: I pm afraid it is a questh n of veracity. MT. Jones said that lie was so my if ho had misrepresented Mr Howard,, but dial was limy, lie had been reported i,: the newspapers. '• :

ATr Howard: Nii, sir.'/.Air Jones-: T think it.was a hit worse tliaii that. : > Tie described Mr. Howard’s statement ns .one of the highest testimonies i mem her. of the Labour Party had ..qy-er. paid to the Reform; Gove.rnriient. The facts proved that tlie Reform Government was best friend the. workers of New Zealand had over had.

Air Howard protested against Mr Jones knowingly twisting his (Mr Howard’s) statement and attributing to him tilings he had never said. “ What 1 said,” he declared, “was that the con (used the term ns we use it 'when refer to the country quota—was not ready for the Labour •Party because tlie country, using the term again in the same sense, had, resisted advanced legislation and the-ad-vantage the workers have got under the awards off the Court. I refer to the advanced legislation put on [the Statute Book by our friends on the Liberal side of the House in the years gone by.” Mr Howard declared that Mr Jones had got his start in life in connection with the farm labourers’ case. There was never a greater enemy of workers for Wages than Mr Jones.

Claiming that he had been misrepresented by Mr Howard. Mr Jones disputed the assertion that lie had done

everything possible to cut' down the workers’ wages. AH he had- dope was to take the farm labourers’ ease before the Court because lie was president of the Canterbury Farmers’ Union. The question of wages was not but the question of whether country, work could be done under an award j fixing hours aiid conditions. J -ne Minister of Education (the-Hon.

H. Atmore) said that the Reform Party had been in office so long -because of the success of the previous Liberal legislation. The Reform Party could not remain in office long before it reached the soup kitchen stage. The £’’2,000,000 year was due to the people, not the Reform Government. The deficit of approximately £600,000 was due to the’Re-f'n-ni Government’s administratm'p. On 'October.-14, exactly a month before the last general election, while the late Prime Minister was telling the people that the country had turned the co'rner and was emerging into the sunshine of prosperity; he signed a letter to the heads of' departments warning them to be careful in their expenditure because a deficit was inevitable-.

The speaker said 'that lie would not have mentioned that had it not been for the fact that Mr Jones had made certain statements in his usual unfair'' wav. Mr Howard had been quite right in s'vmg what he did about Mr Jones, for it was no new thin" for Mr Jones to. s'y what he- knew was not right. 'Mr Speaker: That is imputing want of veracity. .. M" Vtmore :',I. will put it’thi.4 way; that ms statements will not hear "analysis. (Laughter.) ’"*' ' ; >1? ’|