ALLEGED BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10678, 5 July 1912, Page 5

ALLEGED BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

MEMBER FOR WA3RAU RECEIVES A LETTER.

WHIOH HE CLAIMS TO BE LIB'ELLOUS.

(By Tehgrajih—l'rcss Association.)

WELLINGTON", Last Nigl.tt. )' When the House of Representatives met this afternoon, and the de•V;te on the Addrccs-iin-Rcply win •about to be resumed, Mr R. McCal•liun, member for \, airau, rose and oaid hat he t,.-sired tc move tb'a'.fc a •broach of privilege r.'ad been conv.nit- , tod. R: had, he eaid, received a let- : te;r which had been forwarded to a ' mcn;!y.:r cf the -House. He moved, [-"That in- iihv opinion of this House ! ivho pagination of a letter of 25th j March from William Sinclair to WilI ''.*n,tn IJa.ir is a, broach of privilege of. ' .'fj IHox r .e, k:aia;uch as it convaius a | libe-1 on a member of the House.". | .}!,:« Mruoy veked if t'b? letter liad ; JiV-ibliihpd—if net, it was uot. | a h'Trxh of privilege. ' I The Speaker said there had been sufficient publication 'to .constitute a •ji;'c-ac,i]i of privilege, j iMti- J. Allen lie-Id that the matter i war.i net one of urgency. It should come up in the ordinary way later. I ■ The Hon. J. A. Hr'nan " said the '.•ncnihor for Wacmu had been said to ■have beer.: guilty of corruption. If ' •:■:,, he could be hole, up to ridicule and ! contempt by the whele House.. Tho dignity of Parliament should ha np- , '.lold, he Laid, at any cost. Mr W. .Eraser thought the quesI -tiiY.i was w<h oilier the matter was of fjufficient imipo'/cair.cci to warrant the ' interruption of the want of confidence [ debate. ' .• i 'Tho Speaker ruled that the matter was one of urgency ,and could be '.aken- ; at.once . ! (Mir Mc Galium, said he was not going to treat the matter from a party (.■.'Liiundpoint. He would say at once' ' tint n.:: member of the Hotim was regponsilble for the- letter, nor was the .iroeimfc'r '.who gave hi.m the 'letter a member of the Opposition. . Tho Speaker asked for a seconder .of 'Mir McC'allum's motion. ' Mr Masisey rose aiitl seconded the rn.ct.ion. Ho admitted that a breach of privilege had beeni committed. The ■course which -ehould be followed, it ■seemed to him, to be clean*. The i 'matter should be referred to the Pri- | vileges Committee.

''l(li. : s coilß'3iwais adopted. Tlie letter which constituted the alleged breach of privii'ledg© Avas from \\. Sinclair,, of Blenheim, to William Can - , and tr'avcr-sed the judgment of .'.la?( Election C'ouit, alleging that the were clearly entitled to succeed in the Wairau election caise. Perjury was. alleged 'by the writer of the letter .against Richard McCaljlurni, and George Sydney Kerr, the i-.eoi'etory of the INo-licenso League, •Edwwrd Stone Parker, William Heniry iVi/acey, ITa'ank Morrison, and E. i.H. Best. The writer 'suggests that a petition be presented to Parliament, I fiigned by the petitioners, attaching to iMie petition a copy of ahe notes of 'evi- ' denee, on. the ground that the peti"iiX'iiers had Li id to pay costs, Avhich t'hey would not have had to pay if the judgment had bee'n in accordance with the evidence. The petition ,the writer .says, could embody a prayer that Pariarment will be pleased to refdr the j 'decision! of the matter to the Privy •Oouivoil. i