ABSENT MINISTERS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 34, 8 August 1925, Page 7

ABSENT MINISTERS

Eapeated comments on the absence of Ministers from i the meeting chamber were resented by the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. "There appears to be a wilful intention," said Mr. M'Leod, "to mislead thecountry into believing that Ministers are failing to attend-to their duties by calling attention to the fact that they are out of the House for a couple of minute*. If members themselves fail to recognise the responsibility they owe to this country, the Ministers do not. For the last fortnight or more, while the hon. gentlemen oa the Labour beuches have been electioneering .purely and simply along the lines of promises of policy whiuh they will bring into effect if they are returned to power, the Liberal members have been discussing fusion with the Government which, they condemn hip and thigh every time they speak." The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) raised a point of order on the giound that the Minister was referring to a matter not relative to the business under discussion, and that reference was being made to a past debate. The Prime Minister named several members on the Opposition benches who, he said, had remarked upon Ministers' absence from the chamber. He considered .the Minister of Lands was quite entitled to refer to those complaints. The Chairman of Committees (Mr. J. A. Young) said that reference had been made to the absence of Blinisters in the courso of the debate, and he thought Mr. M'Leod was equally entitled to explain. "What I want to object to," said Mr. ml3o' "? s nis reference to fusion." The Minister proceeded with his speech, remarking- that he would not follow the matter any further. Mr. F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn) protested against the Minister's attack made upon the Labour Party when his real grievance was against the members on another side.

Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) said there was.no question of misleading the country. Thero was no misleading when an absolute fact was stated. If it had been said that a Minister was absent from the House when he was not absent, that would bo misleading. Tlio point was that members found it exceedingly difficult nnd inconvenient to ventilate matters upon which they wished a reply when responsible Ministers were not present. Mr. Veitch also expressed resentment at a statement by Mr. M'Leod that some one "was on a fishing expedition." That was nnother way of saying that member.l* had no right to ask Ministers questions, which was «n nbsnrditv.