MR SEMPLE AND MRS STONE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22478, 12 August 1938, Page 11

MR SEMPLE AND MRS STONE

ANOTHER LETTER TO THE MINISTER INVITATION TO REPEAT WORDS ON PUBLIC PLATFORM (PKM* ASSOCIATION HLI6UIU WELLINGTON. August 11. Following the reply by the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R- Semple* in which he said that he wax unable to waive his Parliamentary privilege to allow her to issue a libel suit concerning the words used by him in the House of Representatives on Thursday. July 28. Mrs E. L. Stone, in a further letter to Mr Semple, suggests that he repeat the words complained of on the public platform, and also offer* to pay any damages awarded to the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. The text of the letter follows:

"I have consulted a lawyer, as suggested by you. He tells me that there is nothing to prevent your agreeing to waive your Parliamentary privilege in a suit for slander. He also say* that if you find any difficulty about that, all you need to do is to repeal the words complained of on a public platform. , . .. "From your place ol shelter m the House, you bravely said you would repeat them on every platform in New Zealand. Since you returned to Wellington you have spoker- at Kgaio and Hutt, without doing so. and last night you refused to answer a question relating to the matter. “Although you have thus run away from both your promise and your charge, you now make matters wore* by refusing to apologise, and by seeking to justify your attack. Surely yeu can plead ‘justification’ in a court or Jaw if you really feel you were justified Are you afraid of the Court» decision? Or is it that you do not want me to have any money from you Will it help you if I agree to pay any damages awarded against you to the Society for the Protection of Women and Children? . “Justification for what I said is contained in a book on Socialism, with a preface by A. J. Balfour, which cites as authorities Robert Blatchford, Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Mrs Snowden. and others. All I did was to quote what those people have JgW about the marriage tie under Soeialism. That is my justification: tort apparently you are not prepared .to let anv Court adjudicate on the justification for your attack on roe.** .