MR. COTTERILL CHARGES THE NATIONAL PARTY

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 July 1947, Page 4

MR. COTTERILL CHARGES THE NATIONAL PARTY

Says It Supplied Liquor to Maoris Up-river for Votes

(P.A.) Parliament Bldgs., July 3. In the House of Representatives today, in the Address-in-Reply debate. Mr. J. B. F. Cotterill (Govt., Wanganui), criticising the Leader of the Opposition's references to the Maori representation in the House, said Mr-1 Holland had made an attack on the 1 Maori people, and added that the National Party, to gain votes in the Wanganui River district, had supplied liquor to some Maori voters. Mr. J. N. Massey (Opp., Franklin): Can you prove that? Mr. Cotterill: Of course I can. Mr. H. G. Harker (Opp., Hawke's Bay): Why didn’t you prosecute, then? That would have been the docent thing. Mr. Harker said that the member for Wanganui had a duty to perform which he didn’t discharge. Mr. Cotterill. continuing, said he had been closely associated with the Maori people in the Wanganui district and although much had been done to advance their welfare, much more remained to do. He condemned the Opposition’s attempt to pit the Maori against the pakeha. Mr. W. Sullivan (Opp.. Bay of Plenty) : No such attempt was ever made, and the honourable member knows it.

I•••••••••••••••••••••••••• Mr, Cotterill said it was obvious the National Party would endeavour to remove the protection given to the Maori in the matter of the transfer of native land, "and let the wolves have another go at the Maori.” The objective of the National Party was to widen the gap between the Maori and pakeha; not to close it. Mr. D. C. Kidd (Opp.. Waimate) said the charge made by the member for Wanganui, of supplying liquor to th e Maori people, was so serious that Mr. Cotterill had failed in his duty as a responsible citizen for not reporting it. Mr. Kidd challeged the member for Wanganui to come out in < the open, repeat th e charges and ; prove them. He agreed with the Leader of the Opposition that a Maori member should not vote on issues which bound the pakeha, but which they were not prepared to accept for their own people. The Leader of the Opposition would not hav e dared to voice to the Maori Battalion those distinctions between Maori and pakeha which he had uttered in the debate the previous night, said Mr. T. E. Skinner (Govt., Tamakii. ,