WHAT IS A TORY?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1219, 30 August 1911, Page 5

WHAT IS A TORY?

BREEZE IN THE HOUSE. PUBLIC WORKS FUNDS FOR PARTY: USES. A slip of the tongue by Mr. Massey led to fjuile a storm in the llouso of Representatives last night. The Leader of the Reform Parly said the. Prime Minister had hurled tho epithet of Tory across tho House. What was a, Tory? In his view, it was a man who used public funds for his privato purpose?, and used a public position for his own private advantages. If there wero any Tories in the Ilouso lio did not want them in tho Opposition party. There were plenty on the other side of the and ho desired that they should remain there, where they were at home. Amid some excitement, a number of Government members invited Mr. Masscy to bo more definite, and tho Hon. T. Mackenzie became so insistent that ho was called to order by, the Speaker. Mr. Laurenson's Indignation. Mr. G. I/uirenson (Lyttelton), speaking a littlo later, said ho would not havo risen to speak but for the extraordinary, wicked, aad traitorous statement made by tho'Leader of tho Opposition. Mr. Jas. Allen roso to ;i point of order. If this sort of thing wero to bo allowed ho did not know what Parliament was going to l)o degraded to.

The Speaker ruled that tho criticism was not out of order. He had a very high precedent to guide him in tho use of that word iu the Imperial Parliament. Mr. Laurensou resumed with the remark that any man who tried to drag down Parliament, not in a direct way, but by innuendo, was a traitor to his country and to tho greatest public institutions wo had. Tho Leader of the Opposition had said that men on the Government sido used public money for private ends. Either that statement was true or it was not true. If there was n spark of public honour in the lion, gentleman ho would supplement his chaTge by a direct statement. If tho statement were proved, ho did not care who tho guilty person was he would vote to turn him out of public life, and ho would guarantee that ho Epoko for Ji majority on his side of tho House. If tho lion, gentleman had nothing to back up his statement he ought to bo reprobated and held up to public indignation.

Concluding his speech after the suppor adjournment, Mr. Lauronson eaid ho lind 6pokcn with some lnat concerning a stateiuont mailo by Mr. Massoy. A friend had since to him that perhaps Mr. llii?sey had only rcade a mistake. Mr. Masscy: Don't apologise. I won't have it.

Mr. Laurenson: If ha says he made a mistake aud withdraws it, I shall have no more to say, but if h<j sticks to it, nnd t-ays he made no mistake in his innuondo, then thcro is only ono course for him, and tlr * is to na'mo his man, his date, and his charge, Mr. Masscy Explains, Mr. Masscy said the member for Lytlelton had taken advantage of a mistake to subject him to personal abuse. Ho now had in his hand his Hansard proof, unaltrml. This shoved that ho said a Tory according to his way of thinking was a man who used public funds for private purposes. A ;littlc later a member interjected, repeating the words, and ho (Mr. Massoy) then said '.'public funds for party purpoKs." That was what ho had meant, but Mr. Lauronson took advantage' of the slip to load him with (ho abus? of which he was the greatest master in tho House. What he was thinking of was: First, a statement made by the Minister for Public Works, in Tarmiaki, during thorecess; second, the way in which tho moneys appropriated by Parliament for advertising were used; and, third, the fact, that numbers of votes were put on tlic'Public Works Estimates at the request of private individuals, not members of Parliament or local bodk'o.

Mr. Laurenson said ho heard Mr, Masscy say that a Tory was a man who XLtcA pnblje funds for private purposes. Mr. Brown: Ho said it twice. Mr. Massey faid he was prepared to submit tho Hansard proof to the Speaker and let him judge.

"When Reporters Were Present." Mr. Herduian said that any gentleman would have accepted Mr. Maffoy's explanation, and would have recognised that he had merely made a slip of th? tongue. Could anything bo more unworthy than the action of a, member who deliberately and knowingly misrepresented a fellow member?" Mr. Laurcnson apparently considered the language of a. fishwife was the kind of oratory Jhat should distinguish tho House. Mr. lTcrdman then read from an Opunake paper a report of tho remarks by the Hon. K. M'Kenzio, as alluded to above by Mr. Massoy. The Minister was reported as saying, "If you belong to the stagnation party, you must go without your railway. . . . Ihoso who support us, I am with them.' Iho "Lyttelton Times" had said it could not conceive a Minister making such statements when reporters wero present. (Laughter.) Apparently, it would ho thought quite natural if no reporters wero there. Emphatic Contradiction, Tho Hon. R. M'Kenrie, Minister for Public Works, gave an emphatic contradiction to tho newspaper statement quoted by Mr. Herdmun, in regard to what ho had said at Opunake.. IS'o one who knew its authorship would pay much attention to it. Out of 1743,000 spent Inst year on railway work about .£550,000 was spent in Opposition electorates. These electorates also had their full share of 'public buildings and road works. He never gavo tho slightest consideration as to who represented a district if ho was satisfied (hat tho work was required, and no member of the Government had over come to him with any suggestion of tho kind. The Leader of the Opposition had said that money had been placed on the Estimates for private individuals. So far as he knew, not a single item had been put on tho Estimates at tho lequcst of private applicants.

Sir Joseph Wanl, speaking later, said be had been referred to as a Tory, but what of the gross libel circulated by tho Opposition before the last okefiou, 'when they called him a vilo Socialist? They appealed to tho country against him oil the ground that he was the kind of man who would play "old gooseberry" and break things. Mr. Mastey Quotes a Letter. Mr. Massey read a quantity of correspondence, including a letter from the Prime Minister to (he clerk of a road board in his (Mr. Massey's) district, slating, inter alia, that (ho amount was voted "as requested by you." This showed plainly enough that tho money had been voted at tho request of an individual. Ho hat! written to (ho Prime Minister asking for an explanation, but had not received any (reply. Tho Prime Minister: "1 will reply to it." Mr. Massjy said tho practice was most objectionable. He knew of other instances though ho had not tho correspondence in hand at the 'moment, Mr. Massey quoted the division list 'of last ■y«ir in tho vote upon the Government advertising boycott as further proving that the Government was determined to spend public money for party purposes. The Boycott. Sir Joseph Ward said ho dissented very much from Mr. Massey's suggestion that he had n right to writo to a Minister about representations made- by boiuo other individual, and asking for an explanation. Any man in tho country had a ]>erfect right to approach him. As to advertising, tho practice was to divide it between a Government and nn Opposition paper ill each town. This had been done iu Wellington. Mr. Wright: What about the Dauncvirloe "Evening News"? The Prime Minister: I don't know anything about that. I think that was the paper that reported that I had bought nn estate in Essex.

Mr. Moswy: It came from an English paper. Mr. Wrijrht saidi that formerly tlio two Dannovirke papers both supported the Government, and ljoth pot Iho advertising, 'llio "Xows" was bniifjlir by the Oppcsition, and lest the advertising. Did (ho Prime Minister think that was fair? Mr. C. Hall (Waipawa) said the "News" was regarded as a new paper, started for political purpeses. Ho had done nothiiiK to prcvei:t it gcttiiij; (ho advertisements. The Government had done quite right in the matter