FRONT BENCH ANGER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 222, 19 September 1930, Page 5

FRONT BENCH ANGER.

8 -J MINISTER AND MR, CQATES.j reform leader rebuked. 1 I "RECKLESS, IRRESPONSIBLE."' | \ (By Tele^xapn.—■Parliaxnentai-v Reporter.} j WELLINGTON, T3rar=Sav. j 5 j 1 Shrill Reform laughter which greeted \ jan expression of hope concerning tie I : iniure of tie railways of New Zealand j j resulted in tie Minister of Railways, j tie Hon. W. A. Yeitch, sternly rebuking tie Leader of tie Opposition, tie Ri. i Hon. .J. G. Coates, in. tie House to-day. j Mr. Veitei observed that Mr. Coaxes, | by ik laugiter at tie ttatement made. I proved that ie Lad so iope. "That," j added tie Minister, "is no doubt due to j tie fact tbat while he administered the j Railway Department. Mr. Coates never ! attempted to deal with the problems and | difficulties that were confronting Mm, | and went on to spend money, in a very redd ess and irresponsible way. Tiat | reckless irresponsibility to a large exj tent- brought about the conditions that | confront the Department to-day- I hope the Department will never have the load of his administration anain." " i "String of Platitudes." "If ever I saw an ion. gentleman look j utterly miserable and hopeless it was ■ tie Minister of Railways" said 31 r. Coates in the course of his remarks. "He , looked the saddest and weariest human, j being I have ever watched, and he sng- j gests that all his troubles have been j passed on to "friTn by tie Reform Government."' Mr. Teiich: Pure, personal vulgarity. Mr. Speaker: Order! I am afraid I { must ask the hon. gentleman to with- j draw time word#. Mr. Teitch: Certainly I will with- j draw. Mr. Coates said the Minister's speech j i was one long string of platitudes. The j j Minister was doing all he possibly j \ could to put the brakes on progress. Fast ; | trains were beinrr done away with, and j J Apolitical stopping placer' were being j; !' established. It was all a matter oi | political expediency, and not a matter of j j getting trains to their destinations as i quickly as possible. Mr. "Coates said the country could not j 1 function without the existing railway j | communications. They were tie com- j j mercial life-blood of the country. No ; | general manager, no system of manage- j j ment, would be able to make a success ? jof operating the railways so long as j I -chasses in Government necessitated i j strokes of the policy pen. » T T. " I_i_

"Afraid" to increase Freights. Mr. J. T. Hogan (Independent, Eangitikei}: They would have been Srished altogether by now if the freights had not been changed. Mr. Coates: I suppose the horn gentleman has less knowledge of the railways than any other member of the «House. There is only one way to bring the railways into the position of being able to operate as a commercial concern, and that is to hand the whole of the railwavs over to a directorate. Mr. Coates asked -why the taxpayers should be asked to pay for the loss of £1.200,000. The Minister of Railways was afraid to increase freights at certain points. Mr. Tcitch: Is he? Mr. Coates: Yes. Rising to a point of. order. Mr. Yeitch asked whether Mr. Coates was entitled to charge a member of the House with being afraid. (Reform laughter.) Mr. Coates: I extend all sorts of apologies. Mr.~ Speaker said that if it was meant, that the Minister lacked courage he did not think it was admissible. He asked Mr. Coates to withdraw the statement. Mr. Coates complied, and said he lelt that the Minister would show a certain amount of diffidence before be increased freishts, for all Ministers of Railways had" found difficulty in meeting the tremendous pressure* of interested parties in the matter of freights. The railways should be placed in control of independent hands, and powers of control- should be laid down definitely ,by Act. Mr. Hogan: That is the old Conservative policy. Mr. Coates: Well I am quite proud if it is. It is the right one, and the -only one that has proved, successful