SECRET INFORMATION

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 246, 19 October 1942, Page 4

SECRET INFORMATION

LEAKAGE FROM CABINET ALLEGED. CHARGE BY MR BARCLAY. P.A. WELLINGTON, Oct. 19. A leakage of information from the War Cabinet was alleged by the Minister for Marketing, Mr Barclay, when replying to statements by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, during the debate on the Finance Bill (No. 2) in the House of Representatives on Saturday. The interlude, which arose out of a remark by Mr Holland when protesting against the retention- by the Government of the additional wool payment made by the British Government, created some lively exchanges. Mr Holland said that the Minister for Marketing had made the statement on his return from Australia that he had been informed in the Commonwealth that the increase had been given by the British Govern ment in order to safeguard Australian sterling funds which had got into a mess. Mr Barclay: I made no such staternent. Mr Holland: What about your letter to the Prime Minister? Mr Barclay: What letter? Mr Holland: Well, was it a memorandum? At this stage Mr Barclay handed a file to the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, who, after perusing it, remarked: "This is marked confidential. Ministers of the Crown ought to have some regard for confidential documents." Mr Holland: I got the information from outside this building. In any case it was given to members of the Stabilisation Committee. Replying to Mr Holland's statements, Mr Barclay said that 011 his return from Australia he had given certain information to the War Cabinet marked strictly confidential. Mr Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo) : We were told about it on the street. Mr Barclay: Then someone must have carried the information from Cabinet. (Government eries of "Oh.") "My report to Cabinet' stated that one of the reasons for the British Government making the additional payment for wool was to safeguard the Australian sterling funds during the war period," added Mr Barclay. "Anything which is strictly confidential should not be broadcast, and probably Mr Holland knows more about how it came to the public than I do." Mr Polson (Opposition, Stratford) : Possibly the Minister discussed it with the Sheepowners' Federation. Mr Barclay: No. I th ought in giv ing the information to the Cabinet I was keeping it confidential. V- —