REPLY BY MR. MUNRO

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 276, 27 November 1935, Page 5

REPLY BY MR. MUNRO

ALLEGED ‘FRAME-UP’

“CREATED A PSYCHOLOGY”

DUNEDIN, Last Night

Mr J. W. Mun/ro made his reply last night to what he described as "a lastmi/nni'te frame-up” by tho Otago Daily Times. Ho complained that the headings used in Friday’s Times "created a psychology” for the reading of the report. That was the burden of his complaint, since he went on to say: "I do not find much fault. 1 with the riest of it as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough.” Mr Munro made no reference whatever to "deliberate and unscirtijpulous misquotation,” of which he complained in his published disclaimer.

The only [point questioned by Mr Munro was in connection witjh the reference to smashing things. Mt Mun.ro claimed that he did not say the Labour Party would isimash things. It was then pointled out t-o him that that statement Was mot made in the report, whl'uch 'stated: “If we don’t get a mandate then the only thing t|a do will bo to go out and .smash things.” Mr Munro did not deny making this sltla tern ent, but alleged that what he said was that “the people would go out and smash things. ”

The Otago Daily Times, in a special article clearing itself from the imputation! of misquotation, says l : “There is a full and conclusive answer.’’ “Our confidence in the accuracy of the report, ’’ continues the article, “has been confirmed by evidence from !a source from which the Labour Party might little expect us to receive supJpjorrt. Mr Munro has himself acknowledged the acculnacy of our report. Prior ifto his address, in which he took exception only to the headings, and Said he could not find much fault -with the rest of the report., Mr Munro had 'admitted the accuracy of our report. He visited the Times office on Sunday night and in reply itlo 'a challenge to establish Jin'S charge against the report he was .taken passage by passage through the report and had to admit its accuracy. He did not, however, think fit to withdraw .the statement which he had submitted for publication asserting that the report, was a distortion of what he had said. It is perfectly clear that ‘the last-minute f)mme-up’ is a figment of the Labour Party’s imagimiatiion. ’ ’