BILL UNDER FIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 186, 7 August 1936, Page 9

BILL UNDER FIRE.

MINISTERS' ASSISTANTS.

ACCESS TO SECBET PAPEBS,

(By Telejrraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Thursday. Declaring that the appointment of Parliamentary under-secretaries was an innovation "never contemplated by the last Government, the Hon. Sir Alfred Ransom (National, Pahiatua), speaking on the second reading of the Civil List Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-day, said tho. work of a Minister was no sinecure, and it was essential that he should have everything in his own ha*nds. Otherwise he would lose a certain amount of control.

Sir Alfred said with the appointment of under-secretaries a larger number of persons would have access to secret documents, although under-secretaries would not have the same responsibilities as Ministers. What would be the position of heads of Departments with another person coming between them and their Minister? It was another evidence of extravagance on the part of the Government. Such appointments would tend to make politics a profession, and a member would lipt be expected to do any other work.

"I can't help wondering if the desire to create these positions is to placate those members of the Government who are disappointed at not becoming Ministers," Sir Alfred added. "I consider that the bill will constitute a weakness and a step backward rather than a step forward."

The Minister of Education, Mr. Fraser, said there was not room for a statement that the Prime Minister was bringing it forward to placate some of his followers who did not get Ministerial office. With regar'd to the question of secrecy, he said that with fewexceptions the secret documents dealing with the internal affairs of the Dominion passed through a variety of hands. A Minister must trust his officers, and he had never known an instance in which that trust had been betrayed.

Mr. S. G. Smith (National, New Plymouth) protested against the Government bringing in such a bill at a time when the taxpayers were requesting relief. It was a measure to benefit a few members of Parliament at a dost of some thousands a year. The bill should not be allowed to pass until the Prime Minister stated how many under-secre-taries were to be appointed. There were routine matters that could well be attended to by a junior clerk in a Minister's office —matters that did not need the services of an under-secretary at £600 a year.

Criticism was also voiced by Mr. W. P. Endean (National, Parnell), Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (National, Riccarton) and the Hon. A. Hamilton (National, Wallace).