Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, MARCH 25th, 1922. A REGRETTABLE SPEECH.

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 March 1922, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, MARCH 25th, 1922. A REGRETTABLE SPEECH.

Lx the belief that sente explanation might be furthcoming from the author, we withheld comment on the speech delivered by .Bishop Liston at Auckland. No such explanation has been .made, however, and the correctness of the report has not been denied. It must be assumed, therefore, that the Bishop was not carried away unwittingly by his feelings on the Irish question, hut that the speech was made deliberately and after due consideration. That being so, it can only be described as most regrettable. The country-wide protests made by public men, public bodies, and thc Press prove that opinion-to be held practically throughout the .Dominion. Ihe stron<dv-worded statement by the Mayor ‘of Auckland (Mr Gunson) has received widespread support, and the Auckland Hibernian Societies have been ihe only bodies publicly to support the Bishop. Dr Liston’s reply io Mr Gunson, who wrote asking whet her the speech had been correctly reported, seems to be a mere quibble. The publication of Mr Gunson’s statement did not debar in any way a correction by the Bishop, if he had been incorrectly reported. During his remarks, Dr Liston declared that he was a native of New Zealand and loved his country. If an attempt to promote ihe disruption of the Empire and the fostering' of shite in New Zealand is love, then the country would be better off A unloved by such as Dr Liston. His whole speech was tinged with bitterness, ami belied the. statement that “in order their dream about. Ireland might come true, they could forgive. Perhaps the Bishop s remark which has caused .most leein- was that concerning the IJlb rebellion. He apparently forgets that the troops whom he describes , as “foreign murderers” included New Zealanders of every religion. Mr Gunson aptly characterised the i speech as “a studied insult to tho citizenship of the Empire winch f New Zealand is proud to belon*. ( Dr Liston and others who hold ! similar views are strong 1 hindering the realisation of HiAi j aspirations. ‘