"A CLEAN UP"

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 13

"A CLEAN UP"

IN MARINE DEPARTMENT

AN APPOINTMENT CRITICISED

THE POSITION OF SECRETARY.

The appointment of an officer from the Public Service Commissioner's office to the- position of Acting-Secretary of Marine'was again'criticised in the House of Representatives last night. The subject was raised by the Leader ©f the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilfordj, who contended that it was not right that a man should be appointed to the position of head of the Marine Department when he was ignorant of nautical matters. The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) supported Mr. Wilford, and said that the fact was that the officer in question was a personal friend of the Public Service Commissioner. Why have a clerk as head of. a Department where expert information was required? REDUCING A DEBIT. The Minister of Marine {the Hon. G. J. Anderson) defended the appointment on the ground that the Marine Department required cleaning up, and the officer appointed had done that. He tras efficient and businesslike, and had been successful in his work. The fact was that a debit of £93,000 had been reduced to £65,000, and in the coming year it was hoped to reduce it still further, to below £30,000. The officer was not to be appointed permanently in the Marine Department. Mr. Wilford: "That is quite right. Shift.him on to other Departments where he will be needed." Messrs. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) and R. Masters (Stratford) said that the figures quoted by the Minister showed how ' inefficient had been the administration of the Government in regard to Departmental finance. The Prime Minister: "The Leader of the Opposition was in the . National Government when this expenditure was going on." ' Mr. Wilford (to Mr. Massey): "The Minister of Agriculture was in the National Government when the soldiers' iettlements were purchased. How does that suit you!" ■ ■. ■ --..'. "BLUNDERING ATTACKS." . The Prime Minister objected to the blundering attacks made upon the Government, and said he had never heard so many blunders in any; set of Estimates before. He defended the Public Service Commissioner, . and said that no one could deny his capibilities. Alluding to the secretaryship of the Marine Department, .he " pointed out that the predecessor of the.: present' officer had had no nautical experience. Mr. Wilford: :"Not a bit of it." ' Mr. Massey: "He has never been at sea." ■■':■■■■ Mr. Armstrong: -"The Government is at seai": ..... •'■■'! "I can think of ■several countries where, men without nautical experience have held such positions," . continued the Prime Minister. "What about the Eoyal ;Nayy!" In the late war' Sir Eric Geddes, who had never.been.to sea except ak a .passenger, was head of the Navy.; i.'' ■ •. •'.•■. '■ ■■■ Mr. Wilford: i'Ohy y«is-X don'tsay it is necessary for a-Minister to be an expert.' ' "The hon. gentleman i» always at sea," retorted Mr. Masaey to another interjection. . „ . Sir Edward Carson was^ also head of .the Admiralty, said Mr. Maasey. Mr. Wilford: "What did he gay about,it Latter he got it?" Mr. Massey: '1 don't know; he didn't tell me about it.", EASY TO REFUTE. There were numerous other similar instances, said Mr. .Massey. "Sorely to goodness," he said, "you won't compare our little > marine office with the Admiralty?" The attacks of the Opposition were the easiest things in the world to refute. Mr. Veitefi had delivered himself of a very strong attack on the Government. Mr. Veitch: "Surely not. lam quite inoffensive."; Mr. Massey; ™I know the kind of attack the hon. member makes. It is not the' kind of attack that appeals to me." The Chairman: "I would ask the Prime Minister to address/the chair." The Prime Minister: "Oh, yes, sir, I am." (Laughter.) I" hope'my friends opposite, who have been very goodnatured, especially since the supper adjournment, will restrain themselves, and let us get through, the Estimates." - An hon. member: "Get them all through." ' .-'■:■• Mr. Massey': "I would like to do that. In one year we put the whole of the Estimates through in one night." Mr. Holland: "You can't do it thiß time. The night's gone." Mr. Massey made an appeal to the House to get oti with the business, remarking that there was nothing to gain by causing unnecessary delay. The;. Leader, of the Opposition accused Mr. Massey of having wasted ten minutes: of the time of the House in fulmihation. The first thing he then did was to urge ijiembers not to be wasteful. Referring to the analogies made by the Prime Minister, -the speaker said he had never* 1 considered it necessary that the Minister of Marine should have marine experience. Sir Eric Geddes. corresponded to that office at Home. He believed in the commonsense mind of the civilian being applied against the mind of the men who understood nautical matters. That was why he considered the Secretary of- Marine should have nautical experience. The Prime Minister had side-tracked the matter with his analogies. He characterised the appointment as a useless one. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) said the Prime Minister had attempted to draw a red-herring across the trail. The real expert in charge of the Navy was the High Admiral of the Fleet. Mr. Massey: "The First Sea Lord." "Very well, the First Sea Lord—an expert and an ex-sea admiral." Mr. Veitch went on to refer to the importance of the work of the meteorological office, which had been cramped in making savings at the cost of the efficiency of the Department. THE METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE. The Minister of Marine declared that the whole'truth had not been tqld to the hon. gentleman by those who had been prompting him in regard to the Meteorological. Office., The gentleman I in charge of that office was an efficient officer, but he had an idea that his office should be a separate department from the Marine Department. When the curtailment in the Public Service took place that gentleman's office had to share in the co-ordination' that was | effected, Statements attributed to that gentleman were made in the Press. Mr. Hanah: "Do you think that is fair?" : . ■ The Minister: "Yes, I do." The . gentleman in question had an idea that ; he was being interfered with. The's:

speaker took the matter up, and the ■gentleman was instructed to give the fullest possible information to the public .with regard to weather forecasts all over the country. The Meteorological Office had not been curtailed in its efficiency.