MINISTER PRAISED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1930, Page 9

MINISTER PRAISED.

TRIBUTE TO MR. ATMORE. "CREDIT WHERE CREDIT ISDXJE." MR. LEE MARTIN'S EULOGY. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") RAGLAN, this day.. The Labour member for Raglan (Mr. W. Lee Martin), despite the criticism levelled at him in a certain Labour journal for his recent eulogy of the Minister of Public Works (Hon. E. A. Ransom), is not deterred from voicing his opinion and giving credit where credit is due. Last night, when speaking at the Raglau Town Hall on the occasion of the visit of the Minister of Education (Hon. H. Atmore), he paid a tribute to Mr. Atmore, describing him as one of the best Ministers of Education New Zealand had ever had. (Applause.) The speaker said he must be fair and honest when speaking of the work which Mr. Atmore had accomplished, not only in connection with improvements in our educational system and his efforts to retard the drift to the towns, but also for what he was doing as Minister in charge of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Mr. Martin said he would make bold to say that if the work being done by the officers detailed by the Minister to investigate the problem of cattle sickness which was so prevalent in so many districts in the Auckland Province was brought to a successful conclusion, Mr. "Atmore would earn the commendation and thanks of thousands of farmers who to-day hardly knew which way to turn, because of the losses they had experienced. The speaker was sure that what the Minister was doing in directing this research work over a very large territory, portions of which the speaker and others were privileged to visit the previous day, -would make his name stand out as one of the finest Ministers this country had had. (Applause.) Mr. 'Martin added that he could honestly pay this tribute without feeling that he was in any way soft-soaping or back-rubbing. (Applause.) ''He is a poor sort of man.who cannot give credit where credit is due, even though that credit is to a political opponent," concluded the member for Raglan. .