THE HAIRY TANGLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19867, 15 June 1927, Page 9

THE HAIRY TANGLE

MR. PATERSON REPLIES Would Welcome Royal Commission on Board’s Affairs MR GROUNDS’ ATTACK [Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 14. Messrs Morison, Smith and Morison, solicitors for Mr Stronach Paterson, late Government representative on the London Agency of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Control Board, to-day forwarded the following letter to Mr William Grounds, chairman of the Board: “We write to you as solicitors for and under instructions from Mr Stron ach Paterson, Mr Paterson has had brought under his notice various New Zealand newspapers, including the Now Zealand Dairy Producers’ Exporter ol March 26 last, containing what purports to be your version of the history of Mr Paterson’s actions in his capacity as Government representative on the Board.

“You were, of course, aware at the time when you made, your attack upon Mr Paterson, that even if he desired to reply it was impossible for him to do so for a period of at least several weeks. To reply in detail now, after such lapse of time, is obviously of very little use, particularly because such a reply might well give rise to further controversy, and again Mr Paterson’s reply to you could not, by reason of his absence in England be published until a lapse of many weeks after tho publication of your own statement. Mr Paterson therefore docs not consider it necessary or desirable that he should at this stage enter into a d’scussion of the merits or demerits of price-fixation of dairy produce in London. That issue he points out to us, is already settled, unfortunately at the expense of New Zealand in general and the New Zealand dairy farmers in particular, nor does Mr Paterson regard it as his concern to answer what he regards as specious propaganda by yourself and some of your supporters. Alleged Misrepresentation “This letter is written to repudiate what he regards as your gross misrepresentation of bis actions as New Zcalang Government representative on the London agency of the Control Board, and in that connection Mr Paterson would welcome an opportunity 'before a Royal Commission or other appropriate tribunal appointed to inquire into reasons for the failure of the Board’s policy of absolute control and pricefixation, of having his own actions fully investigated. Mr Paterson also desires us to remind you that while you were in London you had several conversations with him under a clear and definite pledge of strict confidence on both sides. “He desires us to point out that for the purpose of your attack upon him you have not hesitated to refer freely to those conversations. In his view, your attack contain* some complete misstatements of fact. It distorts and misrepresents both his confidential conversations with you, and it insinuates responsibility on his part. Inner History “It would be useless to carry matters further at this stage, because as we have already said, Mr Paterson is still in London and is unable by reason of his absence to continue the controversy with you now, but he expects to be back in New Zealand not later than October, and if you then desire any public investigation, such as that, for example, which would be afforded by a Royal Commission into the affairs of the Control Board and the true history of the actions of its chairman and certain of its members and of himself as Government representative of the London Agency, and into the real cause of what he alleges are the ' disastrous results of the Board’s policy, we assure you that Mr Paterson will be delighted to join with you in endeavouring to have such investigations brought about. In view of the fact that your attacks on Mr Paterson have been of the most public character, we are instructed to hand copies of this letter to the newspapers, and we are accordingly adopting that course.”