PRIVILEGE ISSUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23115, 13 August 1938, Page 21

PRIVILEGE ISSUE

M.P. AND NEWSPAPERS LETTER BY MR. W. J. POLSON COMMITTEE TO REPORT ["BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER! WELLINGTON, Friday A possible breach of Parliamentary privilege on the part of Mr. W. J. Poison (Opposition—Stratford) and two newspapers which published a letter from Mr. Poison was brought before the notice of the House of Pepresentatives to-day by the Speaker, the Hon. Yv. E. Barnard. The matter was referred to the Standing Committee on privileges, which will probably meet next week and subsequently report to tho House. " I desire to bring before tho House a question of privilege," said the Speaker at the start of this morning's sitting. "My attention has been drawn to a letter published in tho Auckland Star of August 10 and also in the Taranaki Herald. I will ask tho clerk to read the last two paragraphs." Portions of Letter Read The portions of the letter which were thou read by the Clerk of tho House, Mr. T. D. H. Hall were as follows: " I would not have asked for your space, sir, but for the fact that although these innuendos and suggestions were made in Parliament I was not only not allowed under the Standing Orders to reply to them, having already spoken in the debate, but also my colleague. Mr. Broad foot, M.P., was prevented by the Speaker from uttering a word in my wife's defence when following Mr. Schramm. " It may be that this letter will be made a pretext for attacking me for the breach of some 'privilege' of the House, but I am indifferent to 'privileges' which allow innocent women to be defamed and am quite willing to mnore them (if they exist) in defence of my wife particularly or womankind generally." Tho letter was signed W. J. Poison. The Speaker's View The entire letter had reference to the speech made in the House last week by Mr. F. W. Schramm (Government—Auckland ljjast) attacking various portions of an address given by a woman member of the National Party in Taranaki. " This constitutes a prima facie case of breach of privilege, both on the part of the writer as well as on the part of the newspapers concerned," said the Speaker after the clerk had read thp extracts from the letter. "In view of the ruling which I gave some days ago the breach appears to bo deliberate. Tho appropriate course would be to refer this matter to the Standing Committee on privileges." Tho Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, then moved that the matter be referred to the committee of privileges and the House proceeded to tho normal business of the day.