STATE MINE LEASED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 173, 24 July 1930, Page 20

STATE MINE LEASED.

LABOUR M.P.'S INDIGNANT.

PART OF UNITED POLICY ?

MR. PARRY'S SUSPICIONS.

(By Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The action of the Government in leasing the McDonald mine to Glen Afton Collieries, Limited, was strongly criticised by Labour members, who were interviewed on the subject to-night. "The first thing the Government ought to do i& to take notice of its position in the House," declared Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West)*,, "Here we have the leasing of a State coat mine to a company for 40 :years, but who knows whether .the Government would still be in office 40 minutes after-having signed the agreement? If there is anything in constitutional methods at all we should give effect to them by our actions. •It' seems to me it would have been just as easy for the Government to work the mine itself. It was unfortunate the Minister did-not make a_ fuller statement to the House. He. simply said an agreement had been signed. This now means that the only possibility of a Stata mine in the Auckland province has been destroyed for nearly half a century." "A Piece of Impudence." Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) said ll© regarded it as a piece of impudence on the part of the to give away the. right of? a State mine, particularly as .' the Government was a minority one l and liable to def eat pi actually at any time, present the lease being, given," he said, and I _ feel that a large section- of the, community in the North will hold the same view. The mine has millions of tons of splendid coal ready, to be won, and in view of the fact that the possibilities of the development of power from coal are so great this excellent asset should have been retained by the Government. Even if it were not worked it should have been kept as an asset. In my opinion, before any action such as has been taken was decided upon the Department should have'fully , explored the possibility of having the mine worked by the miners themselves " Mr. Parry asked whether the action of the Minister was to be interpreted as .indication of an invasion of State undertakings, and was the present move -a-"feeler" for the purpose? There was more coal in the McDonald mine than in any other mine in the district. Considerable • dissatisfaction over what had happened could-be expected from many people. 5 5 Questions in the House. The House at the afternoon sitting had been advised of the leasing of the mine by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. A. J. Murdoch, who, in answer to an urgent question by Mr. W. Lee .Martin (Raglan), stated that the Government had that day completed an agreement for the leasing of the. mine to Glen Afton Collieries, Limited. Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party: On what terms is the .'ease based 2 The Minister:-Very-satisfactory*