Thompson's Plaster

NZ Truth, Issue 847, 18 February 1922, Page 1

Thompson's Plaster

"Truth" is m thorough accord with the minority vote of the House, during the discussion of the Supplementary Estimates, m protesting against the utter inadequacy of the .vote of £ 100 scheduled as compensation to h.. n. Thompson m respect of a sentence ot imprisonment imposed by a courtmartial, which was subsequently annulled. To gaol a man. wrongfully and then. offer to salve W* -^ras a miserable flea-bitten dole of a Paltry hundred pounds) is simply adding insult to injury. Either Thompson . deserved' substantial consideration or he deserved none at all. The House was unanimous m agreeing that Thompson was entitled to. some remuneration for his : incarceration, and should have recognised this by voting a sum m some way commensurate for the annoyance and injury sustained by hini as the result of the rotten finding of an irresponsible fluffed-up Court of bedressed military perscmages who took their dignity far too seriously, with the result that an innocent man was ignominiously jugged. : Strong indignation was exp'ressd m the House at the paltriness of the condonation offered, as was shown by the division on the vote, only, 23 members being found to follow Mr. Massey into the lobby whilst 17 had the, temerity to vote m the usual technical manner against the .Government's proposal. Right here, wo are disposed to ask: "Where was the other half of the House when this prosposal was voted on ?" As a matter of fact, most of the missing members had got-tired of Parliament, chucked their jobs and fled home, instead of sitting tight, attending to their political knitting § and seeing that this gross injustice 'was not allowed to be perpetrated. The electors would do well to study that division list and bear it carefully in' mind. Also, 'the Ministerial statement that^Thompson had already received the sum of £97 is flatly contradicted by that fighting* person, and this contradiction requires' explanation or amendment. The whole incident -is another illustration of the typical meanness and partisanship of a Govern-: ment which is prepared to vote £lf>oo to put a billiard table m Sir James Allen's lavatory and yet declines . to adequately. recoup an ordinary untitled working man for a crying injustice perpetrated "'by its own upstart officers. The. last, fortunately, has not beeVheard of this pettifogging, pursepinching, penurious, Flu telif ting, punishment of the proletariat, as Thompson's claim to proper' consideration is to be pushed m other ways. ■