CALLED TO ORDER

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 226, 23 September 1936, Page 10

CALLED TO ORDER

MINISTER OF LABOUR. "AWFUL MESS TO CLEAN UP." BRUSH WITH MR. COATES. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Minister of Labour, Mr. ArmStrong, was called to order by "Mr. Speaker" on several occasions when speaking late to-night on the Public Works Statement. He first of all declared that the Government had had a lot of filth to clean up when it came into office. "Mr. Sp'eaker" wanted to know whether there was anything personal in the reference. The Minister altered his words, saying, "they left an awful mess for us to clean up." Criticising Opposition speakers, the Minister said that if every railway had to show before its commencement that it would pay, New Zealand would not have been developed. The railways constructed in the pa,st had done their job, and the railways proposed by the present Government would also do their job. Mr. C. A. Wilkin-son (Independent, Egmont): Losing money. The Minister wanted to know whether road construction should Ite stopped because it would not pay. Sir Alfred Ransom (National, Pahiatua): That is more modern transport. The Minister said that all the criticism had been levelled at the South Island railways. One wouM imagine tliat the North Island lines were all paying. As a matter of fact, the liability being carried by the country to-day was on account of the North Island railways. He declared that it was not the Railway Board that had stopped the railway construction of the past Government, but the advice of Sir Otto Niemeyer. The same visitor was also responsible for the cuts in wages and pensions. The reductions were made on his instructions. The Minister was called to order more than once by "Mr. Speaker" for making an extended speech on unemployment, the Minister explaining that misrepresentations had been made by the Opposition. He declared that the next abstract of statistics would give the correct figures. Reverting to the charges of wasteful expenditure on railways and public works, the Minister advised the member for Kaipara to look to his own district. Mr. Coates: What about my district? The Minister: I would be ashamed of Continuing, the Minister referred to balloon loops and other.jibsurdities. It was the joke of North- Auckland. When he Was in the district lie was advised not to leave ' until he had seen the balloon loop.