Finance Minister Cracking Badly, Doidge Comments

Northern Advocate, 10 November 1939, Page 6

Finance Minister Cracking Badly, Doidge Comments

[Special to “Northern Advocate”] WELLINGTON, This Day.

“in the battle of nerves, in which the Government has involved itself, thd .Minister of Marketing and Finance shows obvious signs of cracking, and cracking badly.” Mr ,'F. W. Doidge, M.P., made this comment in Wellington yesterday. Me said that any one daring to criticfse.'vthe Minister or the Government was charged with political irresponsi-* bility, and with tactics harmful to the full development of the country’s war, effort, Necessities-of-War Cloak ■ Under the cloak of the necessities of war, the Government shamelessly socialised New Zealand, yet would use the state of war as an excuse to gag all criti- . c|sm. “Because I dare to call attention to the fact that overseas ships were arriving with empty holds, and that, in consequence, our warehouses and our shops have empty shelves, the Minister, assailed me in language strangely unbefitting a Minister of the Crown,” 'Mr Doidge added. % “Not Correct” ‘•Mr Nash first says there was no justification for my statement. “Then he admits there is justificatidj, but claims that ‘had ships not come lightly laden, they would not have come at all.’ fHe convey the impression that- the ships are empty because they have come only for the purpose of picking up meat' cargoes. “But that, of course, is not correct. :*%opk at the manifests of any of the regular ships. /‘Take the inward cargoes carried by. ships of any of the five regular overseas lines in the past 12 weeks. “Misleading Public” . why the last ‘Rangi’ boat arriving at Auckland brought only 800 tons to that port. ‘•‘The ‘Rangi’ boats are in the 20,000 ton class. “So clearly it is the Minister, and not I, who misleads the public. “And, moreover, it is significant that, while Mr Nash seeks to explain away the emptiness of incoming ships, he makes no attempt whatever to explain why the shelves of the warehouses and shops are empty. Not Exaggerated”

“The Minister says my talk of the risk of chaos and revolt in the country has no more than curiosity value. “I would suggest to Mr Nash that if, instead of taking cover behind the microphone of the National Broadcasting Station every night, he would go out and frankly meet the people face to face, upon the public platform, he would very soon learn that the situation has not been one bit exaggerated by me.”