IDENTIFICATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 294, 12 December 1942, Page 7

IDENTIFICATION

PRISONERS' DEPUTATION

MINISTER'S STATEMENT

The Attorney-General, Mr. Mason, has replied at length to the letter written to him by Mr. F. A. de la Mare, of Hamilton, a copy of which was published in the Auckland Star, concerning the identification of certain prisoners who interviewed the Minister some time ago. Mr. Mason asked for the names of the persons so identified, and Mr. de la Mare in reply told the Minister that he (Mr. Mason) had access to the files and could readily obtain the information for himself. He suggested that the Minister's intention was to side-track the answer with personality. In his final reply Mr. Mason stated that his object in asking for the names was to save himself future labour. However, Mr. de la Mare's letter had recalled the incident. H e said that four false pretences men waited upon him and made certain complaints, and then wrote anonymously to the newspaper explaining that a deputation had waited upon the Minister, who, though listening courteously enough, had not shown himself as eager as he should have been to accept the views of the deputation. It was necessary that the public should understand that the representations came from men who all their lives had delighted in deception. Although he had not troubled to look up the files, he recollected Mr. de la Mare's intervention, and that he asserted as a fact that the Under-Secretary, with the Ministerial approval, had given information which definitely disclosed the identities of the men. It was within Mr. Mason's knowledge that no detriment could come to the men from what was done. Otherwise he would not have permitted publication. The Minister continues: "You say. 'If the guesses or the deductions of myself or others are false, as many are bound to be, the letter you approved in 1936 is in still worse case, an interesting and instructive fact of which you are apparently oblivious.' If you or any other made a wrong guess or deduction you simply guessed or deduced that -a certain discharged prisoner waited upon»the Minister, made certain representations and wrote anonymously to the newspaper when in fact he did not. What harm happened to that discharged prisoner by your mistakenly attributing to him the actions mentioned? Do you or does anyone hold 1 u a & a i nst a man that he waits on the Minister or writes anonymously to the newspaper in the praiseworthy cause of correcting the administration? If not, then no harm has happened to this man. I mention the foregoing because it is my duty to furnish you with the means of correcting your mistaken view if you care to use those means. However your letter indicates the falsity of your statement that identity was disclosed."