"TAMMANY HALL" METHOD

Evening Star, Issue 25617, 18 October 1945, Page 6

"TAMMANY HALL" METHOD

OPPOSITION CRITICS APPOINTMENT TO TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD SERVICEMAN REJECTED FOR LABOUR NOMINEE (Special.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 18. The system of selection of nominees for harbour boards by the Minister of Marine, Mr O'Brien, was called into question by several Opposition members in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, when they had an opportunity of discussing Ministerial answers to questions. Mr D. C. Kidd (Waitaki) had tabled a question to the Minister of Marine to ascertain why he had failed to give effect to the nomination of the Waimate County Council, supported by the Waimate Borough Council, of a person to fill a vacancy on the Timaru Harbour Board. The Minister's answer stated:— " After examination of the persons recommended for appointment, I decided that the person appointed was suitable for the office, and acted accordingly."

The Minister's attitude was strongly criticised by Mr Kddd, who said it was a slap in the face for local bodies, and contrary to ■ democratic principles of local government. Major Rattray, the nominee of the local bodies, was a veteran of two wars, and had been a member of the County Council for 16 years; The Labour Party in Timaru, which had nothing, to do with the Harbour Board vacancy, nominated a man, and when the two nominations came before the Minister he appointed the Labour nominee, and had also expressed the opinion that, wherever possible, the Government should have men of its own party on public bodies. " It was a Tammany Hall method," declared Mr W. H. Gillespie (Huruuui). Mr 'W. . Sullivan (Nat., Bay of Plenty) asked what was being done by the Government in relation to its programme of preference to ex-service-men.

Mr Clyde Carr (Govt., Timaru) said the Minister made the appointment at Timaru for good and sufficient reasons of his own. If there had been any slight criticism within the Labour movement, it was because the Government had appointed its political opponents to prominent positions. (Government members: Hear, hear.) ; Mr O'Brien said that the local bodies had not mentioned that Major Rattray was a returned man.

Mr Kidd: They gave his military title. The Minister added.that a final recommendation from one organisation said that Major Rattray was a returned serviceman. He was rung up by a newspaper, and made the statement that he did not know Major Rattray was a returned man, and if he 1 had known his career that would have made a difference. He added that the workers of the district were asking, for representation, and they had a right to be considered. Mr W. S. Goosman (Nat., Waikato) claimed that the Minister had not given a satisfactory explanation of his action. The case before the House, marked the introduction of party politics into local bodies, and was to be deplored. The man appointed would probably have no chance of being chosen at an election, and the Minister saw an opportunity of putting a representative into a position by a back-door method at the direction of the Labour Party. ■ Mr R. M. Macfarlane (Govt., Christchurch South) said that politics existed on local bodies long before the advent of the Labour Party.