Alleging Colour Bar, M.P. Raises Storm at Kaitaia

Northern Advocate, 15 November 1940, Page 2

Alleging Colour Bar, M.P. Raises Storm at Kaitaia

A LETTER FROM MR CHAS. W. BOSWELL, M.P., ADDRESSED TO THE CLERK OF THE MANGONUI COUNTY COUNCIL, AND PTSSED ON TO THE BODY WHOSE BUSINESS IT WAS TO DEAL WITH THE MATTERS REFERRED TO IN THE LETTER, CAME BEFORE A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MANGONUI CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE AT KAITAIA ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. Til his lei lev Mr Roswell said:

“On behalf of 1 lie TTon. W. E. Parry and myself. I wish to express keen disappointment that no representative of the Labour Party was invited to he present at. the complimentary dinner to the TTon. Mr -Parry at Kaitaia on 1 lie 18th List.

“The Labour-Party branch in Kaitaia is representative of a large and eminently worthy section of your citizens.

“Mr Parry is' Minister of Internal Affairs (the capacity in which lie was honoured) because he represents members of Parliament, like myself, who were elected mainly through the good offices of Labour Thirty members. “We feel that it is carrying party politics too far when our organisation is singled out. to be ignored while a Minister and members whom it elected are being honoured.

“At the dinner in the evening, many gentlemen not members of local bodies—were present who were flitter opponents of the Labour Party, yet T tailed to notice such a worthy, citizen as Mr A. K. llollay, who has done yeoman service for the district as secretary and chairman of the District High School Committee—a most valuable local body—who is secretary of the Rowling Club, a Justice of the Peace, and an active citizen generally. * & “Is he less worthy of respect than these others, or is he, as president of the local branch of the Labour Party, disqualified from inclusion at a function in honour of a Minister of a Labour Administration? “T regret the need of writing this lettr. but a sense of self-respect impels me to say that in future T shall be unable to recommend visiting Ministers of the Crown to accept the hospitality of any body which so patently places a slur on the organisation to which we both belong. ”

“Downright Insult.”

Mr C. J. Barriball, who, as chairman of the Centennial committee, presided, said the letter was a downright insult to any local body.

During the whole time he had been in local politics he had never taken party politics into consideration, and he had always been ready to help the Government irrespective of the party it represented. The Centennial had nothing whatever to do with politics.

Very short notice had been received of the visit of Mr Parry, and hurried, preparations had to be made. It was impossible to get anyone to do the catering so that all the guests coulcl be entertained at the same time in one building, and they had to be content with the limited accommodation of the hotel diningroom.

They would have liked to have had with them many people they were unable to provide space for, but distinctions as far as the Labour organisation, the National Party, or any other party was concerned never entered the minds of the committee.

There were many prominent local people who had no invitation, including doctors, bank managers and Mr Taafie, ex-chairman of the town board, who had done a lot for the town.

Puzzling Objection

“Why the Labour Party should take exception to their representative not being invited beats me,” said Mr Barriball, “and I take it very hard that we should get a letter like this from a member of Parliament.” Mr F. Holder said there ’was no deliberate intention of excluding Mr Hollay. They should all work together, and, personally, he would show the same courtesy to a Labour Minister as he would have shown to a National Minister.

He felt that a slur had been cast on the committee.

Mr Hollay, he knew, had been doing his best for the town, and had done splendid work on the school committee.

Mr W. Vickers: “It seems to me that it is Mr Boswell who is bringing party politics into the question when he holds a bludgeon over the committee and says he will not be able to recommend any Minister of the Crown to accept our further

hospitality. “It was the function of the Centennial committee to issue the invitations, and why one included in the invitations should take such a stand as Mr Boswell I can’t understand.

Regimentation

“It looks as if he is trying to regiment us, and hold the whip over us as though we were a lot of school children.

“A lot of other prominent citizens did not receive invitations, and the arguments used are childish. “The letter is not of the kind to be expected from a member of Parliament, or any broad-minded public man.

“I don't think wc should be whipped into line in that way.” Mr J. J. Berghan: “In determining who should be invited, Mr Hollay was not excluded for political reasons’. “The letter suggested that those present were members of the National Party, but there were quite a number there who were not members of that party. “In the last paragraph the question was raised of whether a local body was to have freedom of action.”

