MINISTER REPLIES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 110, 19 February 1937, Page 3

MINISTER REPLIES

MR HARGEST ASSAILED. “LABOUR’S BEST ALLY.” (Per Press Associations QUEENSTOWN, February 18. A reply to the statements made by the Leader of the Opposition, (the Hon. Adam Hamilton), and Mr J. Hargest, member for Awarua, following his criticism of their absence from their electorates during the visit was made to-day by the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple). -"Mr Semple detailed the works which had been begun in the Southland district since his previous visit 11 months ago, and stated that altogether more than £300,000 was likely to be spent in that area.

“Mr Hamilton was advised on January 19 that I was making a tour of Southland, arriving at Invercargill on approximately February 12, said Mr Semple, “and was asked to advise early what business he wished transacted. On February 2, a fortnight later, no reply had been received and a reminder was sent to Mr Hamilton, when he advised that he would like me to visit Otau'tau, if not also Tuatapere. Final details of the itinerary were then completed, and on February 5 I advised Mr Hamilton that I would extend my tour and make the whole of Tuesday, February 10, available in his district. Wish to Co-operate. “I purposely did not in the first instance fix a definite itinerary, as 1 wished to co-operate with the member as far as possible ahd transact all the necessary business. My first intention was to meet all the deputations in Invercargill, and it was purely on Mr Hamilton’s representations that I visited his district and that I changed my itinerary. “Mr Hamilton’s excuse is that the date of the meeting he attended had been fixed three months beforehand. He must, therefore, have known when lie requested me to visit the district that he would be absent when I arrived. I naturally expected, after changing my itinerary to suit Mr Hamilton, that he would be present during my visit. I might also inform Mr Hamilton that both myself and the Minister for AJines (the Hon. P. G. Webb) missed an important caucm and several Cabinet meetings to visit Southland to attend to the needs of the district, Mr Webb’s attention being concentrated on the mining industry. If we could do this, surely Mr Hamilton could at least postpone his meeting. No Objectionable Language. “I have no more to say to Mr Hamilton. His reply to my statement was an ineffective attempt to defend himself, but be it said to his credit that it was not couched in objectionable language.” Referring to Mr Hargest’s suggestion that when he visited Southland 11 months ago ho made promises which be had not fulfilled, the Minister spoke of a number of major public works which were to be undertaken in Southland as a result of his last visit. Altogether these would involve the expenditure of more than £300,000. “Mr Hargest refers to me as the political Mountebank of the Government, and accuses me of going up and down this country abusing the Opposition,” the Minister continued,. “My reply to that falsehood is that I have never addressed a public meeting in New Zealand since the election with the exception of two meetings at the Manukau by-election. It is well known that Mr Hargest took a prominent part in that by-election for which the Government is grateful because his effort added considerably to the crushing majority received by the '.Labour candidate. It was not until I arrived in Invercargill that I made any reference to the Opposition. Since the byelection I was concentrating upon my job and had. forgotten that the Opposition existed.

“Insult to Government.“ “The first thing that prompted me to say one word against the leader of the Opposition was when I read j his public statement in Invercargill that people who voted for the Labour Government were irresponsible people who believed iai mob rule,” Mr Semple said. “This was not only an insult to the Government, but an insult to tens of thousands of people who voted against the previous Government for no other reason than that they had for the last four years been misled a;nd betrayed by it, and I would not have been human if I had not said, something in their defence. “I took'strong exception, too, to Mr Hargest scuttling from his constituency to a meeting in Wellington to consider ways and means of defeating the present" Government, and on his own statement sending a wire to Mr W. M. 0. Denham, a supporter of the present Government, to do the work while he was busy undermining the member along with other members of the Government from whom he had asked this favour. If I was guilty of such conduct Mr Hargest would not only be entitled to refer to me as a Mountebank, but he would certainly be entitled to say that I possessed the conscience of a political impostoi. “Mr Hargest seems to feel that I am concerned about his activity in the political arena,” the Minister concluded. “I want to advise him that 1 am not c scrap concerned. He and one or two others in his party are the best political asset the Labour Government have, and I would seiiousL advise him to increase his activities if possible. - I should be very thankful if he would pay my district a visit. Theie is one thing I would ask Mr Haiges to do, and that is to give the public of Southland a comparison between the activities and the achievements of the Labour Government m Southland tor the 11 months of its administration as disclosed in. my statement as against the progress made in that district ciuring the six years’ administration of his Government. We could then lea\e it to the people to judge.”