WAITANGI CELEBRATIONS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4527, 5 April 1934, Page 5

WAITANGI CELEBRATIONS

RUMOURS GIVEN A DENIAL. "It is absolutely false and a pure fabrication that the Unemployment Board paid any train or boat fares for Maoris to go to Waitangi," Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., said yesterday at New Plymouth, when the public challenge of Mr. S. Flood to him on the point issued at the Urenui camp nublic protest meeting was referred to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith said that in view of the statements at the public meeting he had again made inquiries at Wellington and had ascertained the rumours were a pure fabrication. No such payment had ever been made by the board or out of the fund. What Mr. Flood had said was: The sum of £450 had been paid into the pockets of the Union Steam Ship Company and the Railway Department by the board out of the Unemployment Fund towards the travelling expenses of South Island Maoris to the Waitangi celebrations. Mr. Smith had denied this, and he publicly challenged him on the point. The Wellington Evening Post had criticised this expenditure editorially.