MR PARR ANNOYED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17272, 12 February 1924, Page 7

MR PARR ANNOYED.

4. CAMBRIDGE INCIDENT. ALL ABOUT A BANQUET. (Special to the “Star.”) HAMILTON, February 12. The Minister for Justice and Education is angry. 3fr Parr is, in fact, very angry, first of all over an unpleasant incident which occurred at a banquet given to him by the citizens of Cambridge, his birthplace, and is incensed because a Hamilton paper dared to make the incident public. Tliere was a very large attendance of public men at the banquet, and all went well until the toast of “ Education and Justice ” came to be responded to. LAWYER’S HU3IOUR. This was entrusted to a local lawyer, Mr A. H. Gascoigne, who elected to treat the subject humorously, and spoke as the 3linister’s alter ego, giving a burlesque autobiographical sketch, as it were, of the 3linister himself. In the course of his remarks he said : “ I have already traced my career from a child born on a farm a few miles from Cambridge, and have worked my wav up on the gospel of hard work, and thus by peroeverance have attained the exalted position of 3linister of Education and Justice. (Laughter.) Prior to the time of my taking over the portfolio of Education, there had been considerable dissension in the ranks of the teachers of New' Zealand, who. as most of you know, are of the female sex.

SOUGHT SOMEONE HANDSOME. “ Mr Massey, with great astuteness, therefore, thought that he could overpome 'this unrest by appointing as 3tinister for Education a good-looking man. He therefore lined up members of Parliament, placing himself at the head of the column, and Dr Pomare at the other end. Mr 31assey had himself contemplated taking the post, as he is not a bad-looking chap, but on glancing down the line his eye rested on me,'and I knew I was to be 31inister for Education. (Laughter.) “ A WISE CHOICE.” ‘‘That his choice was a wise one may be gathered from the fact that I have achieved the object of appeasing the wrath of the lady teachers, and in other reforms which I have introduced into the department, hut which at a function of this sore is far too lengthy to recite. It is a fine thing to know that a boy or girl, no matter of what humble origin, can progress from the primary school to the university, which has largely' Teen possible as a result of my efforts. Passing to the second portion of the toast—that of Justice — I would like you to know that I have within my grasp very large powers, the chief of which is that of appointing judges to the b<*uch of the Supreme Court. “I’LL LET YOU DOWN.” “When 3lr 3lassey offered me the portfolio of Justice, therefore, I felt that Sir Robert Stout was approaching the age of retirement, and that I would be able eventually to appoint myself to that position. Ln concluding, gentle men, I extend to you kind people of Cambridge my very deepest thanks for the generosity you have shown this evening, and you may rest assured tha: when I am sitting at the head of the Supreme Court Bench, if any of you come before me. either on civil or criminal business. I will let you down lightly.” MINISTER’S REBUKE. The burlesque, which was receive! with a good deal of laughter, brought upon the head of the periiet-rator a severe rebuke from the 31inister, who said it would be foolish of him to give any serious heed to the speech made by 3!r Gascoigne, who he believed was a member of the legal profession—at any rate, so he had been informed. 3lr Parr said he would not allow himself to he drawn into a discussion on either education or justice by any foolish remarks that might have fallen from the lips of the former speaker. The subject of justice was a sacred one, and as the head of the Department the speaker felt the full weight of his responsibilities. which involved the lib erty of his fellow-men, and occasionalK the lives of some of them. It was. therefore, no subject to be treated with levity, no matter in what spirit remarks upon it were made. “NOT GOOD TASTE.” Reference had been made to the position of Chief Justice, and. whatever the intention of the former speaker was in giving utterance to them, the remarks were in anything but good taste. The high office of Chief Justice should not be the subject of comment, even though in a miserable attempt at humour. “ YY’hen,” concluded 3lr Parr. “ I accepted the portfolio of Justice, I relinquished another important portfolio which also gave me wide powers—that of the control of our mental hospitals—and 3lr Gascoigne’s speech makes me feel that I wish T had not done so. I am very sorry, gentlemen, that anything should have been said to mar the pleasant atmosphere of a Happy little gathering of this character.” “ FLEW INTO A RAGE.” When the 3linister, the following day, read a condensed account of the incident in the “ Waikato Times,” he flew into a rage, and sent word to the representative of that paper who had accompanied the 3linisterial party that he need never apply to him again for news. 3lore. the 3linister got into im - mediate telephone communication with the editor, demanding the recall of the man who had had the temerity to print anything that might cause the 3finis terial person to be held up to ridicule. The representative sent word to the 3finister that he had no intention of subjecting his copy to 31inisterial censorship, nor did he intend to bow to the dictum that only reports favourable to the 3finistcr should appear in his paper.