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Southland Times, Issue 21832, 8 October 1932, Page 6

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MEMBER FOR MATAURA QUESTION OF BREACH OF PRIVILEGE REPORT IN NEWSPAPER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 7. For the third time this week the question -of breach of privilege was raised in the House of Representatives when Mr D. McDougall rose this morning and called attention to a report which appeared in Thursday’s issue of the Christchurch Sun. A committee of privileges consisting of Messrs W. E. Barnard, J. G. Coates, H. E. Holland, S. G. Smith and G. W. Forbes had been set up earlier in the morning and the question of privilege was referred direct to it. Mr McDougall said that a question he had addressed to the Minister of Employment which had not been answered had been the subject of discussion at a meeting in Christchurch and the report complained of appeared to him to be a reflection on himself and other members of the House. The Clerk of the House then read the report complained of as follows: AN M.P. CRITICIZED. DISCUSSION AT MEETING OF PROGRESS LEAGUE. Mr D. McDougall, M.P. for Mataura, might not have felt flattered had he heard a piece of bright cross chat at last evening’s meeting of the Canterbury Progress League. Mr H. W. Heslop said that a member of Parliament from “somewhere down south” had cast aspersions on the League’s organizer (Mr P. R. Climie). Mr F. W. Johnston: You mean Mr D. McDougall? Mr Heslop: He suggests that our organizer is in the fortunate position of drawing two salaries, one from the league and one from the Unemployment Board. Some of these people think they can get up in the House and say anything with impunity. A member: No one takes any notice of Mr McDougall. Another member: He’s Scotch. Still another member: Treat him with contempt. Mr C. H. Flavelle: You think some people might believe it if it’s not correct? Mr Heslop: Yes. Another member: Everybody knows it’s not correct, let it alone. Mr C. E. Cross: Let sleeping dogs lie. Mr Johnston: Don’t you mean Mr Cross, let lying dogs sleep? Mr Speaker said that the House could request an explanation from the editor and publisher of the paper in question, but to avoid making a hasty decision it might be as well to refer the matter to a committee of privilege. In the absence of the Prime Minister, Mr E. A. Ransome moved accordingly and this course was agreed to by the House.