OFFER TO RESIGN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23896, 25 August 1939, Page 6

OFFER TO RESIGN

CHALLENGE BY MINISTER CRITICISM RESENTED PROOF OF CHARGES WANTED * (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. Aug. 24. An offer to resign from public life if the Opposition could prove its assertion that millions of ""unds of public money had been squandered under his administration, was made in the House of Representatives to-night by the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) during the debate on the Finance Bill. It was unjust and unfair, Mr Semple said, to accuse a Minister of having dipped his fingers into the public purse. Mr Semple said that he was prepared to hand £IOO to the Crippled Children Fund if the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Adam Hamilton) would do so, too. In the event of the assertion not being proved. Individual members of Parliament. Mr Semple said, had every opportunity of knowing what was being spent by the Public Works Department in their districts, but he had not had one instance of a member asking for any item to be cut out. and, in fact, had received thousands of individual requests for increased expenditure. Criticism of Expenditure “This criticism of the expenditure of my department should be stopped, the Minister said. “I will undertake to prove to any properly-constituted tribunal, composed of engineers and accountants, that the Opposition charge that £24,000,000 a year is being spent by the Public Works Department is untrue, and that the charge that a portion oi the £24,000,000 (£12,000,000) which is being spent by the department is being squandered is incorrect and unfounded. “ I am prepared to prove that In comparison with the methods in use when I assumed office, during the Labour Government’s administration of public works that there has been a saving to the nation of tens of thousands of pounds; that service has been given in some cases in one-third of the time, and that scores of lives have been saved on public works constructional jobs and on the highways. On the other hand, I am also prepared to prove that during past administration of public works millions of pounds of public money were squandered and lives needlessly lost. Prepared to Resign

“If the Opposition can prove the assertions made in this House during this session that millions of pounds have been wasted on public works, I am prepared to resign from public life and forfeit £IOO to the Crippled Children Fund, conditionally that the Leader of the Opposition, if he fails, to prove the charges that he and his party have made against me and my department, shall do likewise. lam prepared, if my challenge is accepted by him, to have my seat declared vacant if the charges levelled, against my denartment and my administration are substantiated.” ■ . . , Mr Semple also objected strongly to being described, as he said he had, by members of the Opposition as “Public Enemy No. 1,” as this placed hih* in a class below the lowest criminal. TILT AT MINISTER “ COARSE TONGUES AND THIN SKINS ” OPPOSITION CRITICS ADVICE 'From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Aug. 24. A burlesque of the speech of the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple), when he offered to resign his seat if certain allegations could be proved, was given by Mr A. E. Jull (Opposition, Waipawa) immediately after the Minister had spoken in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr Jull began his speech in a feigned voice and persistently thumped his desk while he replied to Mr Semple. , “It is extraordinary how persons with, shall I say, the coarsest tongues have the thinnest skins,” Mr Jull said. " I would recommend that the honourable Minister, speaking as one boozeartist to another, should be a little more moderate in his language.” Mr Jull said he wished to give Mr Semple credit for being probably one of the most active Ministers of Public Works the country had ever had and also for sdving considerable sums of money in the work of his department. “ I am going also to have a crack at the honourable gentleman." Mr Jull said. Mr W. A. Bodkin (Opposition. Central Otago): Be careful. Mr Jull: I will take the risk. lam going to have a pot at him. Mr S. G. i Holland (Opposition, Christchurch North): He will throw a bulldozer at you. Mr J. Thorn (Govt., Thames); What did your crowd do? Mr Jull: I will deal with the honourable member for Thames directly. I’ve got him on the list, I will now proceed. Mr C. L. Carr (Govt., Timaru): With your after-dinner speech. Mr Jull described the references to the financial state of the country in the annual report of the Reserve Bank as the most damaging statement that had ever been made by any governmental institution. “I am reminded by the Government of a fellow who caught a tiger by the tail.” he said. “He was too scared to hold on. and he dared not let go.” Government voices: What did he do? Mr Jull: The tiger kept going, and the Government is holding on in the hope that the tiger will eat somebody else. i . . Mr Jull corrcluded by criticising as extravagant and unnecessary a number of major public, works, including the Haast road, the new Government Printing Office, the hostel at Milford Sound, and other enterprises.