STORY OF DISSENSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1943, Page 3

STORY OF DISSENSION

MR LANGSTONE SPEAKS AT TE AWAMUTU REASONS FOR RESIGNING. BREAK WITH PRIME MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 12. An address on matters relating chiefly to his resignation of the position of High Commissioner in Canada was given by the Hon F. Langstone at Te Awamutu last night. He received a good hearing and a vote of confidence was carried. ' In reply to questions Mr Langstone said he would again stand fur Waimarino in the Labour interests, but he awaited the outcome of the next Labour conference.

Regarding the appointment of the Hon W. Nash to Washington, Mr Langstone said that a New Zealandborn Minister should have been selected. Both Mr Nash and the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) were from overseas, and he had longer experience with the Labour Party in the Dominion than either of them. He was not a job-seeker and had never asked for special privileges or to be sent anywhere on missions. He was always called a Left-winger and had never asked to be included in the Savage Cabinet, but Mr Savage selected him. Mr Langstone said he was an original advocate of a guaranteed price for dairy products and the stabilisation of prices of all goods. They would never obtain economic democracy until they got this. He advocated a guaranteed price, not only to increase the farmer’s income, but to safeguard money lent on farm property by the lending departments. WASHINGTON APPOINTMENT. He was never a position-seeker and did not want a lot of money, Mr Langstone said. What could an old bald-head like him do with it? But he did take the responsibility of office seriously. An appointment to Washington had been mooted in the Savage Cabinet, and Mr Fraser frequently asked if he would take it. Although he had no special qualifications, he believed he could help in representing New Zealand during the reconstruction and rehabilitation days to come when Washington would be the most important place in the world. He was sent to Washington on a mission with Mi- Coates, and Mr Fraser praised him like a white-haired boy for what he had done. He saved the Dominion many thousands of dollars in the purchase of a Legation property, and represented the Dominion at the International Labour Conference.

After all this Mr Fraser appointed Mr Nash to Washington with the one excuse that the deterioration in the Pacific war zone warranted the appointment of one who had been closely connected with the War Cabinet. That was all nonsense and poppycock. The actual reason was that a presentation was made to Mr Nash by Labour members in recognition of his able services when Acting Prime Minister and Mr Fraser was afraid of being superseded, so he sent Mr Nash away.

DAIRY PRODUCE PRICE. He held that Mr Nash was too grudging when fixing the price df dairy produce. Mr Nash could split coppers finer than Lord Rutherford split the mighty atom. Mr Langstone said he agitated for more generous treatment of farmers’ prices, and Mr Savage got hot under the collar and said that if he was not satisfied he knew what to do. He wished to resign, but Mr Fraser and Mr Semple pleaded with him to remain. Mr Savage offered him the position of Administrator of Samoa, but he refused. He was satisfied, however, that the good-will mission to Samoa by Mr O’Brien and himself had accomplished useful work. After the death of Mr Savage he wrote out his resignation because he objected to the Government’s financial policy and had opposed Mr Fraser in caucus meetings. He told Mr Fraser that he could say that he wanted to strengthen his Ministry, or what he liked.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE. Mr Fraser always wanted a National Government and no election; Mr Nash, on the other hand, opposed a National Government and wanted an election. Mr Langstone thought there were sufficient Labour men in the House to carry on without a National Government. He saw no outstanding ability in the Opposition —they enforced a slump which need never have happened if wisdom had been shown. New Zealanders did not do that kind of thing, the speaker continued, but it was done by men who came to the Labour movement from overseas. Mr Fraser had out-Ramsayed Ramsay. Mr Coates or Mr Hamilton would not do such a thing. He would not repeat before ladies vzhat he said to Mr Fraser when he got him alone in Canada. The job he had in Canada was a good one, representing £4OOO a year, Mr Langstone added, yet he gave it up for what he called despicable treatment by a colleague .for miserable means to an end. If he wanted dollars he could have remained in Canada. Asked whether the Labour Party had not gone down in the opinion of the working man, Mr thngstone said that since his arrival back in New Zealand he had heard that this was so, but the ballot box would show. He favoured closer relations by New Zealand and Australia with the United States and Canada.

Mr Langstone -was listened to by an audience of about 300. The chairman was Mr G. S. Steadman, a member, but not an official, of the Te Awamutu branch of the Labour Party.