TWO MEMBERS WITHDRAW

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25226, 3 July 1947, Page 6

TWO MEMBERS WITHDRAW

MR SPEAKER OBJECTS TO REMARKS INTERJECTIONS ABOUT COMMUNISM (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. July 2. Both the Minister of Finance (Mr W. Nash) and Mr C. G. Harker (Opposition, Hawke’s Bay) had to withdraw remarks they made in the Ad-dress-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives this evening. Mr Nash, answering references by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) to Communism, said Mr Holland knew, as he knew, that the Communist philosophy was the very antithesis of this Government’s philosophy. While he was net concerned in any way with Soviet Russia, he would say that the way of dictatorship was completely anathema to this Government, which had never advocated any method other than that of persuasion in seeking to have its policies accepted, whereas Communism believed in the use of forceful means. Mr Harker: The Minister is well acquainted with their literature. Mr Nash: No. I have not read any of it for years. Perhaps the honourable member knows more of it than I do. i Mr Harker: I never imported it, and

I never read it when the Minister imported it. In further exchanges Mr Nash referred to Mr Harker’s interjections as being an example of the Opposition “toughness.” The interjections were unfair and underhand. Mr Harker: It was underhand, and the Minister was rightly punished for it. Mr Nash reported that Mr Harker’s insinuation was a nasty insinuation, and when the Minister made further comments Mr Harker said: “That is contrary to the truth.” A point of order was then raised, and at the request of Mr Speaker Both Mr Nash and Mr Harker withdrew the references, which were deemed to be unparliamentary.