ON THE RACK."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 10

ON THE RACK."

imws)sn EROTEST.

HUMILIATING.''

qCEBELOW OF COMMIT TEE,

BEFD&AE TO ANSWER.

CBrTdegraidi.-—Parliamentary Reporter.) •- "WBIZjDfGTOiT, this day. The evidence .given. Iby Mr. Alexander Macintosh.' before the Privileges Committee of the House was - made public yesterday, when the report of the committee T?as laid 'before the House. Mr. Macintosh- refused to reveal -the nature of certain evidence, and refused to answer any tjuestions relating "to the source of •fie evidence upon'which'he had : form'ed' his oan<susions, aa expressed- in an addendum to the report of . the National Expenditure Commission. Asked "by Mr. H./E. Holland, Leader • of She- Labour party,, if he attempted to get* his addendum incorporated in the general report, Mr. Macintosh said he had not. He refused to give his interpretation ofi the term "making of inroads on the Treasury," which he had used (n his addendum. "My statement is there," said Mr. Macintosh, when pressed further by Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour, Napier). "I stand by that statement absolutely. I do not know what you are trying to get at, I am not going to interpret it." j "I Stick to It." Mir. Macintosh, you can give vg some evidence as to what -member® of Parliament have done?" asked the Chairman of the committee, Mr. S. G. Smith. Mr. Macintosh: No, it would be coming * very near to something I do not wish to say. I am very sorry about all atria. Nobody feels this more than I do. It amounts"to this: I was sent there as a member of the commission to do a certain duty, and I did that duty. Now I am called here and asked to take back whafc J-frmnri-gaid, ifc ia most jhuiniiliat-

fug. I won't bo humiliated. There it i& The Chairman: No member here wants to humiliate you. Mr. Macintosh: I say that is my view of it. It is humiliation. It is no use putting me on the rack like this. What I have Baid I have said, and I stick to it. I said it on most pronounced evidence. You can do what you like ■with me, but that is all I can say. The Prime Minister explained that all the committee wanted was to do justice. That was not unreasonable, and no man should feel humiliated. Mr. Macintosh: Well, I do. I was sent there to do a certain duty according to my conscience. Have I done wrong in doing that? Mr. Forbes: I have expressed our indebtedness to'members of the commission, and thanked them. "Never Again!" Mr. Macintosh: You won't get me at the task again—never, under any consideration. Mr. Forbes: It was a very difficult one. Mr, Macintosh: I actually damaged my eyesight over it. I. was continually looking into matters there for five solid months, and this is what I get: To be held here and crucified in this way. The You must not say that. . . . Mr. Macintosh: Well, I do say that, ;and I do' feel that, too, and being held up to ridicule in the House. It is a disgraceful thing, I think, to have this reward for doing my duty. When told by the Chairman that he could not. continue in that strain, Mr. Macintosh said that he was very sorry there should be an such fuss about it, but he had his own self-respect to consider.