Absurd Suggestion

Mr Shaw said a number of men who were not on local bodies had put in a lot of time in connection with the Centennial and had done a lot of work.

The party politics suggestion was absurd, and he had never heard of such a thing either on the county council or the Centennial committee.

Mr L. J. Matthews said the Hon. Mr Parry was invited to Kaitaia to open the Centennial memorial and there was no question of party politics in the matter. The guests of the committee were willing helpers who had been working for 12 months or more to bring the memorial to successful finality. No committeeman was asked whether he was Nationalist or Labour, and all were elected by the people of the district.

Mr Hollay had not been nominated. Mr Parry and Mr Boswell had been invited as the representatives of the Government.

Treated Like Schoolboys,

There was no mention in the letter of the Centennial work done, but the local body had been dressed into line and treated like a lot of schoolboys. It was a case of “you don't know your job, and I’ll show you what you should have done.” After all the work done by local bodies, and spending a good deal of their own money in travelling, and then to get a letter like that! Mr G. Rickard said the Centennial committee had had great difficulty in getting accommodation, and had to split up the guests into two sittings, one for a mid-day lunch and the other for a dinner in the evening. The letter was absolutely uncalled for.

He happened to be one who was not a member of a local body. He had nothing against Mr Hollay, but he was not entitled to an invitation more than many other people. The number to be invited had been fixed and they could not go further. A reply should be sent to the letter, which showed discourtesy on the part of Mr Boswell, who should have made inquiries before writing in such a strain. He had committed a grave error. Mr Hoskin agreed with previous speakers, and Mr Lionel Thompson described the letter as most unfortunate. It was written, he said, without a knowledge of the true facts. Mr Hollay’s Repudiation. Mr Hollay, who was present, on being given permission to speak, said he would like the committee to understand that he had not prompted the letter in any way.' Had Mr Boswell made use of his opportunity for seeing Mr McKinnon personally, the whole matter would have been explained. “From the letter,” said Mr Hollay, “it might appear that I am a bombastic kind of man much impressed with my own importance, when, as a matter of fact, all know me to be rather retiring.”

He had spent part of the day with Mr Parry piloting him around the place and waited for him after the dinner to take him to another meeting. Mr Parry asked why he (Mr Hollay) had not been invited to the dinner, and was told that the dinner appeared to be for local bodies.

The Minister thought it strange that the school committee had not been classed as a local body and the chairman invited to the dinner, and appeared to be very much annoyed.

Nothing more was said, and the Minister left next morning. It was regrettable that Mr Boswell did not find out the true facts before writing his letter. “I had wondered, when I saw that people had been invited who were not members of any local body, but later,” said Mr Hollay, “I saw the position quite clearly.” His sympathies were with the organisers, who had had a very difficult job, and he woiud not like the committee to think that he felt any personal resentment. Mr Boswell would be the first to apologise when the facts are made known to him. Mr Vickers: While the explanation excuses Mr Hollay, it does not excuse Mr Boswell. On the motion of Mr Matthews, seconded by Mr Vickers, the secretary was instructed to send a suitable reply to Mr Boswell. A New Procedure.

When a communication was received advising the Mangonui County Council of the itinerary of the Minister for Education while in the North, the clerk. Mr McKinnon, said it appeared that the Minister was prepared to receive deputations that evening (Wednesday) at Kaitaia, but a new procedure had been adopted. It had been the practice in the past to arrange for these deputations through the local authority, but in this case the arrangements had been left in the hands of the leader of the Labour Party at Kaitaia.

A deputation was appointed to wait on the Minister with regard, to the payment of native rates, but while the deputation was waiting at the time appointed in the evening to meet the Minister, a telephone message informed them that Mr Mason would not be leaving Te Kao till 7 o’clock and could not reach Kaitaia till 9 o’clock. Messrs C. J. Barriball and L. J. Matthews, who were to meet the Minister on behalf of the county council, then left for their homes in the eastern part of the county, hoping to contact the Minister as he passed through Awanuf.