SUGGESTION RESENTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 232, 1 October 1930, Page 9

SUGGESTION RESENTED.

DEFENCE OF DOMINION.

MINISTER REBUKES MEMBER.

TENSE MOMENTS IN HOUSE. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Tliere were some tense moments in the House this afternoon "when, smarting under the jibes of the Reform member for Thames (Mr. A. M. Samuel), the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, Minister of Defence, feelingly spoke of the personal losses the war had inflicted 011 him, and stoutly denied that 'he liad ever expressed himself as being opposed to the defcnce of his country. An outburst of applause from the Government benches greeted the Minister's statements. Mr. Samuel had been referring to the mucli-discussed contract for the supply of small arms ammunition, when he was interrupted by laughter from Government members. "The silent members of the Government laugh, and that is all they can do," lie said. "The Minister of Defence and the Minister of Health were the only members of the Government who spoke in disparaging terms of the contract of 1924. We realise that both 'of them are absolutely against the defence of their country." "That is pure bunkum," retorted the Hon. A. J. Stalhvorthy, Minister of Health. Personal Losses. "The member for Thames is one of those who dare to say I am against the defence of my country," said the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, when opportunity for reply presented itself. "I am not against the defence of my country. (Hear, hear.) I want to say there is 110 member of this House who lias suffered more than I have. One of my sons is lying dead and another Tying wounded as , a result of the war, while some people who talk about defence matters were hiding themselves a long way from the front during the war. No member ,of this House lias the right to refer to my actions in connection with 'the defence of New Zealand. I have never before heard this sort of thing raised in the House, and I am sorry that the House should have descended to it." (Applause.) "Question of Decency." Mr. F. Waite (Reform, Clutha) said he regretted the Minister had shown feeling in the matter. "After all, we all lost relatives in the war. After all " Voices: Get back to the Estimates! Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour, Napier): Play the game! "Yes, there is a question of playing the game," said Mr. Waite. Mr. Barnayd: And also a question of decency. The Chairman of Committees (Mr. W. A. Bodkin) said that the discussion was getting out of hand and asked Mr. Waite to confine his remarks directly to the Estimates. The subject was returned to later by Mr. Samuel, who said he was sorry if he had hurt the Minister's feelings, but all he had said was that he and the Minister of .Health w ere against defence. "I said nothing about the last war," the member added. "I have no knowledge of what relatives the Minister had at the war or had killed in the war, but he is in no more peculiar posi- . tion in that regard than other people. "The Minister said something about someone being behind the line/' Mr. Samuel continued. "Did he- mean anyone in particular? Cheers came from the Minister's own party when he said it, and I want to remind the House of the attack that was made on me once before in this connection, and I wa'nt to know what the Minister meant " "Does the cap fit?" inquired the Hon. S. G. Smith, Minister of Labour. "Mentioned in Dispatches." Mr. Samuel said there were six boys in his family. Four went to the Boer War and five to the last war, and every one of them did his duty. "I have nothing to hide," he added. "I was in command of a 'regiment, and I carried out my duties according to orders, and so far as being behind the line is concerned, I commanded my regiment for the last six weeks during the evacuation of Gallipoli. I was also mentioned in dispatches for work done 011 the peninsula. The Minister of Education smiles sneeringly as usual. I would not have brought this matter under the notice of the House if the Minister of Defence had not said something about some members bei'ng behind the line. I was not one of them 5 peihapb some of his own members were." The intervention of the chairman prevented further discussion 011 the point.