EX-MINISTER DEFENDED

Northern Advocate, 9 November 1934, Page 6

EX-MINISTER DEFENDED

APPRECIATIVE EJACULATION. REMARKS OF MR MASON. IFrom Our Parliamentary Special .] WELLINGTON, This Day. Coming from an unexpected quarter, a defence of the actions of Sir Apirana Ngata in his handling of the Native Department, made in the House yesterday by Mr H. G. R, Mason (Labour, Auckland Suburbs), created wide attention, which at times found expression in appreciative ejaculations from the Government benches and quieter comments from the members of his parry, Mr Mason supported the contention of Sir Apirana that the report of the Royal Commission had not been fair to him, and argued that Sir Apirana’s decision to ignore “red tape” methods was one which had to be admired. The speaker placed the blame for laxity in the office administration of the Native Department on the shoulders of the Government as a whole, on the grounds that it was brought about by the policy of “economy and poverty.”

Saying that it was impossible to deprecate the work on behalf of the Native race* carried out by Sir Apirana, Mr Mason said that there were references in the report that were not altogether fair to the ex-Minister. The good work done by Sir Apirana was dismissed in a few words. Quoting the “curt and unemotional words” of the report concerning the Native land boards, Mr Mason said that there were very many European lending institutions which would be very pleased to be able to say that they only had one client in arrears with his interest, .and that that security was fully covered. Mr Mason drew attention to the fact that the ex-Native Minister had been defended by the United members of the Government, but he wanted to know why Reform members had not said anything.. He suggested that the reason was to be found in the adage that those who lived in glass houses should not throw stones. The report was not as favourable to the Reform Party as it might be, for it stated concerning Te Kao: “In our judgment, the substantial responsibility for the present position rests with the Native Minister in office from 1926 to 1928, . . .” He asked Reform members of the Government whether their silence was due to the fact that they had a consciousness that many of the troubles were due to their predecessors. “Taking the report as a whole, it seems that the ex-Minister developed all the enthusiasm, he knew all the psychological elements of the undertakings, and he paid great attention to the field work, but the office organisation was in a bad mess,” said Mr Mason. “It is apparent that he did not inherit an office organisation capable of keeping up with the field work.”

“Red Tangle. Mr Mason said it had to be remembered that Sir Apirana had taken up a stand against too much “red tape,” and he (Mr Mason) was not going to quarrel with him on that account, especially in view of the experiences which he had had himself. As an illustration, he said that it had been desired to build the Whau Bridge between Ahckland and the suburbs. The plans were ready, the money was ready, and the people were agreeable, but it took two solid years to break through the tangle of “red tape” before the work could be started. If Sir Apirana had gone about things in the ordinary way, everything would have been in order, but land settlement schemes would ’ not have been started even now. It boiled down to the fact that if the ex-Minister had been a blockhead and followed the usual course, he would have been regarded as a good Minister. “We remember the small farms scheme)” said Mr Mason. “In spite of the enthusiasm of ‘the men who get things done,’ who initiated the scheme, month after month went by: and not one man went on the land, i Twelve and fifteen months went by. j Hundreds applied for land, but we j were told ‘The scheme is not quite in running order yet.’ I don’t know what ceremonies and incantations were required to get it under way, but in the erfd we were told that it had been handed over by the special board which was set up by the Lands Department, the only department which could have handled the scheme. The sole result was a large load of firewood—it might have been two loads—which were driven round the town and handed over to another department. This department did not know what to do with this load o piles, and, for all I know, they might still be carted round the*town. But, after all this, fifteen months went by and not one man was placed on the land.

“That was the ‘red tape’ that was going on at the time when the Minister was doing his work. If the Minister got on with the job, good luck to him. I am not going to excuse the office mess. But in fairness to the Minister, I believe that if he had adopted official methpds nothing would have been done.”