FURTHER ATTACK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22657, 19 February 1937, Page 10

FURTHER ATTACK

ME. SEMPLE'S TOUR ABSENT SOUTHLAND MEMBERS MINISTER STILL DISSATISFIED A REPLY TO MR. HARGEST [by TKLF.GRAPH —I'll ESS association] QUEENSTOWN, Thursday A reply to tho statements made by the Leader of the Opposition, tho Hon. Adam Hamilton, and Mr. J. Hargest, member for Awarua, following his criticism of their absence from their electorates during his visit, was made to-day by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple. " Mr. Hamilton was advised on January 19 that I was making a tour of Southland, arriving at Invercargill on approximately February 12," said Mr. Semple, "and was asked to advise early what business he wished transacted. On February 2, a fortnight later, no reply had been received and tho reminder was sent to Mr. Hamilton, when he advised that he would like mo to visit Otautau, if not also Tuatapere. On February 5 I advised Mr. Hamilton that I would extend my tour and make the whole of Tuesday, February 16, available in his district. My first intention was to meet .ill deputations in Invercargill, and it was purely on Mr. Hamilton's representations that ] visited his district and that 1' changed my itinerary. Ineffective Defence " Mr. Hamilton's excuse is that the date of tho meeting ho attended had been fixed three months beforehand. He must, therefore, have known when lie requested me to visit his district that he would be absent when I arrived, and I naturally expected after changing my itinerary to suit Mr. Hamilton that he would be present during my visit. Mr. Hamilton's reply to my statement was an ineffective attempt to defend himself, but, be it said to his credit, it was not couched in objectionable language. " Mr. Hargest refers to mo as the political mountebank of tho Government, and accuses mo of going up and down this country abusing the Opposition," the Minister continued. " My reply to that falsehood is that I have never addressed a, public meeting in New Zealand since the election, with the exception of two meetings at the Manukau by-election. It was not until I arrived in Invercargill that I made any reference to the Opposition since tho by-election. Resentment at Statement "Tho first thing that prompted me to say one -word against the Leader of the Opposition was when I read his public statement in Invercargill that tho people who voted for the Labour Government were irresponsible people who believed in mob rule," Mr. Semple said. "I would not have been human if I had not said something in their defence. "1 took strong exception, too, to Mr. Hargest's scuttling from his constituency to a meeting in Wellington to j consider ways and means of defeating the present Government, and on his own statement sending a wire to Mr. W. M. C. Denham, M.P., a supporter of the present Government, to do the work while he was busy undermining ! that member, along with other members \ of the Government from whom he had i asked this favour. If I was guilty of j such conduct, Mr. Hargest would not j only be entitled to refer to me as a j mountebank, but he would certainly bo j entitled to say that I possessed the j conscience of a political impostor." I _______