MINISTER'S ACTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23592, 31 August 1938, Page 9

MINISTER'S ACTION

MID-WEEK ADDRESS ■ ETHICS QUESTIONED IN HOUSE "RACE WEEK IN CHRISTCHURCH" (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Aug. 30. : The action of the Minister of Mines (Mr P. C. Webb) in delivering an address at Prebbleton in the Riccarton electorate on a night when the House of Representatives was sitting was criticised by Mr H. S, S. Kyle (Opposition, Riccarton) during the debate on the Imprest Supply Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. The Minister's place, Mr Kyle said, was in the House. '.....

" The Minister of Mines went into my electorate three weeks ago and spoke at Prebbleton," Mr Kyle said. "I was never notified that he was going there. Are Ministers to go perambulating around the country while the House is sitting?" The Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones): What about the Leader of the Opposition? "Never have I known a Minister to go into a man's electorate while the House has been sitting," Mr Kyle said. "The Minister of Mines was in Christchurch in race week — we know why he went there. I am not able to attend the races because I have my duties in Parliament to attend to. The Minister. goes into my electorate and tells his audience that my ideas came out of the ark." The Minister of Education (Mr P. Fraser): The ark is too mddern. " The Minister of Education has too much professional etiquette and Christian ethics to go into a man's electorate while the House is sitting," Mr Kyle continued; "It is all right to go there on a Saturday evening or a Monday evening, but to go there on a Wednesday is not the thing, I have my business to attend to in this House and the Minister should be here, too. The Minister's place is in this House, but I don't think he -has been in the House for four hours over the whole period of this session."

COUNTER ACCUSATION ? ■ MR WEBB IN REPLY; :'\„ REFERENCE TO RACE MEETINGS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON,. Aug. 30. " I make no apology to the member for Riccarton," said the Minister of Mines (Mr Webb), who, spoke later in the debate. "Members of the honourable gentleman's party make no apology for coming into my electorate to fight me. "The member for Riccarton saw fit to drag in a race meeting," Mr Webb continued. "Of course, I was there, and I enjoyed it. It was the first race meeting during a sitting of the House at which I did not see the honourable member. I understand, however/ that on this.occasion there was a very . important conference of the National Party in Wellington."' ■■•■"