MEMBER FOR WAIKATO

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18778, 28 October 1932, Page 8

MEMBER FOR WAIKATO

MR STALLWORTHY’S WORDS MR F. LYE RETURNS THE ATTACK. “LIKE PETULANT CHILD." (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Friday. No words were spared by Mr F. Lye (Government —Waikato) in the House of Representatives this morning, \Vhen he replied to statements made by Mr A. J. Stalhvorthy (Government —Eden) in a criticism of Mr Lye during the course of Mr Stallworthy’s budget' speech on Tuesday evening. Mr Lye said he referred more in sorrow than in anger to the extraordinary speech of the member for Eden. All yesterday and last evening he had sat in his seat after having notified Mr Stallworthy that he intended to refer to the statements he had m'ade, but the member for Eden had not been in his place in the chamber., “I feel sorry for the hysterical outburst of the member for Eden," said Mr Lye, “for we have been led tb expect a different standard from the member who came to this House with a divine call." The "Miserable Bookie.” Reference was then made by Mr Lye to the statement by Mr Stallworthy that for the sake of some "miserable bookie" Mr Lye had attacked the former’s colleague, the late .Postmaster General, Mr J. B. Donald, and nearly defeated the fjnited Government. The position, said Mr Lye, Was that he was chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, which had been hearing petitions in connection with the dismissal of three men from the Auckland Post Office for having discussed matters in connection With' betting. Only the committee heard all the evidence and it was unanimous in its finding that the punishments were unduly severe. The committee had recommended to the Government that the men he reinstated in the public service.

He made no apology for the course he had taken In standing foursquare for the unanimous finding of the committee. To ' suggest that he had sought to protect some “miserable bookie” was misleading. He would have ignored the remarks of the member for Eden were it not for the fact that the statement of Mr Stallworthy that he had nearly wrecked the Government for the sake of the ' “bookie” had been blazoned throughout his electorate by the press. "The member for Eden also charges the Minister of Education with having made a verbal assault upon him,” continued Mr Lye. “I have sat in opposition and seen many heated arguments, but I have never previously known a member to come into this House and complain about the conduct of an outsider in the way that Mr Stalhvorthy did. There is an unwritten law in this House, at least among honourable members—• Mr Speaker: Do you suggest that some members are dishonourable? Mr Lye said there was an unwritten law among members not to disclose a confidential conversation or run into the House with them as Mr Stallworthy had. It was wrong for the member for Eden to disabuse the confidence of the Minister of Education in the way he had to him. It seemed like the behaviour of a petulant child. There was in politics - a code that taught self restraint loyalty and playing the game. Referring to Mr Stallworthy’s attitude on the school books contract, Mr Lye said lie was disappointed that Mr Stallworthy had not attended the Minister’s meeting with School Comm.\tees’ Association at Auckland, at which Mr Masters had explained his side-of the question. Mr Stallworthy had also declined to attend a meeting of the caucus at which Mr Masters had .stated his case, but had proceeded to criticise the Minister’s actions on information as it had been presented to him. “Much more could be said about the extraordinary attitude of the misguided member for Eden," said Mr Lye, “but seeing he Is not In his seat, I will leave it at that.”