OFFENCE TAKEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 11

OFFENCE TAKEN

GOVERNOR'S REMARKS " JE RESIGNATION TENDERED , SIR MAYNARD HEDSTROM FIJI COOTCIL POSTS [from our own oohrespoxdeni] SUVA, Jan. 4 After 29 years' service on the Legislature Council and more than 20 years' on the Executive Council, Sir Maynard Hedstrom yesterday announced his resignation from both bodies. His action follows correspondence between himself and the Governor, Sir Arthur Richards, concerning a statement made by His Excellency regarding Sir Maynard Hedstrom, to which the latter took exception. With the permission of His Excellency, Sir Maynard forwarded to the Fiji Times and Herald copies of the correspondence relating to a statement made by His Excellency at the recent session of the Legislative Council, held during the absence of Sir Maynard from the colony. The Hansard report of the statement complained of, which was made available by His Excellency for publication, rdads as follows:

" His Excellency : Certainly, the right to free quarters is not a newly created one. I was interested to hear that archaic trinity. Sir Henry Marks," Sir Henry Scott and Sir Maynard Hedstrom, quoted once more in this Council, whose views on this subject are so notoriously out of date. They have an antiquarian interest, it is true, but it seems to me to be nothing mora than that." In his letter to the Governor, written the day after his return to the colony, Sir Maynard Hedstrom said that such a remark, made by the representative of the King, speaking from his seat in the Legislative could not be treated lightly. The contemptuous tone of the remarks had caused some pain and distress to his relatives and immediate friends, and was calculated to affect his standing and repute not only in the but elsewhere! Mitigation Requested Had he been in his place in the Council, with the of reply, said Sir Maynard in his letter, he would not have regarded the matter -so seriously. In conclusion he asked the Governor to take such action as was calculated sufficiently to mitigate the - effect of the public and published criticism. ' -' . / His Excellency, in his reply, stated that he received the letter with mingled feelings of regret and surprise, regret that any remarks of his should have occasioned pain and distress, and surprise that Sir Maynard should have read into them so much which was not there. His Excellency's View "There was nothing contemptuous either in the tone or the matter of what I said in Council," wrote His Excellency. "I can find nothingfcontemptuous even in the Fiji Times and Herald account, which you quote, taken out of its' context and not professing to be a verbatim report. Nor was there anything contemptuous in my intention*.

"I wanted to make clear my opinion that certain views publicly enunciated some years ago by certain gentlemen are out of date to-day. I trust that I have eliminated from your mind any misconception that my remarks in Council were either intended to be or were in fact contemptuous or derogatory to anyone." London to be Informed Stating that he considered His Excellency's reply unsatisfactory, and that his position as a-nominated member would be uncomfortable, Sir Maynard Hedstrom said he wrote to the Governor tendering his resignation from the Legislative Council and Executive Council. In the letter, a copy of which was published, Sir Maynard said he regretted that ho could not accept the interpretation placed upon his words by His Excellency and was not now prepared to serve a Governor who, during his absence from the Colony, had spoken of him publicly in the way in which His Excellency had done.

His Excellency replied accepting Sir Maynard's resignation and stating that copies of the correspondence, as requested by Sir MayiSard, would be placed before the Secretary of State for his information.