MINISTER & CANON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 May 1938, Page 8

MINISTER & CANON

IN SAME PLACE WITHOUT MEETING COINCIDENCE AT CHATEAU TONGARIRO (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Although, by a strange coincidence, both the Minister of Public Works, the Hon R. Semple, and Canon A. E. Gowring, Bristol, spent Saturday night under the same roof, at the Chateau Tongariro, they did not meet personally or carry further their public controversy concerning veiled dictatorship, crime and drunkenness, extravagant expenditure on public works, and other aspects of New Zealand today. Mr Semple, who arrived at Wellington on Friday from the South Island, left again on Saturday on a visit to Rotorua and South Auckland. Before • departing from Wellington, he challenged Canon Gowring to meet him in public or in private and prove his charges, and to accompany him to any public works job in New Zealand, at the Minister’s expense, and, if he could, point out evidence of extravagance. ; Canon Gowring was already at the Chateau when the Minister arrived on I Saturday evening, but although! Mr Semple was pointed out to him by a fellow-guest, he made no move to introduce himself, or to take up the Minister’s challenge. Nor did the Minister

seek the canon's acquaintance, according to a Wellington business man who witnessed the episode. The Wellington visitor said the canon had told him that, in view of what the Minister had said, he would not talk to him unless he retracted the words and apologised. Yesterday morning the canon left the Chateau for Pipiriki, intending to make the boat passage of the Wanganui River before coming to Wellington, where he is to join the liner Arawa, sailing for Southampton on May 20. Yesterday too. the Minister left on a duck-shoot-ing expedition, prior to fulfilling his political engagements. In a telephone interview at Pipiriki the canon confirmed that he had known Mr Semple was at the Chateau, but that he had not spoken with him. He gave no reasons.