ACCEPTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 201, 26 August 1939, Page 13

ACCEPTED.

MK. HAMILTON ACTS. CHALLENGE BY MR. SEMPLE. MR. FRASER INTERVENES. I ■ |r-j;raph. — Parliamentary Reporter.) W hLI.IXC; TON', this day. I he highlight. nf proceedings during tin' i Minmitter stages of the discussion on I 'if I ina mi- ISill in tho House of fti-i'i •"•'•iitnt i\ e* yesterday afternoon run:' 1 "Inn the Lender of the Opposi- | 'i"| 1 ■ Mi-. Hamilton, accepted the dial- | «- - made ovoi night by the Minister of CiiMh Work-". Mr. Seinplc. The Minis- | In :i.'il invited Mr. Hamilton to join I Inn in i<• --il;11i11 hi,- seat if the o|»J>o- -■ 1 1 allegations ol wasteful expendiini.- *. n plll>l iir works could lie. proved |.\ i piopi-ilv i-oii-I it uted triliunal. Mr. 1 **■' - m :1 1 ' 11 n-krfl Mr. Hamilton to eon- ] t-'lnii to ti„. I rippled Children'* l-iiii.l ■' ..Mi- o| ill,, i-oiulitions of the I i i. i: i i l ll. ! Mi. Hamilton was emphatic when lie' I'.'.k Mr. Sc in pie at. his word. The i Mini'-t'-'. lie -a ill. had thrown out the i ■ 11.111' ■irjt •in spectacular and picturesque I l.ihl:mi--ie. iiml (lie Opposition would not i lei II p,l-s. [ "Il i- now for his Covornmont to set up a liiiyal ( oin in iss ion to conduct the ' iimvt iga i ion which the Minister ha-> fiie^e-te.|. ' added Mr. Hnmiltoii. "If the (-"in ii ii-- ii in eoncliidc-4 that, .ill the expeniliiine \\ a - jn-t ilied and the money propei l\ -pent, we will pay the CIOO. andpay gladly." j An Amendment. Mr. Hamilton followed up his thru-; I■> \ing un amendinent. to reduce, the pi-opo-cd loan of £ I.">, 000,000 for Public Wnrk-s to X. 1 1,(100,000, as a. further prole-,! auaiiir-t expenditure which the Opjpo-.-iii'iu considered excessive.

lii ret a liat inn, .Mr. Semple declare.l tluit lite ground iiarl not been cleared by Mr. Hamilton, lte hn.d accepted the dialli'iipo, but. not quite r>n tho terms that lind 1 )•■■«■ n .-11 l:ct<tc<l. The Minister said he it't responsible for the whole of the j vote tnr I'uldic Works, hi* responsibility, resting on the .-pending of the money. Jf I tlie Opposition Accepted the challenge it j was for them to prove that the method | of the expenditure had lx-en wasteful. Mr. Hamilton The commission will sa\ t ha t. Mr. Semple said he had also undertaken In prove before the tribunal that lie ha<l saved tens of thousand* of pounds (Hi I'ui.lic Works, and that tons of thousands of pounds had been waited bv past iidministrations. He was willing to talk the proposition over with Mr. Hamilton ' privately if lie. desired to conic to some sensible a rra ngemcnt. At this stage the acting-Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser. intervened. Humiliation? "The Movcrnment. has something to say about this," he declared amidst Opposition laughter. "There is going to lio no < omini.-i-ion, and that is that. No Minister of the Crown is going to be subjected to humiliation of that. sort. Tf the Opposition and the Minister want to continue the argument, they can make, private arrangements. But, to suggest solemnly that, a commission should be. set up to judge, a. Minister and tho Government is too ridiculous for words." Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford) : I agree that it would he an extraordinwrv thing to try a Minister by a Royal Commission. The Chairman of Committees (Mr. R. McKeeil) : Order, this is not in the, bill. Mr. Semple: I did not suggest a Royal Commission. Mr. PoNnn: The Minister issued the challenge, and the Government must find some way out. The chairman would not permit any further discussion, and on division, the amendment was lost by .')H votes to 24.