FOXTON LIBELLED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4540, 6 December 1930, Page 3

FOXTON LIBELLED.

THE MAYOR REPLIES TO AIR

BROAILEY.

'the Mayor (Mr. M. E. Perreau) has forwarded to the Press the following reply to Air. Bromley, one of the representatives of Labour on the Unemployment Board:—,

“My attention has been drawn to n statement made by AH. Bromley in (Dunedin, published in “The Dominion” to the effect that nobody in Foxton pays their rates, and nobody pays their storekeeper. “This sweeping statement constitutes a gross slander on the citizens of the town who are quite as honourable in this respect as those of any town in the world. Considerable hardship is being suffered by a large portion of the community through unemployment which Mr. Bromley has it in his power to remedy materially, but even these unfortunate citizens pay their just; debts when in a position to do so.

“The unqualified denunciation of the whole community by Mr. Bromley is entirely unwarranted and is very strongly resented by the whole town.”

AVIJLD DESTRUCTIVE STATEMENTS” SAYS AIR. H. MeAEANAWAY. Mr. 11. AicAlanaway, of Wellington, published the following letter in to-day’s “Dominion”: — "Sir, —In 'The Dominion' there appears a statement made at Dunedin by Air. \\". Bromley, a member of the Unemployment Board, that the town of Foxton was in a deplorable condition; that no one paid their rates, and no one paid their storekeeper, due to the fact thn.t the price of flax had fallen so low.

"What that had to do with the people of Dunedin I do not know, hut the fact of a member of the hoard in his official capacity making such an alarming'statement as this, and one which is quite contrary to fact, which can do no good, and can do a great deal of harm to the people of that town, is to he deplored. If Mr. Bromley would use his influence on the hoard so that the hoard would make some subsidy, or help to amend the Arbitration Award in the tliixmilling industry while the price of flax is so low, he would 'he doing a great public service, as flaxmilling absorbs a very large amount of unskilled labour. No one should know better than Air. Bromley, as a leader of Labour, why the flaxrnills are not working to-day, and I do not think such wild and destructive statements come well from a member of the new Unemployment Board. I have no interests in Foxton, or in flaxmilling, but I know both fairly well.”