CANARD EXPLODED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15820, 19 July 1913, Page 10

CANARD EXPLODED.

COMMISSIONER AND OFFICIAL.

(t'EOM OUK' OWW COBEESPONDENT.) WELLINGTON, July 18. " The statement made by Mr Hanun List niylit that hs had hearu tliat one of the Civil Service Commissioners had thrown a file oi papers at tne head or ju we :aeo of the head of one of the Government departments was referred to by tlie Prime Minister this afternoon.

Tho. commissioner mentioned, tsaid Mr Massey, was Mr Triggs, and tho head of the department referred to was Mr U. 1 1 . C. Campbell (Secretary to the Treasury). He read a letter sent by Mt Campbell to the Minister of Finance (the lion. J. Allen), in which he absolutely denied thai the commissioner had ever behaved towards him in the manner stated or in any ungentlemanly manner. Ho had had to meet the commissioner on many occasions, and the relations between them were of ■the most cordial nature. Mr Massey said he hoped that this would be a warning to gentlemen on the other side of the Mouse not to repeat such ridiculous statements, which did no good from a party point of view and which caused annoyance -to people whose names happened to be mentioned.

Mr Hanan said that his statement had been put in the form of a question, "1 asked," he said, "' if it was true, and the Prime Minister replied "No,' I then said that I was very glad to bear it. I heard the statement from • several leliable people." The Hon. Mr Fraser: Reliable people! They are not very reliable' A Member: They wore pulling your leg. Mr Hanan : I am, as I said before, very glad that statement was not true.