VIGOROUS SPEECH

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 391, 28 November 1932, Page 3

VIGOROUS SPEECH

PRIVILEGE BREACH WELLINGTON PUBLIC MEETING CONDEMNS MR. MACINTOSH'S TREATMENT. BUSINESSMEN'S PROTEST. Wellington, Wednesday. In the concluding stages of the public meeting held yesterday to express admiration of Mr. A. Macintosh's aetion in connection with: the breach. of privilege proceedings, Mr. A. R. Atkinson spoke at length in support of the following resolution: — "That in the opinion of this meeting the members of a Royal Commission are entitled, with the scop'e of their official duties, to exaetly the same protection as the Judges and the Magistrates; "That it deeply deplores th'e violation of this fundamental by the proceedings taken by the House of Representatives against Mr. Alex. Macintosh, and heartily congratulates him on his resolute refusal to answer the questions put to him by a .Select Committee of the House regarding the reasons for his addendum to the Report of the National Expenditure Cofnmission and the confidential evidence on which it was based; "And the meeting respectfully points out to the Government and the House of Representatives that unless the immunity hitherto enjoyed hy Royal Gommissions from interference of this kind is restored the difficulty of securing the services of men who will handle contentious issues with the courage and the thoroughness displayed by Mr. Macintosh and his colleagues will be very greatly increased." "I have been boiling -over for the last four or five we'eks," said Mr. Atkinson, "ancj I was greatly delighted in the last f ew days to find how many hundreds of our citizens have heen taken the same way. I am delighted to move the resolution and let off some of the steam which has been accumulating in me. I have the misfortune to be a lawyer, hut I spealc on this occasion not so much as a lawyer as in th© much higher capacity of a man of common sense. I say from the standpoint alike of law and common sense, that the proeedure in this case is utterly wrong ,a gross travesty of justice, and a grave injury to the honour and dignity of Parliament which it was intended to assert. Mr. Macintosh had been condemned unheard hy a bench of judges without the faintest idea of what they were doing, Mr. Atkinson continued. Mr. Wright and Mr. Polson were to be commended on their attitude. Mr. Wright was ruled out hy Mr. Speaker on the ground that the matter had already been deeided. To show the nature of the thoroughness of the inquiry it was ,only necessary to refer to Hansard of 5th October, where the report of the proceedings dealing with the matter occupied almost exaetly a page. Half of that was taken up by the Prime Minister and Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister showed his good sense by saying that he had not been able to find any breach of privilege in the report — and thousands of otbers were of the same opinion, with all due respect to Mr. Polson. Obviously Mr. Forbes would have liked to take that view, but he consented to the Committee being appuinted. Mr. Speaker had ruled that there was a prima faeie case. ' At least he had not ruled that, but he had said that he ruled it. Mr. Atkinson alleged that the Committee had been absolutely "sooled on" to take the gravely iniproper course it had taken. What right had the Committee to expect a member of the Royal Commission to disclose the reasons for his judgment? (Hear, hear.) Continuing, Mr. Atkinson said that Mr. Macintosh' had heen strong enough to refuse to disclose the source of his information, and they had tested him for long enough. Mr. Macintosh was called upon to account for criticism which, in the speaker's opinion, he would have been perfectly entitled to make in his private capacity, and to which no sensible Parliament should object. He hoped there was no offence in that; there might he a lot of them up for breach of privilege yet, but he did not think any of them was seriously afraid. A voiee: You are too old. (Laughter.) Mr. Atkinson: There is a good deal in that, and probably if Mr. Treadwell went up they would say: "Obviously this young man is not responsible." (Renewed laughter.) Rights of a Royal Commissioner. The statement was made by Mr. Macintosh in pursuance of his rights as a Royal Commissioner, t said Mr. Atldns . It was -a Commission not from Parliament but from the Crown, and Mr. Macintosh was invested with funetions largely judieial. Sometimes there were Supreme Court Judges on Gommissions. Mr. Atkinson suggested the absurdity of placing the Chief Justice in the same position. The Committee would probably arrive at the conclusion after the first question, that, in view of his advanced age, further cross-examination would he impossible. Although the office was different, +he principle was the same. They should insist upon the honour, dignity, and indep®ndence of ' both Courts heing jealously guarded. and that the politicians should kdep their hands off both.. They should remiember also that, as a British community, New Zealand should continue to take her lead from Great Britain and not from the United States. "Badgered and Pestered." In his letter to the Committee, Mr. Macintosh had taken up the only attitude open to a man of honour, Mr. Atkinson continued. He had expressed his intention of keeping the seal of silence, and nothwithstanding that he gave the word of a gentleman and a Royal Commissioner under the obligations of secrecy of the witnesses, he was badgered and .pestered with most monotonous questions. His answers were made up of words of one syllable, and no eloquence could have made them stronger. He did not budge one inch, and >as the Committee were afraid of putting him up, they had to come down themselves. Surely it was the clumsiest smokescreen ever devised. Mr. Fraser's Teas. Mr. Atkinson said he thought the henevolence of the Labour members, especially one, was most touehing. Mr. Fraser's tears would have been much

more convincing if there was not a suggestion of a crocodile about them. It was like the case of the spider and the fly, but on this occasion "the spider found the fly too old for eating and no further action was taken." (Laughter.) Undoubtedly in the eyes of a plan man Mr. Macintosh had heen insulted. "We should he thankful," concluded Mr. Atkinson, 'that one strong man in the right can stand up against a Parliament if it is in the wrong and knock it right out." (Applause.) Traducing and Abominable Treatment The resolution was seconded hy Mr. R. W. Gibbs, who said he spoke as probably the oldest friend of Mr. Macintosh present. He expressed his sincere regret at the "traducing and abominable treatment" Mr. Macintosh had received. All honour was due to Mr. Polson and Mr. Wright. "When wa consider the source whence the abuse comes," added Mr. Gibbs, "need we express any wonder? We hear of an attempt being made to I make wool out of wood, and silk our of flax, but I have yet to hear of any successful attempt to make a silk purse ou of a sow's >ear. My astonishment is that those responsible for Mr. Macintosh's appointment should have acted in the way they did, and that such men should he considered as our ruler's." The resolution was then put to the meeting, and was carried unanimously. Mr. Macintosh at this stage appeared on the platform, and the meeting, with tremendous enthusiasm, sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," followed by rousing eheers. Many of those present moved up to the front of th'e hall to shake hands and tender their personal eongratulations. "