PRIVILEGES INQUIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1932, Page 8

PRIVILEGES INQUIRY

MR MACINTOSH’S DECISION.

REFUSAL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

WELLINGTON, November 5

The evidence given by Mr Alexander Macintosh before the Privileges Committee pf the - Home -vvas revealed , today: when the report of the committee was,lax! befoie the House; - , • > ; ■

M r heh before the Gommititie, of PrivMacintosh refused to -answer • any I questions irelaiing forth e source ofr the evidence.u©pn whicn he had form- ; ed his conclusions. >; -t Asked; by Mr H., E. Hollar)d if. ;hpJ had • attetnpf®-! Id get - his ’ incorporated in the general report 'Mr '■ Macintosh: .said, he had not. >■ He ■ ae-i fused to, give his .-interpretation' of -the ? term “malting inroads-on-the--.Treas-|' ury,” an:expression which he had used 1 - in his addendum. . ■

,“M-y f-statement .js there;”':snid- .Mr, Macintosh when, pressed further by Mr; Barnard. ‘‘l stand- by : that statement; ah-olutely. , I. .do not know -what yoM’’ are trying'to get at. lam not going, to. interpret it-’V-nt- '' ? ‘Surely, Mir Macintosh,].y®u can g.ve! us some- evidence as to -what'membersif Parliament'-have; doneasked the - chairman of. the committee, Mr iSmitii,, Mr Macintosh: No. ~-It, would be' coming ; veiy near to something I l ‘do 1 - not t wish:;to 'aayi ->.I atfhrtyeryrt; sorry .about aill this. nNobody Teels .this more •than I do. It amount!? to this.-’ I was' sent, .there ~&s,. a, member 3pf Abe ~Com-.; mission to do a certain duty that duty. Now I am called here and asked to take br-:k what I drive; ,s id. ,Is it not most Humiliating? I won’t be; humiliated.. There At is.c . • The chairman; No member here, wants to humiliate you. Mr Macintosh; -I say that is my view,- of it. It is humiliation. -It is no: use putting .me on the i rack like this. What,l. have said I- have said, and I stick to iti . I said it on the most pronounced evidence. You can . do wha-t you like with me, but that is all; ! can-say.'. < -v-.■

, M'r Forbes explained that the -committee wn-nt-ed to do justice. "That : -was not unreasonable -and no man should feel humiliated. i ,V' : . :! l

Mr Macintosh : Well, I do. I; was sent tiierbito do a certain duty aocordung - to. u . my, conscience. Havel done wrong in doing that ? i Mr Forbes; I have expressed our in■debtedpess? to. 'members-of the Commission and thanked, them. ’ Mr Macintosh: You Won’t get me at the task again. Never, under any consideration. Mr Forbes: It was a very difficult one, -..-- - - • - ~, iMr Macintosh: I actua-ly damaged my''eyesight over it;: I was continuously looking into matters there for fiye -+'ilid. months, and tms is what I he 'held here and crucified in this-way. : - The chairman: You must not isay that.

Mr Macintosh: Well,-. I do say-, that, gnd I. do fed, that, too. And being held up to ridicule in the House. It is a disgraceful thing, I think, to have thiAreward for doing my duty. -. • ? When told'by the chairman that he could not continue ip that strain: Mr; Macintosh said that he was- very sorry .there. shotdjJ .he, any such fuss about it, si but he had liis own self-respect to consider. -n*. >uv*.