LABOUR MINISTER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 27 March 1922, Page 2

LABOUR MINISTER.

AS A CAPITALIST

BRISBANE. March 8

Speaking at a Nationalist meeting in 1 favour of the candidature of Mr Fisher • for Paddington, Mr Andrews said that the caucus Ministers were continually stamping as profiteers any persons who, i as a result of thrift and capacity, had made a competence in business. Speaking recently, one Cabinet Minister referred to the "soulless rich living in the lap of luxury." "Such statements," he said, "are ridiculous, coming from ] men who, themselves, are living in the ' lap of luxury at the country's expense. 1' < Mr Andrews referred to the Canindah ' Copper Mine Co., Limited, at Mount j Canindah. This particular copper mine, he said, loomed very much in the public ey© a few years ago, when a proposal was before Parliament for the construction of the Many Peaks to Mount Canindah railway. At that time Mr McCormack and another member of the Legislative Assembly were big shareholders in the company. The proposal was referred to a Parliamentary Committee of the Upper House, and was rejected. There were two possible routes. One of these was about 26 miles long, over the Dawes Range, touching the mine, and estimated to cost about j £750,000, and the other < skirting the range and not touching the mine at a 1 much lower estimated cost.

"It will no doubt be interesting to the public," continued the speaker, "in view of the wild ravings of Cabinet Ministers against the capitalist to know that, according to the share list of the company, William McCormack is by far the biggest shareholder. A search of the Supreme Court register discloses that his holding is 3150 shaTes, or nearly one-fourth of the mine. It will be more interesting for them^to know, too, as announced in Hall's Mercantile Gazette of February, that the Minister for Mines has taken a bill of sale over the company's assets for £2513 to cover advances made or to be made by the department to the company." Mr Andrews produced Hall and Gibbs' Mercantile. Gazette flnd a copy of the Supreme Court share register £o prove the truth of his statement.

"The Burnett scheme," said Mr Andrews, "is at present looming on the horizon, and the railway line to Mount Canindah will be an accomplished fact. It will, no doubt, interest the public to know that the expensive route over the Dawes Range to Camndah has been decided upon.'

Mr McCormack stated to-day that there was no need for Mr Andrews to go to the share register for information concerning the shareholders of the Canindah Copper Mine. He (Mr McCormack) in 1917, when Speaker, voluntarily gave evidence before the select committee, when he stated he was interested in the Canmdah Copper Mine. In fact, he tfcfpplied a list of shareholders. He also stated in Parliament that he had an interest in the mine, but the value of it would not justify building the railway. He had nevor heard of the line being advocated because of the mineral production. The bulk of the shares in the mine were still held by working miners in the Many Peaks district. The Burnett line was approved by the Assembly before he (Mr McCormack) had any interest in a mining show in that district.