CRUSHING REPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 220, 15 August 1928, Page 7

CRUSHING REPLY.

MEMBER’S INNUENDO,

WELLINGTON, Aug. 15,

A suggestion of party trickery was crushingly dealt with by the Prime Minister in tho House of Representatives yesterday. . Tlio Labour member for Auckland East, Mr J. A. Lee, gave notice of his intention to ask the Prime Minister whether he had noticed the inquiry held recently in Australia in respect to an alleged inducement being offered a candidate to vacate >a seat for another; and, whether, having regard to a statement made during the contest by a candidate at the Eden by-election in 1926 that she was offered .a considerable sum, he had considered holding a similar inquiry in New Zealand; and whether any official inducements were offered during the week-end to candidates in Roskill and Eden. Although the question was put in the form of a notice to be .answered later, the Prime Minister dealt with it thore and then. “I know of no inducement offered to any candidate in New Zealand,” he declared, with warmth. “I refute and deny any such suggestion. There is no occasion for me to reply further, more than to express regret that any member of the standing of the honourable member for Auckland East should ask a question in the form of innuendo which does discredit to himself and members of Parliament in New Zealand.”

The Prime Minister’s rejoinder was greeted with loud “Hear, nears.”