HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 181, 23 August 1872, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

PERSONAL EXPLANATION. Me. Meettk* rose to a question of privilege, lie found, in the second number of ' Hansard', which had just been issued, the following, statement made by the honorable member for the Duns tan-The inhabit ants of Roxburgh,.■who rejected the honorable member for Mount Ida in favor of himself, had. no sympathy from that honorable member, and he could only account for his opposition by supposing that some feeling of revenge lurked in his mind. If the honorable membe? admitted now that it was right- to sell the land in large blocks in one district, he could not object when such a sale was made in the Mount Ida district." He would say that the: statement was, in the first place, incorrect, and, in the second, ungenerous. The circumstances were shortly these: Me-did -1101! contest the ilction "with the- honorable member for,, the Dims tan ; and as he understood the honotable gentlemen cameforward as an opponent of the Government policy, and as one-■-gentleman was put forward as a supporter of it, rather than- "

Mit. T L. Shepherd,rose to subject to the honorable, member explaining the views .he (Mi*. -Shepherd)' held at the Dunstati election.

The Speaker.—l am waiting to see the object of the honorable gentlemen's remarks.

Mr. Meievyn had understood that the honorable ■member for the Dunstan was an opponent of the Government policy, and Mr. Fraser, another candidate, was a supporter of it : rather than that Mr. Eraser should be returned, he retired early on the morning of the polling day in favour of the honorable meuvber who represented the Dunstan district in this House, and a telegram was sent to the inhabitants of iioxburgh, saving tbat he had retired. He thought it unfair and ungenerous of the honorable member to state in' the House, and let it go forth through the medium of ' Hansard', that he (Mr. Mervyn) had been rejected by the inhabitants of Roxburgh in favour of himself. He thought the least the honorable member could have done would

hnve to be ,si!ent on tho - questiu i '' " - The Speaker. t do 11 t ace any question of privilege. Mr. thought it would affect the status of members if such statements were allowed to go to the country • without being - denied. The statement he com plained* of -was incorrect and ungenerous. The Speaker.—l do not, see that any matter of privilege is involved, but as a matter of personal explanation, no doubt the honorable member would receive the indulgence of th« House. Mr. T. L. Shepherd said the remarks of the honorable member for MountIda were, to u.se aparliamenturv pnraae, entirely incorrect It .would .be remembered that wbe«u he made the remarks referred to, the honorable member for Mount Tda had called him or ier. The Speaker. do not think .the question should be entered into now, as to whether or not my attention was' called to "the matter at the time. Mr. T. L. Shspeerb- asked the Speaker's r a ling as to --whether an honorable member could take tip' Hansard' and accuse "another honorable member of having said something lin- ' generous. It that sort of thing were allowed to continue, he Would, have to read ' Hansard' very carefully, and get up debates on what had been - said' about him. He again repeated that he thought the honorable member for Mount Ida had been influenced by a* feeling of rev.enge that lurked in' his mind. The Speaker.—The honorable member .is out of order. It is not competent for any.honorable member to impute &uch .motives to any member of the House. —' fJ&asard.'