ANOTHER CLASH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22896, 26 November 1937, Page 13

ANOTHER CLASH

REMAIiK BY MB. POISON

PRIME MINISTER'S PROTEST SPEAKER UPHOLDS CHAIRMAN [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Thursday An accusation by Mr. AY. J. Poison (Opposition—Stratford) that the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. W. Nash, was "deliberately concealing" certain information resulted in a further political clash in the House of Representatives to-night. The incident arose while the House was discussing the Estimates of the Dairy Industry Account. Referring to an item of £2OO to cover the expenses of the special committee set up to advise the Government on guaranteed prices, Mr. Poison said the farmer's money was being used, but the farmer had not been told what recommendation the committee had made. The Minister had been reluctant to release the information, and had deliberately concealed those reports.

Mr. Savage's Objection Rising to a point of order, the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, asked whether Mr. Poison was entitled to say that tho Minister was deliberately concealing reports. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Opposition—Hurunui): That is not unparliamentary. The Prime Minister: I object to that. It seems to mo to be someone's duty to see that Ministers are not insulted and that is what this amounts to. The Chairman of Committees, Mr. E. J. Howard, said the ruling he had laid down previously was that in such circumstances if a Minister or a member was referred to in language not unparliamentary, although not quite nice, the chair would not intervene if objection was not raised by the member concerned. "If the Minister objects to the statement I will ask tho hon. gentleman to ■withdraw," added the chairman. The Minister did not raise any objection. Call for the Speaker

"I am not satisfied," declared the Prime Minister. "I beg to move, Mr. Chairman, that you do report progress for the purpose of taking Mr. Speaker's ruling. This is not good enough." Tho motion was challeneed by the Opposition and on a division was carried by 39 votes to 17. When the Speaker arrived Mr. Howard explained the circumstances. "If the Chairman's ruling must be accepted," said the Prime Minister, "it seems to me that we are going to get into difficulties. Tt is a question whether or not offensive terms have been used. The member or Minister about whom the words are used may not wish to take exception to them, but in the interests of the whole House 1 think it is the duty of the chairman or the Speaker to see that offensive terms are not used." Mr. Nash's Attitude In the discussion that ensued Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition—Waitomo) contended that the expression had been "deliberately held back." "I heard the Chairman of Committees say that the words were 'deliberately concealed'," said Mr. Nash. "I told the chairman at the time that I did not wish to object to the words, but that does not mean that they were not offensive. I would not object to anvthing the member for Stratford said about mo, but I think the Prime Minister was quite in order in making a protest." After a fairly lengthy debate the Speaker declined to alter the chairman's ruling. He thought it would be creating an unsafe precedent for him to do so.