QUITE INCORRECT

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10307, 17 January 1927, Page 6

QUITE INCORRECT

THAT AMERICAN ‘INTER VIE Y\V SIR FRANCES BELL'S VERSION. Quite a flutter was caused in the House of Representatives last session when the Labour member for Auckland East (Mr. J. A. Lee! launched a thinly-disguised attack on Sir Francis Bell, the amur.ition for tile onslaught being provided bv the appearance of £SOO in the External Affairs Department estimates for the expenses of Now Zealand's delegate to the League of Nations at Geneva, fir. Lee had wanted to know whether that sum was for the' expenses of an ex-C'nbinet tourist who had given an interview to the American newspapers in which he said “he did not give a damn about world affairs.” Mr. Lee considered that it was unfortunate that an “irresponsible political tourist” should give utterance to such sentiments in America.

The Prime Minister (Right HonJ. G. Coates) made a reply to what ho termed a “very irrational and nasty statement,” pointing out that it ili became any member to belittle a man who had performed such signal service for his country, and wlio.se efforts had resulted to a great extent in securing for the Dominion the status it enjoyed to-day. Mr. Coates indicated that he did not believe a word of the .alleged interview, and observed that there was a readiness on the part of nearly; everybody to believe the worst that was said about their own people before confirmation arrived.

The matter was placed beyond Sunday night, when the point was raised with Sir Francis Bell himself upon his return to Wellington by the Ccrinthic from London. In reply to a query by a Dominion interviewer. Sir Francis Bell stated definitely tl;at the interview referred to was quite incorrect. When approached in America he had simply declined to discuss politics outside those of the Dominion.