Heated Exchanges Over Immigration Officer

Northern Advocate, 27 November 1948, Page 6

Heated Exchanges Over Immigration Officer

WELLINGTON, Sat. (Sp.)—-There were heated exchanges, which threatened to get out of hand in the House ot Representatives yesterday. Subject under discussion was the appointment of Mr W. G. Simpson, alleged to be an undischarged bankrupt, as chief immigration selection officer in London.

When the? House was discussing the Supplementary Estimates, Mr W. A. Bodkin CO —Central Otago) moved that the item of £SOOO in the Supplementary Estimates for the administration expenses of the Department of Labour and Employment be deleted to express the House’s dissatisfaction that the Government had not intimated what action it proposed to take over Mr Simpson’s appointment. - He said he accepted without reservation the Minister’s assurance that he had no knowledge that'Mr Simpson was an undischarged bankrupt at the time of the appointment. The matter had been raised in the House because the member for Patea (Mr W. A. Sheat) had received letters of complaint from the creditors. GENEROSITY TO OTHERS The Minister of Labour (Mr McLagan) said Mr Simpson went bankrupt because of his generosity to other people during the depression. Before Mr Simpson left the country he had informed the Public Service Commission and asked whether the commission thought it right that he should go overseas. The commission had gone carefully into the matter and found that there was nothing discreditable in the bankruptcy.

The full amount, or just enough to get his discharge? Mr McLagan: Just enough to get his discharge, which was all he could get at the time. SAVED COUNTRY THOUSANDS The Minister of Defence (Mr Jones) said Mr Simpson had worked for the Government throughout the war, being sent to camps and stations throughout New Zealand to supervise the butcher shops.

By establishing central butcheries and eliminating waste he had saved the country thousands of pounds. Mr Simpson had made enemies, particularly in Taranaki, by exposing contractors who supplied underweight bread and second-grade meat. Mr Mackley said the Ministers of Labour and Defence had talked all round the subject. The Opposition was not attacking Mr Simpson, but the Government’s administration." The Government must have known of Mr Simpson’s history when it made the appointment. As it required only a small sum, he could have obtained his discharge quite simply. The acting Prime Minister (Mr Nash) said before he left New Zealand Mr Simpson had deposited an agreed sum to be paid to the creditors but he could not get his discharge unless he was in the country. Mr R. M. Algie (O—Remuera): Why did we send him? Mr Nash said Mr Simpson knew as much about New Zealand as any other man, and was some judge of character. GENEROSITY OF FRIENDS Mr Sheat said that for some vears he had been a friend of Mr Simpson and they had accepted each other’s hospitality on occasions. Mr Simpson had gone bankrupt in 1940, but they had not been on intimate terms before then. There was no vendetta between them. (Dries of derision from the Government benches). “There was never a man who took his friends down worse than Mr Simpson, and his bankruptcy statements wilt reveal that,” continued Mr Sheat. “The only thing that saved him from going bankrupt before was the generosity of his friends. “He went bankrupt because he traded on his friends, and he is the man representing this country in an important position today. “If the Government thinks that it is going to slide out of this by saying he went bankrupt because of his generosity. it is laughable and ridiculous FINAL DIVIDENDS POSTED “If the Government were prepared to investigate the circumstances, it would come to the conclusion that he was not fit to represent New Zealand.” Mr McLagan said his department had made a check, and the amount sufficient to complete the discharge had been paid over and final dividends had been posted to all creditors. In response to Opposition interjections as to when the amount had been paid. Mr McLagan said he did not know.

Mr Simpson had then gone to the Official Assignee and said he wanted to obtain his discharges. The assignee told him there was no time to go through the legal processes before the ship sailed. Mr Simpson then gave a solicitor power-of-attorney to act in the matter and left sufficient money to obtain his discharge. Mr G. H. Mackley (O—Wairarapa):