NO ASSURANCE GIVEN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21554, 17 January 1940, Page 6

NO ASSURANCE GIVEN

Mr Lee On Executive’s Resolution Prime Minister’s Comment By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, January 16. “I do not know who supplied the comment which was published with the resolution of the national executive of the New Zealand Labour Party regarding myself,” said Mr J. A. Lee in a statement. "The comment was not submitted to the executive before publication. “I did not give an assurance to comply in future with the decisions of the national executive and conference of the party. These I have always complied with. "I agreed to express regret in the exact terms of the message I have given to the Press. I gave that message willingly.” “Beginning to Quibble Again” “It seems as if Mr Lee is beginning to quibble already,” said the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) to-day. “I am not In a position to say what promises Mr Lee made to the National Executive as I was not present. I am informed, however, that he did promise to be loyal to the conference and to the national executive's decision, and I understand he claimed at the same time that he had always been loyal to such decisions. "But if Mr Lee had always been loyal to the spirit and letter of conference, and executive decisions,” added Mr Savage, "why was it necessary for the national executive to carry a resolution which has since been published condemning his action? It is beyond me to understand a member of a party who tries to destroy the selected leader of that party as a political force, who will go so far to attack that leader during illness and who after apologising for his action will commence again to question the report of the position issued on behalf the national executive.” Fair Play Wanted “Mr Savage has just been complaining bitterly about the unfair attack to which he has been subjected.” said Mr J. J. Maher, in a statement issued to-day. “But if he wants the sympathy of the New Zealand public he should see that the fair play he wants for himself is extended to other people. He can show he believes in the principle of fair play by seeing that the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting lives up to the challenge which he made and which I accepted. I am still willing to do my part. What has Mr Savage to say to this?”