Graffiti claim denied

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 6

Graffiti claim denied

PA Wellington The Opposition has denied writing insulting graffiti on pictures of two Maori Government members of Parliament in the Opposition lobby of Parliament House.

The graffiti was referred to by Mr W. R. Austin (Nat., Awarua) during the address-in-reply debate in Parliament last evening. Mr Austin said that someone had written “honorary white” and "another honorary white” beside pictures of himself and another Government member, Mr M. B. Couch (Wairarapa). Both members are Maoris. "It was not done by any member on this side of the House, we don’t work that | way,” said the Opposition |M.P. for Sydenham (Mr N. I J. Kirk). 1 He said that Opposition members had complained! ! privately last year about! “sick denotations” under (pictures of two Opposition [members in the Government [lobby, and they had been ‘ removed “without the matter being brought up in the 1 House like this.” i The poster Mr Austin com-

plained about was one published by the “Listener,” with pictures of all members of Parliament and a plan showing their seats in the House. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) said that he had checked with other Labour members, and none of them had seen the words Mr Austin complained about.

“If we had seen it, it would have been disposed of,” he said. Mr Rowling said that if the writing had been on the poster for some time, it was disturbing that Mr Austin had not raised it with him or the Opposition Whips earlier, and had waited until the Address-in-Reply debate to mention it. “As far as that kind of thing is concerned, it is no part of the political armoury of the Labour Party,” he said. Mr Rowling said that Par [liament had not sat for six [months, and members of the public had been in the lobbies during the recess. I “Anyone could have writIten it,” he said.