POLITICAL TRUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 117, 20 May 1941, Page 5

POLITICAL TRUCE

MEETINGS NOT REPORTED

At his own request, on the ground .jthat a political truce had been agreed [upon before the Prime Minister left for Britain, meetings addressed at Temuka . and Geraldine by Mr. W. J. Broadfoot, National Party M.P. for Waitomo, were not reported. Mr. Broadfoot declared that as the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland!) had refused to become a member of the War Cabinet, the Prime Minister had asked him if, during his absence in Britain, the National Party would agree to a truce and not address public meetings. "For this reason," he told a reporter, "I do not wish this meeting to be reported. When the arrangement was made it was agreed that meetings of supporters and friends would be permitted as long as nothing of a provocative nature was published.. We, the National Party, have kept our side of the bargain, but the agreement has been broken by the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordrneyer), who has threatened the medical fraternity, and also by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr. Sullivan), who insulted the Auckland Chamber of Commerce because it condemned unjust clauses of the Industrial Efficiency Act. The Minister said that the statement of the chamber was 'irresponsible,' . 'a hymn of hate, 5 'a tornado of expletives.' "In spite of these violations of the agreement," said Mr. Broadfoot, "we mean to honour our word, and whatever the Labour Party do to break theirs will only make for their own undoing."