TAMMANYISM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12215, 3 August 1910, Page 5

TAMMANYISM.

DOES IT EXIST? ' A MEMBER AND THE PREMIER. (From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The charge of "Taminanyism" brought against the Government the other day by .Mr Massey, and indignantly repudiated by the Hon. T. Mackenzie, was again referred to m the House last night, and formed the subject of an interesting interlude. In the course of. his budget speech, Mr Forbes, a country member, expressjod his regret that the charge had ever been made. It was, ho declared, doing a. great, deal of harm m the country, and then he executed a flank movement, and distinctly charged the leader of ■■ the Opposition with "Taminanyism," m his effort of last session to give the land for settlement tenants the right to purchase the freehold at the original value. Mr Massey, m a subsequent personal explanation, contended that\he had been misinterpreted by Mr Forbes. He had not referred to individuals, but lo the Government's system. He admitted that New Zealand had good, trustworthy public servants, but he referred to his remarks of last year, when he held that 'the Government's discrimination m alfoting its advertisements m the newspapers uas introducing the thin end of the wedge of Taminanyism. Mr Hine. member for Stratford, went further*. It was, he urged, Tammanyism for the Government to say last year that it Mas going to expend £260,000 a year on backblocks roads, M-hile the records showed that the sum had not been expended. • Sir Joseph Ward : You call that Tammany ism ? • . "Yes I do," said Mr Hine. (Laughter.) "I also call it Tammanyism M-hen the Government goes out of its way to purchase a block of land at New Plymouth for the purpose of settlement on the eve of the election ; also when it goes out of its way to refuse a newspaper advertisements because that newspaper is opposed to its policy, and gives them to newspapers of a less reputable character. I should also call it Tammanyism M'hen commissions aro charged by members of Parliament who helped to place on the Statute Book the Land for Settlements Act, and who acted as commission agents to sell those lands to the Government. „ Those are my ideas of settlement. Sir Joseph Ward : Who did that? Mr. Hine : The hon. gentleman knows aa well as I do. Sir Joseph Ward : I know nothing 'of the kind, nnd tho hon. gentleman ought to give the names. Mr Hiiie : Set up ,a commission and I M-ill give evidence.' lam quite prepared, if the Premier will set up a Royal Commission. Sir Joseph Ward : Give us the names. Mr Hine : Set up a commission. I will not give the names now. Sir Joseph Ward : Because you knou* you can't give names. I challenge you to do it. Mr Hine : I M-on't do it. Sir Joseph : Then it is very improper to make the statement. Mr Hine: 111-m ake the statement to tho commission. Mr Speaker called the members to orde.\ Sir Joseph Wiard : Mr Speaker, the charge of Tammanyism rests M'ith him. He has made a very serious charge against somebody, and he ought to subtantiato it. He cannot. Mr Hine : If the Government will grant t a public commission, I will give evidence on oath on that matter. Sir Joseph Ward : Generalisation again, and you are afraid to say it. Mr Speaker : I must ask lion, members not to interrupt further. Shortly afterwards Mr Hine again complained that only £250,000 had been spent, on road works m the Dominion, although they had been promised that that amount 'was to bo spent on backblocks roads alone. Hon. R. McKenzie : Who told you that? / Mr Hine replied that he gathered from the statistics available. . , Sir Joseph Ward : You are absolutely wrong. Yon don't know- what you are talking ''about. Mr, Hine : The Premier is now m a tight place, and is trying to u-riggle out, as he always does. . ■ •■ •■ At a later stage Mr Hine again referred to road expenditure, and suggested that perhaps the Premier or his "bol league would reply. Sir Joseph Ward : I don't think it would be worth while wasting time replying to such criticism as you have given v«. 'Later on Mr Hine's observations and allegations m reference- to certain commissions M-hich he said- were, received by members of Parliament were referred to by Mr Laurenson. He emphatically stated that sufeTF allegations should be I specific. If such an allegation remained unsubstantiated it was a; bigger' disgrace to the man who made? it "than 't , was to the person against whorprit AyasjMirected. Mr Hanan : Would he make it outside tho House : V .'..-'.-■• Mr Laurenson : v Ido not know? He said he had heard of a rumour that a certain member of the. House b«td? taken ,a. bribe. That man Was now Idead, but, before he died he sent up a request that a commission should be appoint^ ?.to inquire into the matter. Mt* Fisher : Which one do you refer to? There M-ere tM r o of them. Mr Laurenson said he M-as not there to mention names. He had made no charges. "It is .your duty," he. warmly informed Mr Fisher; "to at least say to whom you are alluding. If ytftx say any man m a collection'of men isa scoundrel yon should indicate tho man. . It is abominable that we can't go on with the legislative duties of the country without descending to the mud heap*! oi personalities. We have no business to. have the highest court m this countH deI famed m the scandalous manner m which it has been defamed to-nigjjt.". . f . ' • ' i -jj-g;