TRANSPORT CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 79, 30 September 1938, Page 16

TRANSPORT CONTROL

MINISTER'S POSITION

Speaking in support of the Hon. R. Semple at Houghton Valley last evening, Mr. P. M. Butler stated that he was i not there to invoke aid for Mr. Semple as, so far as Wellington East was concerned, it was one of the easiest propositions that Labour had in the present election. This did not mean, said Mr. Butler, that the matter of voting should be taken too easily, as every vote should be cast, not only to ensure Mr. Semple's return, but to give him one of the largest majorities in any i constituency in appreciation of the wonderful work he had done on behalf ' of the electorate and on behalf of the community generally. * \ Mr. Butler warned the electors respecting the methods of propaganda indulged in by the opponents of the people. He said that the tactics of the metropolitan Press and the Nationalist candidates and speakers against Labour were similar to the poisonous propaganda indulged in by the opponents of Ballance and Seddon in the jiineties. He read excerpts from Press comments in the nineties and contrasted them with statements of a similar nature being used today. In jnost respects the comments were similar, even to the very phrasing of the ; sentences. "' Mr Butler referred to a leading article in a newspaper describing Mr. Semple as a dictator. The article m*erred,that Sections 12 and 13 of the Transport Act conferred powers on the Minister of Transport enabling him to close transport businesses without appeal to any court of justice, the impression being given that the Labour Government had conferred this socalled dictatorial power on Mr. Semple. Mr Butler said that this was grossly inaccurate and untrue. The fact of the matter was that the clauses in the Transport Act which had been selected for condemnation had been enacted by the previous Government. As a matter of fact, the provisions of the Act were based on those provided for m the British Transport Act. ENACTED BY LAST GOVERNMENT. 7 Mr Butler said that the only difference 'between the legislation of the farevious Government and the transport legislation brought down by the Labour Government in respect of this matter was that the previous Government had J3de it possible to appeal to the Transt£rt Co-ordination Board, whilst the labour Government had abolished the Transport Co-ordination Board and made the appeal to the Minister, who responsible to Pf liament and^e•snonsible to the electors. The Trans 2>rt Coordination Board was responSue'to nobody. It had been an expenshS imposition on the transpor £irhi<?trv and consisted of nigniy Slaried men who seldom met but who Sew hign salaries at the expense of t£e operators in the industry. The labour Party abolished this board ai stated, had made the appeal to the "Avoid being too particular." The circuit pfoceedid to say, "Use every posstelepSy of words, every tactic you msta B§«s people.