NOT TO BE TOLERATED

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 253, 20 July 1920, Page 4

NOT TO BE TOLERATED

MR. MASSEY ON MOKOIA INCIDENT The refusal of the crew of one of th« vessels of the Union Company to bring Sir George Clifford to Wellington was referred to as one of the reasons urged in support of the demand for the early completion of the South Island Main Trunk railway by Mr. G. Forbes, M.P., speaking for a deputation to tho Prime Minister yesterday. "We know tho difficulties about the ferry service," Baid Mr. Forbes, "and the*» difficulties are not getting less as time goes on. We find that discrimination is used as to what passengers are to be carried. Wo members of Parliament are faced with, tho possibility that if wo happen, any of us, to make a speech in the House which is not pleasing to our Labour friends, wo may bo denied a passage. This will mean eitrn expense and inconvenience to us, and you, Mr. Massey, are faced with tho extra expenditure of having to put thp Tutanekni on for the run.

Mr. M'Callum: There are plenty of oil launches in tho Sounds.

Mr. Forbes said that the Government should push on to get a lino through to Pic-ton, and to promise a better ferry service than at prescent existed. Mr. Massey, in his reply, said that this point had been a good argument in favour'of the construction of the- line—certain passengers being left behind by one' nf the Union Company's steamers. "Things like that," ho said, "cannot be tolerated in this country by this or any other Government. They mußt be; brought to an end. But I .have to admit that if we have to wait for the coustrnction of this line there may be many such instances."