Munro Admits He Said It!

Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 November 1935, Page 7

Munro Admits He Said It!

Headings “created a

PSYCHOLOGY”

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNE DUS’, Last Night. Mr. J. W. Munro made hit reply last night to what he described as “a last-minute frame-up” by the Otago Daily Times. He complained that the headings used in Friday’s Times “created a psychology” for the reading of the report. That was the burden of his complaint, since he went on to say: “I do not find much fault with the rest of it as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough.” Mr. Munro made no reference whatever to “deliberate and unscrupulous misquotation,” of which he complained in his published disclaimer.

The only point questioned by Air. Munro was in connection with the reference to sniasning things. Air. Munro claimed that he did not say tne Labour Party would smash things. It was then pointed out to him that that statement was not made in the report, which stated: “If wo don’t get a mandate then the only thing to do will be to go out and smash things.” Mr. Munro did not deny making this statement, but alleged that what he said was that “the people would go out and smash things. ” The Otago Daily Times, in a special article clearing itself from the imputation of misquotation, says: “There is a full and conclusive ansiver. ”

"Our confidence m the accuracy ot the report," continues the article, "has been confirmed by evidence from a source from which the Labour Party might little expect us to receive support. Mr. Munro has himself acknowledged the.accuracy ot our report. Prior to his aduress, in which ho took exception only to the headings, and said he could not find much fault with the lest of .the report, Mr. Munro had admitted the accuracy of our report. Me visited the Times office on Buntlay night and in reply to a challengie to establish his charge against the report he was taken passage by passage through the report and had to admit its accuracy. He did not, however, think fit to withdraw the statement which he had submitted for publication asserting that the report was a distortion of what he had said. It is perfectly clear that ‘ the last-minute fi'krnetip’ is a figment of the Labour Party's imagination.'’