"BEYOND ME."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1940, Page 8

"BEYOND ME."

SAYS MR. SAVAGE. MR. LEE CRITICISED. "BEGINNING TO QUIBBLE." AFTER APOLOGY MADE. (By Telegraph.—l'ress Association.) WELLINGTON*, this day. "It seems as if Mr. Lee is beginning to quibble already " said the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, tlii* morning in commenting on the fact that Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., who was recently censured by the National Executive of the Labour party for views expressed in an article published in "To-morrow," had denied certain comment contained in a statement published yesterday. "I am not in. a position to say what promises Mr. Lee made to the National Executive as I was not present," said Mr. Savage. '"I am informed, however, that he-did promise to be loyal to the conference and the National Executive's decision, and I understand he claimed that at the same time he had always been loyal to such decisions, but if Mr. Lee has always been loyal t> the spirit and letter of the conference and executive decisions, why was it necessary for the National Executive to carry the resolution which has since been published condemning his action? "It is beyond me to understand a member of a party who tries to destroy the selected leader of that fiarty as a political force and who will go so far as to attack that leader during his illness, and who, after apologising for his action, will commence again to question tho rejwt of the position issued 011 behalf of the National Executive."