"OUTCAST SCUM."

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14822, 13 November 1913, Page 10

"OUTCAST SCUM."

MR E. TREGEAR'S SPEECH,

'COMMENT IN PAR_IAMENT.

INDIGNANT REFERENCES

(bpeciai; to "the press.") WELLINGTON, November 12. Considerable .interest was evinced last week in,a report*bf.a.speech made by Mr E. Tregear, J .P., in which he made certain references te special constables. In N the House" of Representatives this afterhdon.. Mr. Okey (Taranaki)' asked the •' Government:-"(!) Whether their attention.has been drawn..to a,'statement saidto have Been made, by Mr E. Tregear at th© women's meeting held on Wednesday, the sth inst., referring . to.the farmers and their sons who have come to this town for tho purpose of assisting in tbo.shipment of their pro- • duce, as tho "outcast scum of the country brought" down to bludgeon citizens, ~ into submission to the Government?" "(2) Whether this is E. Tregear, J.P., on whom, the• Imperial Service Order has been conferred,,and if the facts are as. alleged, will the Government take the": necessary steps to bring his action before tlie representative of his Majesty in-the/Dominion?.".

In reply, the Hon, W. F. Massey (Primo Minister) said::—"Mr Tregear denies .the accuracy of the report of his speech as if appears in the newspapers, but tho Government is still in communication with him on the subject." The explanation made to the Press by Mr Tregear was that he had been misrepresented. He ■ claimed to have said hot "outcast scum" but "the outcasts come from tho country," etc.

- To-day Mr Pearco gave notice to ask whether the Government would take the proper steps to remove the name of Mr .Tregear from the list of justices of the peace of the country. ; THE "SPECIALS" DEFENDED. When questions were being discussed this afternoon tho farming members of the Chamber took very, strong exception te tho terms said te have been used by. Mr Tregear. : Mr Webb was somewhat instrumental in adding to tho' heat by persistent and objectionable interjections, and by-a defence of Mr Tregear. He supported Mr Tregear's point of view, and held that his explanation was correct. Members of Parliament, he said, should not ask such questions until they knew whether the words used wore correct. ' .

Mr Okey said that'he took strong exception to suph reflections on the special constables as had been cast upon them by a "man who hold the Imperial Service Order; who was a justice of the peace, and was drawing a pension from the State. Ho (Mr Okey) had a right to ask the question when such language was used by ono in Mr Tregear's position. He believed that the statement had been made as reported at the timo in two or three newspapers; he did not believe that two or three reporters would make the same mistake. He was glad that the Government was making further enquiries into the matter. >He pointed out that it was two days after the first report appeared before Mr Tregear made the correction, and he did it then only. because tho question was asked in the House. A "POLITICAL SKUNK." "And I intend to say a few words about this-thing," said Mr Nosworthy. "I believe that that original statement was made, and that _he did not make the contradiction until the question was asked in the House." It was a disgraceful thing,' Mr Nosworthy added, that. any man .who had been in the Civil Servico of" the country," who was drawing a pension from the country, ■andwho had r been honoured by his Majesty with tho Imperial Service Order, should make such statements about the farmers of this country. It was' a _ very sad thing, indeed, and in .his "opinion a man who did so was nothing' better than "a political skunk."' • • . - ■•

'Mr W'ilkinson also strongly defended the integrity of the farmers, and protested against them being maligned by being called bushrangers and scum. Mr Webb: Quite true, too. Mr Wilkinson: It's not.

Mr Webbi It is; we can prove it. : Mr Wilkinson repudiated the suggestion, and said members, ought to be ashamed to use such terms.