ALLEGATION OF BIAS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22518, 28 September 1938, Page 10

ALLEGATION OF BIAS

CHARGE AGAINST COUNCIL MINISTER’S STRONG CRITICISM GUARANTEE NEEDED FOR WASHDYKE DRAINAGE A charge that the Levels County Council had., shewn political bias against the Labour Government in its attitude to the proposed Washdyke drainage scheme was made by the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, when replying to a deputation at Pleasant Point yesterday. Mr Semple alleged that the council had not played the game, either to the Government or to the settlers affected by the proposal, and generally roundly criticised the council

Some time ago the Minister was asked to provide finance for a scheme to drain all the Washdyke area, near Timaru, where flooding and seepage through the winter has held up farming operations considerably. He took steps which, led to a sum of £9OOO being offered by the Government, the settlers themselves being asked to secure the balance of £IOOO. Mr Semple stated yesterday that the Levels County Council had been asked to guarantee the sum of £IOOO, but had refused so far, because of a technical hold-up, which, he claimed, could have been easily overcome had the council agreed to guarantee the amount, pending completion of loan formalities.

Mr C. E. Kerr, introduced as the accredited representative of the settlers interested, said that it had been found that because of legal formalities, it would be six months before the district could obtain the money required. The area was in a desperate state because of lack of drainage and the settlers were anxious to see if there were not some way of overcoming the dilemma. He asked that the scheme be started immediately, on the understanding that the Levels County Council and the ratepayers were solidly behind it and that the county would honour its obligations as soon as possible. “We are so sorely pushed that we cannot put our hands on the money in the meantime,” Mr Kerr said. “But if Mr Semple will only start the work, it will be on the distinct understanding that «w will honour our obligations.” Mr T. B. XJarrick, the chairman of the' Levels County Council, said that a deputation recently had found the waterlogged country in a worse state than had been expected. The outstanding £IOOO would be found, but the council could not guarantee it. However, the ratepayers and the settlers were keen to see the scheme going, and he knew that they would foot the bill.

“The Dizzy Limit”

“It is amazing that you should ask me to go ahead with the scheme after after what has happened,” Mr Semple said, addressing Mr Garrick. "When I made up my mind originally, I decided that because of the plight of these men I would go the dizzy limit. I- recognised at the same time that while irrigation was not responsible for all the waterlogging, it was contributing to it, and I decided that we should contribute considerably to relieve it. I at first offered £SOOO, on condition that you found the balance. I offered another £IOOO from the Public Works Fund, and secured from the Minister for Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, his approval for a grant from the employment funds of £3OOO. This meant that we were finding a total of £OOOO. That amounts to a subsidy of nine to one—the biggest I have ever considered giving, and the biggest I have heard of any Minister giving. “I was satisfied that the £9OOO would be accepted,” the Minister said, "and that there would be no difficulty in going on with the work. I was so certain of this that I asked Mr T; G. Beck, the irrigation engineer, to go on with the preliminary arrangements and an order was prepared for two drag-lines to do the work. Now I do not think that the chairman of the Levels County Council even had the courtesy to reply to my telegram, for at least some days. I did not know what action had been taken at all. That has been the position ever since. Only a week or so ago I had to cancel the order for the drag-lines, as I could not have the machines delivered here, only to rust away at the expense of the State. You now ask me to go ahead with the scheme after what has happened. Treasury’s Attitude “The Treasury will not allow a position like that. We are businessmen, not mugs.' The Treasury certainly will not start out on a £9OOO scheme without some guarantee. I think that the least the county could have done is to have stood the guarantee for the job. If they had stood the guarantee, there would have been np trouble about starting. For me to ask a responsible Government to take the word of mouth of any person as a guarantee is no good. It is not constitutional, and I am not going to do it, although I do not for , a minute doubt the word of the settlers.

, “ITie Levels County Council has not played the game to these men or to the Government. There is a great deal of political colour about their attitude, in my opinion. I think that there is a lot of political venom about it. We have got it in other county councils, where the members are prepared to punish the ratepayers rather than give us the credit of doing anything good. This is another sample of it. We are living in a democratic country. The will of the people is predominant. It is the duty of the local authority, no matter what its political colour, to pul] with the Government in anything that is good for the people. If the local authority does not do this, it is an act of treachery.” “Might be Cancelled” ■ Mr Semple said that the job would have been started three months ago if it had not been held up in this way. He was afraid that Mr Armstrong might shortly cancel the £3OOO he had promised. He had done so in other places where the offers were not taken up, for the same reason, Mr Semple believed—that individuals with “souls burning with hatred for the Government,” would rather see farmers stick in the mud than give the Government credit for anything. Mr Garrick interjected that the Minister was blaming the council without justification. Mr Semple: They have been positively hostile.

Mr Garrick: No, we have to go by the law. Mr Semple: You could give us a guarantee in their name. Mr Garrick: Would the Treasury pass it? “Yes, they would pass a guarantee from a recognised organisation.” Mr Semple said. Mr Garrick said that if the county had known that its guarantee was legal, -the Minister would have been given it.' Ulr Carr’s Position Mr C. L. Carr, M.P., who introduced the deputation, alleged that Mr Garrick had declared ■ that the Government would find all the money in the end, and t'aat the county could not rate all ratepayers for the benefit of one section. Mr Carr strongly criticised the County Council. “Perhaps the legal adviser had the same political canker in his soul as the county,” Mr Semple said, in answer to an interjection that the county could have ascertained the correct legal position from its adviser. The Minister concluded that the council could guarantee the £IOOO and the work proceed at the same time as the necessary legal formalities about raising the loan were being attended to. He knew that if this were not done shortly the £3OOO subsidy would be withdrawn.