VOTES IN SOUTHLAND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1265, 21 October 1911, Page 9

VOTES IN SOUTHLAND.

CRITICISM DY MR. MASSEY. EXPLANATIONS BY MINISTERS. During tho .discussion on tlio Publio Works Estimates at an oarly hour on Friday morning Mr. Massey advanced a charge that three items of expenditure would benefit private individuals and not the public. Tho Minister in charge of the liitimaios admitted the validity of tlio charge in respect ,of two of* tho votes, and stated that expenditure on the items mentioned had been >.to]iped, Tho votes mentioned by Mr. Massey were:— .E Black Creek Channel (Southland) ... 200 Winlon, Block 111, Section 12, outfall drain (Southland) 53 Winton Hundred, Sections 1 and 7, outfall drain, Mallard's (Southland) • no The Hon. K. M'Kcnzio admitted that there was a certain amount of truth iii tlio statement made by the hon member. He must have been well informed, lx> caueo two of tlic.se works had been stopped. Representations had been made to him as well us to tho lion, member that this money was being spent 011 ririvaU property. The matter was under investigation at the present time, and work had been stopped in both eases. Ma*. Massey remarked that some inquiry was required as to the engineer or officer who had recommended that these items should bo placed 011 tho Estimates. JJoro were two votes which, according to his | information, wore placod on the Publio Works Estimates for tlio purpose of benefiting private individuals, and not for tlio ! public benefit at all. Mr. Massey next asked: What about tho Black Crc-ek and' channel vote: .£200? The Minister said that had been stopped too. Sir Joseph Ward remarked that lie un- . derstood that the Opposition candidate ia , his (the Premier's) district had been in ■ communication with tho lion, gentleman, lie had said so. j Mr. Massey: I won't contradict Mr, [ Hamilton's statomont. Statement by the Premier. ' Tlio l'rimo Minister added that on re. ■ ceiving a communication about this matter ho had immediately taken steps, ' as member for tho district, to have tho votes struck off. One of them had not 1 been applied for from his district at all, 1 but from another district by another ; member. 111 the other caso ho had been, advised that what was called a publio voto was for a private properly. On , learning this 110 took immediate steps to . liavo it struck off. 110 had not at any . time applied for public money to be used for tho benefit of any man's private property. He would take ap opportunity , of dealing with the matter when ho wag on the spot. lie added that tho gentleman who had notified the Leader of the Opposition had taken round Mr. Masscy's letter to a number of people, and shown it to them although it was marked "private." Mr. Massey said he was not going to givo away the namo of iiis informant, but it was perfectly evident that.tho information was correct. Tho Primo Miuistor repeated that ho had asked tho Department to stop tho votes immediately. 110 could probably tell tho lion, gentleman something about it. Mr. Massey: "Oh, I don't know much about it." To a remark by tho Primo ' Minister that tlio Leader of tho Opposition had visited his electorate, Mr. Massey replied that if the lion, gentleman suggested that ho (Mr. Massey) had gono aboirt his electorato looking for trouble of this sort, he iiad done nothing of. the kind. When 110 was passing through from Itcefton to Invercargill, ho was informed that public money was being spent on a private ■ drain. Information camo to him later in regard" to tho three votes. "Something Wrong With tho Whole ~, System." . • " Ho knew nothing of how they caiiio to bo placed 011 tho Estimates, but when tliero were three votes for tho purposo of benefiting private property in 0110 \ district it proved conclusively that tliero ; was something wrong with tho wholo system. Nothing would have been Ward 1 of tho matter if information had not 1 como to him from Southland. It showed 3 that tho amendment moved by the mem- ; bcr for Wellington North earlier in tho evening was justified. If this was going ; 011 in one district, why not in every 1 other in tho country? There should bo ■ somo record, something to show . that when money was placed on the Estimates ' for.' a particular purposo it _was used for * that purposo. If any engineer rccom- ; mended voles such as these, then ho waa : not fit for tho position which 110 occupied. , ' Tlio Hon. It. M'Kenzic: That is wliera ] yon aro wrong! j Mr. Massey said ho would not move p that these voles should lx> struck out, as lie gathered that they had already bceu [ struck out. ' Out of tho Ordinary. Sir Joseph Ward said that the Leader 1 of the Opposition had a perfect right to , do what ho liked in matters of the kind, but, on the faeo of it, it did not lcolc quite too well. Tlio hon. gentleman . would look upon it as a little out of tlio , ordinary if lie (the Prime Minister) • should write to (lie candidate in his district to obtain information, and try to injure him in his candidature. Tlio Prime Minister continued that he would , fight his own battle in his own way. 110 had never at any time endeavoured to ■ have a. vote expended in benefiting any man's private land in his own elector, ate of anybody else's. Mr.'Massey: Did the application coma from the County Council? Sir Josfph Ward: I can't say. Mr. Massey: My information' is that it did not. Sir Joseph Ward indicated that possibly application had been improperly made by the County Council of which Mr. Masscy's informant was a member. In his opinion, the Leader of the Opposition had tried to citato "a littlo scandal." The Country Should bo Made Aware. Mr. Massey remarked that: letters camo to him, in his capacity as leader of tho Opposition, from all over the country, in regard to irregularities. Scores of loiters came (0 him every week. A volo had bceu placed on the • Estimates for his own electorato of' Franklin, not at his request, or at tho request of tlio district; loeal body, but 011 (he application of tho hon. gentleman's candidate. The whole sysfem seemed to him to bo scandalous. The wholo country should be mado aware of what was going on. Sir Joseph Ward repeated that inquiries had been made by the Opposition, candidate in his district, presumably with a view to injuring him as candi- . date for the district, for party purposes. Luckily he had happened to hear of it. As to tho Franklin vote, he had been interviewed by a deputation. Anvone in this country had a perfect right to apply to the Government for expenditure in any portion of New Zealand. The Hon. !?. M'Kenzic stated that one of his best engineers, in whom lie had every trust, had recommended one' of those works—a drain. He,was perfectly confident that this particular item was straight forward. He bad correspondence proving, that the Franklin vote, which had been mentioned, . had been asked for bv a deputation to (he Primo Minister, which was introduced by tiio gentleman who stood against tlio Leader of the Opposition at last election. With this, tho eliscussion terminated.