FRAYED NERVES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21627, 23 April 1932, Page 12

FRAYED NERVES

TIRED LEGISLATORS PERSONALITIES INDULGED IN (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, April 22. The daring nature of some of the personalities indulged in when members nerves become frayed through an exhaustive sitting was illustrated during the consideration of the war pensions’ reductions this evening. Several Labour speakers, as well as Mr J. A. Hargest (Invercargill) and Mr H. M. Rushworth (Bay of Islands), had criticised the proposal. ' Mr 11. G. Dickie (Patea), who is a returned soldier, said he regretted that it was deemed essential to curtail war pensions, but he bad to admit that none of the returned soldiers’ associations iu his district had sent him a protest against the curtailment. It had to be remembered that New Zealand had been fairly liberal in its pension payments. “ It is all very well,” he said, “ for Labour speakers to object, but there are some men on those benches who did not do their duties as civilians during the war and who were openly seditious.” The Chairman (Mr S. G. Smith): Order! ■ Mr R.•Semple (to Mr Dickie); You re <l The’ latter remark passed unchecked, and after a brief pause Mr Dickie resumed his speech. _ , A minute or so later Mr Semple again interjected: “Will you address a meeting of returned soldiers in Wellington and tell them what you are telling the House

n °Mr A. D. M'Leod (to Mr Semple): You ought to be ashamed to address them, ‘'"Mr' 1 !. O’Brien declared that what Mr Dickie called sedition at the time of the war was merely telling the people what the lion, gentleman and his friends woulc do to them after the war.