"GROPING IN THE DARK”

Evening Star, Issue 22574, 16 February 1937, Page 5

"GROPING IN THE DARK”

MINISTER IN NATIONAL LEADER'S ELECTORATE MEMBER NOT PRESENT MR SEMPLE AGGRIEVED [Per United Press Association.] INVERCARGILL, February 15. “1 am disappointed and 1 regard it as a snub,” said the Minister of Transport (Mr Semple) this afternoon when be received a deputation from the residents of tbe Awarua electorate and the member for Awarua was absent. “ It is the first time that I have had an experience of this kind when my itinerary was arranged, I communicated with Messrs Adam Hamilton and J. Hargest, and asked them to bring matters affecting their electorates before me. Their replies came very late, and now -when I arrive they are not in their district, though Mr Hargest wrote to say he could not accompany me to Stewart Island. “ I am here to do my best for the people, irresperttive of party,” continued the Minister, “ yet they leave the local people to do the best they can in making arrangements. Residents of their electorates are interviewing me on matters with which 1 am not familiar, and it leaves me groping in the dark, it is fair neither to the department nor to the Minister. Members should look after the interests of their electorates first. “Mr Hamilton asked me to devote a day to his electorate. 1 agreed to this and fixed a time to meet his wishes, and now he fails to meet me. I am not surprised at this when 1 hear that Mr, Hamilton quite recently publicly made a statement that the Government represented that • section ot the people which believed in mob rule. That was a definite insult to tens of thousands of law-abiding citizens who voted for the Government. If they were absent for any legitimate reason one could understand it, but it is well known that they are attending a meeting of the executive of their party. Evidently Mr Hamilton prefers to disregard the needs of his, electorate rather than be associated with a Minister who represents what he terms ‘ the flotsam and jetsam of the nation.’ ”