I ASK FOR FAIR PLAY.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 June 1919, Page 6

I ASK FOR FAIR PLAY.

" DEFENCE OF MR. M'A‘SSEY. ' WELLINGTON, June 211. Before leaving for Wellington yesterday 'morning'the Hon. Sir Jas. Allen, Acting-Prime Minister, handed -the following statement t-o the Press: “In the New Zealand Times of the 18th June there appear some remarks from a special reporter at Palmerston North of what was reported to have been said by some members of the National Dairy Association‘at the recent anual meeting. Whether. the report of what was said is correct or not, I am unaWare_ I am sure Mr. Massey never resents honest criticism and is always ready «to meet it. But he is not in New Zealand now and is unable to reply to the newspaper article, or to what was said about him at the meeting above 1 alluded to. I do not desire to pro-N tect Mr. Massey from-criticism, eveni in his absence, but I do resent unfair criticism and attempts to ‘make poli- ~ tical capital against a leader who 4 is absent on. his country’s duty. The report states that Mr. Agar said the butter equalisation came about because of Mr. Massey. Now Mr_ Mas-' sey was npt in New Zealand when when the first scheme for butter equalisation wagiadopted, and I am able to say that he warned me by telegram more thah once abo“ut adopt- 1 ing the scheme. The second equalisation scheme was never forced diil the dairy community by Mr. Massey, but, so far as my knowledge goes, ’ Was agreed to and approved of byl

the representatives of the dairy industry themselves. And there was a good reason .why they should approve at the time because they knew or ought to have known, the difiiculties the "Government were face to face with. For instance, there was industrial unrest at the increase in the cost of living and no Government Worth its salt could do other than protect its -own people against any undue increase. in the cost of living_ There was also the posifion that shipping was under the control of the Imperial Shipping Controller, and We were dependent upon hi-—, decision Whether our produce was taken away or not. We were a long way from Great Britain, and it is easy to understand thc Shipping Controller ’s quandary when he wanted supplies urgently and could secure most of them from sources of supply much nearer to him than Zealand was Still we were kept going, and 1' assert that Mr. Massey de.-erres great credit for the strenuous way in which he worked to assist. the producers in this country. To say that Mr. l‘n'ass€-.,V is not a whole-hearted supporter of the dairy industry is as far from the truth as anything can be. He is a farmer himself, and, to my knowledge has persistently fought in the best interests of dairy farmer and other producers. The reinark of Ml'_ Mor.‘:')n, that Mr. Massey had promised to discuss a certain ouestion with the Food Controller, and did not do so, are, as far as my knowledge goes, incorrect. If the reference by Mr. Morton is to a question of insurance, then Mr. Massey did deal with 1;, If the reference was to recognition of Mr Ellison, as represenfitivo in England, then I have to say that Mr. Massey did what it was possible at the time 130 do. He introduced, or socured an introduction to the Food Controller, for Mr. Ellison, But the question was not alone one of price; it was a question of getting the produce away, and of securing the sympathy and assistance of the Shipping a Controller for far-away New Zealand ', produce. Finally, 1 draw attention to this attack on a man in his ab—l sence. It is not as if the subject «had , not been fully discussed before, but it appears to be resurrected for a purpose which it is not difficult to understand. To those who may be called upon before very long to exercise their franchiso rights, I make no special appeal for Mr. Massey or any other ‘would-be’ politician, but, I ask for ‘fair-play.’-"’~ . .. ‘