MINISTER AND MEMBER

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1937, Page 5

MINISTER AND MEMBER

MR. HARGEST’S REPLY. [PER PBESB ASSOCIATION.] INVERCARGILL, February 19. In reply to the latest statement by the Minister for Public Works, Hon. R. Semple, Mr. J. Hargest, M.P. for Awarua, said to-nig|it that he did not desire to continue a newspaper discussion with. Mr. Semple, whose last statement ranged over the years since 1921 and on into the future, and who in setting out his own achievements in Southland during the last 15 months confused promises with work actually done. Mr. Hargest said he had set out to refute the Minister’s two statements that he had administered a snub ami that he had neglected his electorate

during the Minister’s visit. He believed that ho had satisfied every unbiased reader on both charges. All the references to the Manukau byelection and the challenge to visit Mr. Semple’s electorate were not worthy of notice. Ho would probably call in on the Minister’s electorate, but would certainly not even mention Mr. Semple’s name. It. was the policy of the National parly to attack policies, not persons. The charge that while he was in Wellington he was attempting to undermine the position of the present Government and bring about its defeat was ludicrous, coming from

one who for more than 21) years nau used every effort to discredit previous administrations, said Mr. Hargest. I Referring to the challenge to com-j pare the record in Southland of the last Government, in the four years of its office with that of the present Government’s 15 months of administration. Mr Hargest said that if one omitted promises of “comprehensive surveys,’’ one could point, to such works as the Lumsden-.losephillo road, the KingstonQueenstown road, about 60 miles of the Eglinton road, and many scores of miles of drainage, compared with the beginning of the Lorneville overbridge and. on the Minister’s own showing, 350 feet of the Homer tunnel.