AN ARRANGEMENT ALLEGED

Southland Times, Issue 22859, 7 April 1936, Page 8

AN ARRANGEMENT ALLEGED

LABOUR AND SOCIAL CREDIT CURIOSITY EXPRESSED BY MR KYLE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, April 6. Curiosity as to an arrangement stated to have been made prior to the General Election between several members of the Labour Party and the Douglas Social Credit organizations was expressed by Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nat. Riccarton) during the second reading of the debate on the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr Kyle said it appeared that several members of the Government had signed a questionnaire sent out by the Douglas Credit movement. Captain H. M. Rushworth (C.P. Bay of Plenty): There was no questionnaire.

Mr Kyle: I quote from an article published in an Australian newspaper on the day following the election, in which it was stated that the Douglas Social Credit Movement in New Zealand had not contested the election officially, having arrived at an agreement with the Labour Party under which no Douglas Credit candidates should go to the polls as such, and that the Labour Party, if returned as the Government, with or without Douglas Credit support, would immediately institute a National Credit Authority. The article stated that this agreement between the Douglas Credit forces and the Labour Party was kept quiet until the elections were actually on, thus confusing the opposition as to just what was intended. Ten Labour members were stated to be social credit advocates, the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry), the Attorney-General (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason), the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin), the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple), the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) and Mr C. R. Petrie (Hauraki), Mr C. A. Barrell (Hamilton), Mr R. Coulter (Waikato), Mr B. Roberts (Wairarapa) and Mr R. McKeen (Wellington Suburbs). When Mr Kyle was reading out these names the Minister of Agriculture interjected “Never” when his name was mentioned.

“Perhaps you .had better put my name among them,” remarked the Prime Minister (the Hon. M. J. Savage). Mr Kyle: The Prime Minister’s name is not in the list. He apparently thought it better to keep out of it.