GUNS SPIKED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 278, 26 November 1935, Page 8

GUNS SPIKED

A DEMOCRAT RUMOUR "MEAN METHODS” EXPOSED MR. FORBES GETS IN FIRST [ Per Press Association. ] CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 25. The Prime Minister, Hon. G. W. Forbes, has given an emphatic denial to a rumour that he had entered into an arrangement with the Democrat Party to break with the Reform Party after the election and issue an invitation to the Democrats to form a Government. Speaking at Leeston this afternoon, Mr. Forbes slated that there was a rumour current in the Rangitikei and Wanganui electorates that the Democrats were to announce to-morrow that arrangements Had been entered into between the Democrats and the United Party whereby after the elections he would break from the Reform Party and invite the Democrats to form a Government. There wa<? a good deal of laughter from the audience of more than 256 when he, Mr. Forbes, told them of this, but the amusement changed lo hearty applause after his blunt denial of the suggestion. “The thing is so fantastic that I do not need to answer it for lhe people of Canterbury,’’ Mr. Forbes said. “They know me and have known me all my life. One of the things I do place the greatest value on is my good na:’.»o. 1 Lave always endeavoured to carry out my pledges. An honourable agreement was entered into between the parties forming lhe Government and has been carried out honourably right throughout the coun try. L know this sort of stuff, and it is not surprising, considering the mean sort, of way the Leader of the Demo crals, Mr. Hislop, has been trying to cast aspersions un the Government about the report of the Auditor-Gen-eral on the system of presenting public accounts. Mr. Hislop criticised lhe public account's and quoted certain paragraphs of the Auditor-General, but carefully omitted the most important paragraph where the report stated that it was a matter of accounting and book-keeping over which the complaint arose and not of correctnes sof the accounts. Mr. Hislop left out that vital point and said that the Minister had been juggling with the accounts and that there had been misappropriation. That is a mean way of doing things and is trying to insinuate that men in responsible positions in the countrv are not honest. There art wavg of lighting a political battle, but this is a. new way to me, when they try to tell lhe people that responsible men administering the country are next next door to crooks. They were not going to announce this rumour about a break with the Reform Party until to-morrow, so that 1 could not reply to it before Ihe election, and .1 thought that: it was just as well to scotch Lhe humoui before to-morrow , comes, and in that wav answer it.