PRIVILEGE BREACH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21881, 17 August 1934, Page 13

PRIVILEGE BREACH

NO FURTHER ACTION ALLEGATION OF CORRUPTION REPORT OF WOMAN'S SPEECH CLEARER LAW DESIRABLE * [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday While finding that breaches of privilege had been committed, the Select Committee which investigated the circumstances of a report in th-j Hawke's Bay Herald, alleging graft and corruption on the part of the Government, recommended to the House of Representatives to-day that no further actiqp be taken, and the House adopted the committee's report. «> Exception was taken to part of the report of an address delivered by Miss G. Hamilton Fraser and published in the Hawke's Bay Herald on July 25. It read as follows: —"Politics was approaching the stage where a scientific control was needed to replace cofitrol by people who were characterised by administrative ignorance. The Government's history was a history of incompetence, of graft and of corruption, and of commissions appointed to do the work which Parliament had not the brains to do. Honour was sacrificed for political advantage. The country was bankrupt financially and pretty well bankrupt mofally."

Regret at Publication The Committee of Privilege reported that Mr. W. A. Whitlcck, editor of the Hawke's Bay Herald, had expressed regret that the offending words had found a place in the report and assured the committee that neither be nor any member of his staff had any intention of being party to an attack upon the characters of members of the Legislature, the breach of privilege being so far as its publication in the newspaper was concerned entirely ijiad. vortent. The committee was of opinion that a breach of privilege was committed, but in view of Mr. Whitlock'a explanation and expression of regret, it recommended that no further action be taken in respect of Air. Whitlock «r tho publisher or printer of the paper. The committee also reported that Miss Fraser had been asked for an explanation by letter, and subsequently appeared before the committee. Haying carefully considered her written and spoken explanation, the committee was of opinion (a) that a breach of privilege had been committed; (B), that no evidence was produced to substantiate or in any way justify the charge of graft and corruption; (c); that Miss Fraser was an irresponsible person; (d) that in the circumstances no further action should be taken. The committee expressed the opinion that the law relating to Parliamentary, privilege in New Zealand should ha more clearly defined by Statute.

Miss Fraser's Explanation Mi-. S. G. Smith, chairman of the committee, said che only evidence Miss Fraser could produce to substantiate her charge of graft and corruption against the Government was to quot4 the addendum made by Mr. A. Mao* in tosh to the report of the National Expenditure Commission, in which ib was stated that sound administr'aS tive principles had often been subordi* nated to pressure exerted under tho influence of both local and general politics. Miss Fraser had said she was prepared to give figures in support o$ her charge, and then referred to ths statement that to mako the, super an* nuation funds actually sound a suM of £23,000,000 had to be found. S6s wanted to know what the Government had done with that £23,000,00Qii (Laughter.) "It was most difficult to get MisS Fraser to settle down," said Mr. SmithS "She twittered from bough to bough| She claimed to be an educated pe»jj son and said she had attended lecturtg ao Auckland University College." Mr. P. Fraser (Labour —Wellington Central) said the comtoitte had had quite a hopeless task with Miss Fraserv who had gone away fully, convinced that the House and the Government were corrupt, and still believing thafc someone had "got away" with £23,000,000. He thought it just as well to put the telescope to the blind eye in regard to a good number of smelt cases. Bolshevism or Hitlerism Mr. W. P. Endean Parnell) said the democratic common* wealth of the British Empire was opes to trial and they were faced with two alternatives, either Bolshevism 05 Hitlerism. ,V Mr. Frasgr: Notr from Miss Fraser. Mr. Endean said that of all the wit; nesses he had cross-examined Missi Fraser was the most difficult. He did not think too much publicity had been given to the case. Charges of graft} and corruption were surely most serious* Mr. Atmore said he was not sui> prised that misconceptions arose in the minds of the public as a result of the National Expenditure Commission's report. He believed all parties should be bound to publish all receipts fom party funds. The report was tabled.