CITIZEN RIGHTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 17

CITIZEN RIGHTS

Sir, Algie has at last stated his position correctly. He says now he assumed that I would take it for granted that he was speaking of practical" defence. Later on he repeats the clause which drew me into this controversy, name.lv, that the law courts constituted the' last and only line of defence, but in that he now inserts the words (i.e., practical or useful line). Mav I point out that his first letter was headed "Citizens' Rights Denied," not "Importers' Rights Denied," and in the last paragraph after the reference to the law courts Mr. Algie wrote: "What is now the value of that defence in anv dispute between a citizen and the Government." That paragraph, together with the heading of the letter, gave to letter and to the argument a general rather than a particular reference; that is why I tried to correct him. I realise quite as fully as 31 r, Algie does the difficulty in which some importers find themselves, and T am no more fond of government by Order-in-Council than he is. I have said before that I did not write to defend or to condemn the statements of responsible members of the Government, and 1 may now add, since Mr. Algie raises the point, that in this controversy I have no "mentor or- leader." J have long formed the habit of thinking for myself, and sometimes of saving what I think. Mr. Algie at one stage charged me with flatly contradicting him, a thing I had not done. He now charges me with being very unfair because I did not quote his letter more fully. I had no wish to be unfair, and do not think I was. I wanted to write my own letter, not to rewrite his. and I had respect for the space which would be allowed. If Mr. Algie will in future be a little more careful to state at the beginning jit-st what he means, then, while we' may not agree with him, we shall at least hope to be able to understand him. Tom Bloodwouth.