YARDSTICK APPLIED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 157, 6 July 1939, Page 5

YARDSTICK APPLIED.

AN AMUSING INTERLUDE. (JOVERXOR-fiEXERAL'S SPEECH. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLIXOTOX, this day. Putting the rule over the (lovernor(ipiifral's speech provided the I/erxler of tlie Ol>pofition, Mi-. Hair.iltoii, with an aniusin" interlude during his Address-in-Rei>ly contribution in the House «>f Kepi-c-entativc's last He had tak-.-u the trouble to meflsiire the inches taken up in the document and tliey came to alxuit r>o. He said his Excellency himself took up about five iiu-he* to ineke kindly reference!* to Ins own relations withXew Zealand and Jiis trip to the Islands. What everyone looked for in the speech was the policy of the Government, and here was seen 4o inches of pure propaganda. It was what the Government thought the people should know, not what they really ought to know, but just some pleasant wording , .

How was the Government going 'o handle the present embarrassing situation •'. asked Mr. Hamilton. The speech said nothing about that question.

'•rf I knew anything at Trentham to-morrow with a pedigree half as long as that," retorted the Prime Minister. Mr. Savage, holding up a copy of the speech, "1 would put the Consolidated Fund on it."

There was hearty laujrhter from all sides and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, interjected: "Back it both ways." "You could have put a lot more in," suggested the Lender of the Opposition, who was told by Mr. Savage that it was good measure.