TAUPO RAILWAY LETTER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 27 July 1929, Page 7

TAUPO RAILWAY LETTER

FURTHER REFERENCE “IN FAIRNESS TO MPu COATES” (By Telegraph) (From “The Mail’s” Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, 26th July. Further reference to the Taupo railway letter from E. E. Vaile was heard in. the House of Representatives to-day by the Prime Minister.

Sir Joseph Ward said be did not want to do any injustice to Mr Coates. Ho found on a further examination of the file that ahead of the copy of the letter which was read by him to the House on Tuesday night was a letter and written in Mr Coates's bandwriting was: “When the East Coast Main Trunk was completed I said the work would go on.” An ink line was drawn through the letter. Whether that was the letter Mr Coates said he did not order to he sentout Sir Joseph did not know, but' it might he. On the file and adjacent to the letter from Mr Vaile were two carbon copies of the reply that had been read to the House by the Hon. T. M. Wilford on Thursday night. Mr Coafes: ‘‘ls that it ?” Sir Joseph : “No.” Mr Coates: ”ls there any signature on it?” Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central): “What- does it matter anyhow?” Sir Joseph said that in fairness to Mr Coates he wanted to make the position clear; The letter with the handwriting of Mr Coates on it, to which ho had referred, was in its sequence on the file and was not, attached to the letter from Mr Vaile to Mr Coates. The copy of the reply which Mr Wilford roixcl out on Thursday liiglq. was aiTached to the letter from Mr Vaile. Mr Coates: “I think my mentorv must be correct.”