LANG MISLEADING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 153, 20 February 1932, Page 2

LANG MISLEADING

BRUCE SPEAKS OUT DECLARES LANG'S UTTERANCES ARE A TISSUE OF LIES. POSITION OF LEADERSHIP. A spirited reply was made to-day by Mr. Bruce to Mr. Lang's Sydney speeeh. "Mr. Lyons is Prime Minister of the Commonwealth in the fullest and most complete sense," said Mr. Bruce. "He holds the confidence of the Australian people to a degree seldom accorded to any political leader. "I willingly and cheerfully accepted his leadership, and ani proud to serve in the Government which he is leading. "This definite declaration will show the people of Australia the absurdity of Mr. Lang's allegations that I am in fact the Prime Minister, although I permit Mr. Lyons to adopt the title. "Mr. Lang's allegations to myself and the Commonwealth Government are a tissue of lies and misrepresentation. "The speech showed- that Mr. Lang saw that the people were beginning to recognise the disastrous position to which he had reduced New South Wales, and the necessity of diverting their minds by attacking the Press and myself." His Reasons. Mr. Lang's reasons for suggesting that the people should cease to buy the papers was obvious, said Mr. Bruce. The Press day by day was telling the people facts and letting them lcnow that Mr. Lang had increased unemployment in New South Wales more rapidly than it had grown in any.other State; that Mr. Lang had reduced the real wages of the workers of New South Wales to a lower point than in the rest of Australia; that Mr. Lang was driving capital out of New South Wales and bringing industry and business to the brink of ruin; and that by repudiating his interest obligations he had destroyed the possibility of new money coming into the State for the development of its industries. "Utter Nonsense." "Mr. Lang's- object in referring to myself in his speech is to try and support his attempts to mislead the people by suggesting that there is some great conspiracy to attack the worker. "The people of Australia know well that Mr. Lyons would not be a party to such a conspiracy, even if I would dream of setting it afoot. Such a policy would be as abhorrent to me as to every decent person in the community. "He knew full well that to suggest that Mr. Lyons, in whom the people at the last election showed their trust and confidence in so overwhehning a manner was implicated would be useless. t " Accordingly, he tries to make the people believe I have some dominating position in the Federal Government. This is utter nonsense. "Mr. Lyons has told Mr. Lang in far more emphatic terms than any I have used what will be the result of the disastrous course Mr. Lang is pursuing. "I am certain that the people will not be deceived by Mr. Lang's obvious attempt to divert their minds from his misdeeds by suggestions of conspiracies against the workers and appeals to their passions." "Mr. Lang thinks he can weaken the Commonwealth Government by trying to weaken the position of its leader," Mr. Bruce concluded. "Such tactics are obvious. Mr. Lyon's position will never be weakened by anvthing Mr. Lang may say about the Prime Minister or myself."