RADIO CHALLENGE

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20995, 23 December 1939, Page 10

RADIO CHALLENGE

NO REPLY RECEIVED REQUEST TO GOVERNMENT (By Teleippapn. —Press Association) WELLINGTON, Friday "It would appear that Mr Scrimgeour has no intention of according me even the courtesy of a curt acknowledgement to my acceptance of his challenge and my subsequent letters to him,” said Mr J. J. Maher in a statement to-day. “It would appear as well that Mr Scrimgeour’s utterances have been made with the full approval of the Government, and I would therefore suggest the Government should now state whether it approves of the action of its spokesman in issuing challenges and then failing to face up to them. “It would appear, however, that Mr Scrimgeour is living up to the highest traditions of the Labour Party, who have always been champions at evading the issue. “I feel, however, as a humble working farmer, that I should warn the Government that, if it desires to preserve the respect of decent sections of the community, it should shape its conduct more in keeping with the standards of honour to which we have been used in New Zealand. If it permits violent, loose, Inaccurate and irresponsible statements to be made by a Government official over the air such conduct can result only in the Ministry coming to be held in contempt. “Further, how can we New Zealanders, who have hitherto been used to fair play, respect a Government * which allows one side, and one side only, to be put over the air.”