ATTACK ON LEADER

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 310, 25 September 1943, Page 6

ATTACK ON LEADER

Reply By Fanners’ Union

Executive Member

“It is to be regretted that the Prime Minister should have made such an unjustified attack on Mr. W. Mulholland, said Mr. .1. R. Lloyd Hammond, a member of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, in a statement yesterday. “The suggestion that Air. Mulholland is trying to sabotage attempts at helping returned servicemen is not only unfair, but is as completely without foundation as is the suggestion that tillFarmers' Union alternatives were put forward without conviction. I can speak with authority on this because 1 was a member of Hie deputation. In Ihe Dominion’ of August 21, the Prime Minister is reported as saying that ‘members of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union had waited ou him that morning and put forward certain suggestions which appeared to him to be drastic and revolutionary. The executive had been reasonable and was not attempting to be dogmatic, and said its proposals were the best it could produce at the moment.’ Evidently Mr. Fraser considers alternatives to lie put forward with conviction only when they are put forward as the miners put them to hin). Mr; Mulholland simply suggests that members of the union should not subscribe to an Act. which is foreign to principles of British law. There is nothing in the Act to settle one. ex-service-, man. so there can be no question of sabotage. It is interesting to compare Mr. Fraser’s present attitude with his previous one as quoted above. At that time the union was ‘reasonable.’ Now it appears that it was ‘without conviction.’ If Mr. Fraser really desires co-operation from the farming community he will, get it, .but his present attitude seems to indicate that he does not want it.”