REMISSION OF DUTY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 508, 10 November 1928, Page 10

REMISSION OF DUTY

MR. J. A. LEE REPLIES REPORTS IN HANSARD A fuller, survey of the grounds for his attack on the Hon. Downie Stewart was made by Mr. J. A. Lee, Labour candidate for Auckland East., during his meeting on Thursday evening. Dealing with a letter written to The Sun accusing him of not telling the truth in regard to the remission of duty on a linotype machine which had been imported from America by the “Dominion,” the paper of the Reform Party, Mr. Lee read extracts from Hansard in which the Hon. Downie Stewart admitted the fact, but attempted to gloss it over by suggesting that similar remissions had been granted to other papers. That statement merely meant, instead of offending once, Mr. Stewart had offended many times. It was extraordinary that duty should be remitted to foreign firms when British machinery was available. The paper in question was loud in its praise of British preference, but liad used back-door methods to secure cheap foreign machinery, and the Minister of Customs had aided his supporters. In regard to the charge of corruption, he would reply as Mr. Savage had replied in the House. When Mr. Stewart had said: “Do you accuse us of corruption?” Mr. Savage had said: “I make a plain statement that duty was remitted to the “Dominion” newspaper, but if the cap fits you can wear it.” Mr. Lee said he had looked up Hansard. and he found that Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Wilford. and Mr. Sidey had joined in the Labour Party’s protest by voting with the Labour Party. The meeting concluded with the usual vote of thanks.