EPITHET THROWN BACK.

Wairarapa Age, 19 March 1925, Page 5

EPITHET THROWN BACK.

BY HON. A. D. MCLEOD.

WELLINGTON, Mar. 18.—The Hon. A. D. McLeod said (he had noted that he was being taken to task by the executive of the Association of Chambers of Commerce in regard to his remarks in an address at Geraldine.

“Just before the beginning of my address at Geraldine,” said Mr McLeod, “I had handed to me a circular issued by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce which contained the following: ‘The world has had an extraordinary example of the disastrous failure of this class of Socialistic legislation in Russia. It seems obvious that no responsible Government would to-day repeat this, but the extreme Socialistic party will welcome such an Order-in-Council from the Reform Government as a substantial contribution to a future communistic regime. ’

“After reading this to the meeting, ’ ’ said Mr McLeod, ‘ ‘ I went on to sy that I did not believe that such a say that I did not believe that such a of the commercial men of New Zealand, If it was, then all I could say was that I felt sorry for them. As a settler on the land I knew full well the valued services rendered to primary producers by commercial men in the history of the Dominion, but such statements as that just read would, if generally subscribed to by commercial men, bring about Bolshevism quicker than anything I know.— (P.A.)