EXCEPTION TAKEN

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 84, 8 April 1936, Page 6

EXCEPTION TAKEN

ATTACK ON BOARD

MINISTERS TAKEN TO TASK

! Mr.'; W.: P. Ehdeaii (Nationalist, Parjne'll) criticised the policy "of the Govern-;j-neht. v ih doing away with the .Railways .'Board; in yiew of'previous experiences 'without one. .He referred to the attack made by the Honi' D. G. Sullivan and the Hon. R. Semple on the board, and described it as unfair, and deplored the innuendo directed against. Sir James Gunson, deputy chairman" of the board. : it got round that Sir James had not'•discharged'--his', duties-in a

satisfactory way, and surely that

■would not.'beallowed to 'go unchal,'lenged. Mr> Efl^ean paid a tribute to , the ability of Mr..H./H. Sterling, chair"man of the boardi who, he said, had ;devoted practically-his whole time to the affairs of the board. His. knowledge, experience, and ability when he returned from his trip abroad could be utilised for the good of the country. He was a man with great driving force, and>was responsible to a large extent •for the reforms that had taken place in railway affairs. It was not fair for Mr. Semple to speak of him as having gone footballing.

i; The Hon. H. G. R. Mason (Minister 'of Justice); What about when he was manager?

Mr. Endean: He was • under Government control and did'not have a free hand. The'attack "was not cricket.

Mr. J. A. Lee (Government, , Grey Lynn): No, it was football. (Laughter.)

Mr. Endean quoted figures to show how the railway earnings had increased under the jurisdiction'of the board from £688,000 in 1931 to £1,087,000 in 1935. That was due to the ability,and business acumen of the board^rriembersy >he: ;; : , ; , ■■..; •' Mrl Endean attacked the Government's policy concerning uncompleted lines, and said, that people had made a great error in swallowing the policy of the Government at the last election. The Wharanui-Parnassus line should never have been started, and neither should the Napier-Gisborne line. There had been £2,757,000 spent on the Wharanui-Parnassus section, and it would cost another £2.242.000 to complete it. The Hon. H. T. Armstrong (Minister of Labour): What did you spend on the Auckland railway station? Mr. Endean: I did not spend it, and if \I had been running New Zealand for the last twenty years it would be much better off than it is today. These lines would not be completed.