BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1938, Page 6

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE

ALLEGED AGAINST MR. W. J. POLSON. MATTER REFERRED TO -HOUSE COMMITTEE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Immediately after The House of Representatives met at 10.30 a.m. today, the Speaker (the Hon W. E. Barnard) drew attention to what appeared to be a breach of privilege in connection with an item appearing in the "Auckland Star" and “Taranaki Herald” under the name of the member for Stratford (Mr W. J. Polson), and published on August 10. Paragraphs of the letter were read in the House and contained a complaint by Mr Polson that he was not allowed, under the Standing Orders, to reply to innuendoes and suggestions which had been made in Parliament because he had already spoken in theBudget Debate, and also that his colleague, Mr W. D. Broadfoot, was prevented by the Speaker from uttering a word in Mrs Polson's defence when following Mr F. W. Schramm. The Speaker said that the paragraphs referred to constituted a prima facie case of breach of privilege, not only by the writer but also by the papers which published the statement, and he suggested that an appropriate course would be to refer the matter to the Standing Committee on Privileges. A motion by the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon M. J. Savage) that the matter be referred to the Privilege Committee was carried without dissent.