The Press Wednesday, August 7, 1929. The Prime Minister and Mr Downie Stewart.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19691, 7 August 1929, Page 10

The Press Wednesday, August 7, 1929. The Prime Minister and Mr Downie Stewart.

It would be pleasant to be able to say that with the Prime Minister's statement on the London loan transactions everything ends happily for everybody. After all a Prime Minister is a Prime Minister, and no one wishes to see him acting unworthily or placed in a position damaging to his prestige and dignity. If we could say that Sir Joseph Ward comes well out of this very unpleasant incident, we should nay it, and be glad to be able to say it. If we could even say that he has behaved well at the eleventh hour it would be a relief to say as much as that. But the fact is that none of these things can be .said. The incident from beginning to end is exceedingly discreditable to him, and we are not sure that the worst feature of all is not the grudging and apologetic tone of the admission of error that was at last extracted from him yesterday. It is unnecessary to re-tell the story, and superfluous after Mr Downie Stewart's own comments to make a critical examination of the Prime Minister's defence. It may indeed appear to many people that to criticise the Prime Minister further after the very severe castigation administered by Mr Stewart is carrying retribution too far. But although the incident can now be forgotten, it is not easy to forget it, or to forgive the Prime Minister his part in it. He must have Known for some time, certainly for f'ays, and most people will suppose for weeks, that his charge could not be substantiated. He could in fact have believed that hia charge wan true in the first place only if be examined the existing document* carelessly or without much understanding. It is difficult to suppose that he went on believing that he was right after the very earnest and complete denial made by Mr Stewart, and twice repeated. The public should accept his statement that he had " mistakenly concluded " that the facts were as he originally announced, but they eannot be expected to regard either the mistake or the conelusion as natural or excusable, or hia manner of admitting it as worthy of ; his high office and long experience of I political controversy.