WARM INTERLUDE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1926, Page 10

WARM INTERLUDE

PAYING PETITION COSTS

CHARGE AGAINST LABOUR PARTY

MONEY FROM ART UNION.

There was some excitement in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon when the member for Westland, Mr. T. E. Y. Seddon, charged the Labour Party with having run an art union on the West Coast for the payment of tho expenses of tho two Labour candidates who were involved in Election Court proceedings follow- : ing on the General Election. , When Mr. Seddon made his statement it was promptly denied by "the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) and Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central). "I question that statement now," said Mr. Fraser. "I am not used to having my statements questioned," replied Mr. Seddon with some heat. He said ho would produce the paper with the advertisement. Mr. E. J. Howard (Christehurch South) referred to the remark of the member for Westland concerning the art union as one of the most ungenerous things ho had ever heard. It was a very unkind remark in view of the fact that the Leader of the Opposition wag putting in a plea not only that his expenses should have been paid in the by-election, but also that his opponehts' expenses should have been paid also. The member for Lyttelton put in the same plea. Tho Prime Minister had said that his. kind friends inserted advertisements on his. behalf • during the election. It was possible that some "kind friend" of the Labour Party had done the same for them. Mr. Howard said he had searched the "Grey Kiver Argus" and ho could say unhesitatingly that there was no such advertisement as Mr. Seddon had described^ nor was it intended that any money in the fund should go towards paying the expenses of the appeals. Mr. Seddon: "You read tho advertisements you have got and I will read other ones." • Mr. Howard (reading): "Here it says •75 per cent, of the funds to go to Labour's campaign fund.' " Mr. Seddon: "Read the whole thing." Mr. Howard read the full advertisement, in which appeared the lino -ho had already quoted. , "Not a word to support tho allegation," observed Mr. Holland when Mr. Howard had ceased reading. Mr. Seddon said that what Mr. Howard had read was only one of many advertisements which had been running through the paper dealing with the art union. He would read two other advertisements, and he would leavo members to decide for themselves whether the statement he had made was made perfectly, bona fide. He proceeded to read an advertisement of Cth May, which stated, inter alia, that the object .of the art union was to help to raise funds to put Labour's ideal into practice, to assist in framing and enacting laws for the housing of itho homeless, etc., etc. On sth May appeared another advertisement, from which Mr. Seddon quoted, stressing the lino ; Gold nugget art union promoted ; by the North Canterbury Labour Eo--1 presentation Committee for the liquidation of' election debts. The speaker said that it had been widely stated on the West Coast that tho tickets were being sold for the purpose of paying for tho expense incurred in the two election petitions.. (Labour interruption.) Another lino in the advertisement said "75 per cent, of proceeds to New Zealand Labour Party campaign fund." Mr. Seddon said the point he wished to make was that tho advertisement'stated distinctly that .the object was tho liquidation of election debts. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) said he questioned Mr. Seddon's statement because he was familiar witli the administration of the funds of the Labour Party, and he knew that tho statement was incorrect. That was why he challenged it. '' Tho honourable gentleman said ho would provo it," said Mr/Fraser hotly. "Where is his proof? There is not one iota of proof, and I can say it is incorrect, absolutely, from my own personal knowledge. In addition, I should say that the honourable gentleman should be ashamed " Mr. Speaker: "Order." Mr. Fraser: "I withdraw that, Mr. Speaker, and I will say he should have hesitated before bringing in tho name of a | gentleman—(a reference to Mr. J. O'Brien, ex-member for Westland) — who won the respect of every member pi this House." Mr. Seddon: "I made no aspersions against that gentleman." "You were not very generous," interjected Mr. J. M fCombs (Lyttelton). Mr. Fraser said that so far as tie Westland or Lyttelton election petitions were concerned they had absolutely nothing to do with tho advertisement, the art union, or the campaign funds of the, Labour Party. He denied that the art. union was a National Labour Party art union, and pointed out that it was promoted by the North Canterbury Labour Repiesehtation Committee specifically for local purposes. The National Labour Party shouldered the full responsibility for the expenses of the petition. He believed the same thing would have been done by the Beform or any other party. He could not believe any party would decline to pay out of its funds tho petitioa expenses of a man who was unable Xo afford to pay such expenses himself.