BLAME ON CABINET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21951, 7 November 1934, Page 15

BLAME ON CABINET

ME. SAVAGE'S VIEWS CENSURE MOTION MOVED I collective; responsibility ! LACK OF CO-OPERATION [BY TET.Er.RAPH— SPECIAL REPORTSIfI | WELLINGTON. Tuesday I This is Hie most damning indict- ! ment that has ever been laid against | any Government since self-government j was first established in New Zealand " declared the Loader of the Opposition, j Mr. M. ,T. Savage, in the House of | Representatives to-day, when moving j a motion of censure against the Gov- | em ment. ! The motion, notice of which had ; been given on the previous day, was jas follows:—"That this House ex- | presses grave alarm at the irrespon- | sible methods adopted in the admini istration of the Native Department as | disclosed in the report of the Native i Affairs Commission, and is of the opinion that the Cabinet failed in its duty j by not immediately accepting its collective responsibility to safeguard the public funds and welfare of the native \ace when advised of the position by responsible officers of the Crown." The Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, intimated at the outset, that the Government was bound to accept tho motion as one of no-confidence. Five Points of Criticism .By arrangement, the commission's report was discussed concurrently with Mr. Savage's motion. In concluding a long survey of the commission's report, Mr. Savage made the following five points: (l 1 ) Cabinet Ministers have collective as well as an individual responsibility in the control of all State departments. I lie ex-Minister of Native Affairs, Sir Apirana Ngata, with every good intention to help the Maori people, acted in an irresponsible manner in his oversight of the Maori development schemes, the purchase of lands and tho expenditure of public funds. (3) There was little or no co-opera-tion between the Native Department and kindred departments, for which Cabinet Ministers have collective responsibility. (4) Th,» report of the commission provides abundant evidence of the lack, of co-operation between Cabinet Ministers in the administration of the various departments of State.

(5) The native race has not received the treatment that it was entitled to expect from various Governments of the day in the matter of development of native lands and other means of livelihood.

Mr. Savage said the Government was collectively responsible for the maladministration which had occurred in the Native Department. No one could imagine a commercial house carrying on in the way the Government had done, making a scapegoat of one of its number who happened to be in immediate control. Loose Methods In Department The commission's report left little doubt about the loose methods in the Native Department. It was clear from the commission's report that there had been little or no co-operation between departments of State. What would be said of a commercial house which never compared notes as between departmentsIt would soon be bankrupt and tho State would have been bankrupt if it had not had the taxpayers behind it. Mr. Savage said that on March 10, 1982, the Controller and Auditor-Gen-eral complained to the Treasury that the Native Department did not cooperate with the Lands Department or with the Valuation Department in the matter of making land purchases. That was a serious statement. When Mr. Savage was referring to the ex-Min-ister in connection with the commission's reference to events in 1920, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Coates, asked, "Whom do you mean by the exMinister?"

Mr. Savage: T am not allowed to mention names. I am referring to the Minister who recently resigned, but the Minister of Finance has an individual as well as a collective responsibility, for ht was Native Minister from 1926 to 1928. Mr. Coates: And long before that. I wish you would be plain. Mr. Savage: 1 propose to be very plain. Mr. Savage said that certain complaints had been made to the Minister of Finance, the Treasury and the Public Service Commissioner two and a-half years ago. Mr. J. A. Nash .('Government —Palmerston): Who was Minister of Finance then y Car-hire Expenses Mr. Savage did not answer the question. but he said a little later that the Prime Minister had also been advised of certain complaints. "What is the position?" asked Mr. Savage. "I suggest that when the Prime Minister puts bis foot down all the other Ministers go by the board. He can say, 'This ends now. If needs he my resignation goes in and the resignation of the Cabinet goes in. too

The car-hire expenses of Sir Apirana Ngata were next referred to by Mr. Savage, who said that frankly be detested having to discuss such matters, deferring to the lies land purchase. Mr. Savage said that within six days of the making <>f the report by the supervisor, Mr. Wright, the consent of the Native Minister was obtained, the documents of transfer were prepared and signed, and the sum of JWOOO was paid to Mr. lies, although the Government valuation of the property, to which Mr. Wright's report did not refer. was ~1 000. Mr. J. A. Lee (Labour- —Grey Lynn): Palm grease. After referring to other land transactions, Mr. Savage continued: "This again shows that the Cabinet has collective responsibility. We have the Minister in charge of the Lands and Valuation Departments. We have the Prime Minister, who supervises everything, or is supposed to do so. and we have the Ministej* of Finance, who generally puts on the screw when he does not like a thing. The bungling or maladministration —call it what you will — is due to lack of co-operation between the Native Department and kindred departments of State. "Whatever may be said about this state of affairs, or about the ex-Native Minister and bis colleagues in the Cabinet, one would be safe in saying that when the opportunity comes their way the people of this country will not lose that opportunity to see that justice is done to the native race. I have an idea that an attempt will be made to make the natives think that they are being attacked, and that an attempt will be made to throw up racial barriers between them and justice, i think 1 can speak on behalf of this House when I say that is not so. We may fall out about policy or methods of helping the native race, but any question of racial barriers will never be allowed to stand between them and justice. The Maori and pakeha must get it. firmly fixed in their minds that they must rise or fall together."