BEST MEN APPOINTED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17957, 8 December 1932, Page 7

BEST MEN APPOINTED

MORTGAGE COMMISSIONS

' NO PARTY CONSIDERATION LABOR ALLEGATIONS DENIED 7T-. • (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. “There has been too much of this sort of thing going on for the good government and clean political life of the country.” In these words Mr. F. Langstone (Lab., Waimarino) laid a charge against the Government of appointing only men who were supporters of the Government to membership of mortgage adjustment commissions. The statement was made in the House last night when tho vote for an additional £SOOO to meet the expenses of these commissions was before the House. _ . In replying to the discussion, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes described the charge as being not worth replying to. * Mr. ,7. A. Lee (Lab., Grey Lynn) asked how appointments to the commissions were made. From end to end of the country, he said, the commissions were packed with supporters of the Government. It would be interesting to know if the party secretaries in the various districts nominated the individuals who comprised the commissions. .

The Minister of Justice, who is in , charge of the department, said ,he considered the vote to be a particularly 'good .investment. He did not believe >'• New Zealand had invested £SOOO for a long time which had given such a good return. The appointments were not political appointments, and.the best men who could be procured were asked to act.

“JUSTICE AND MERCY” - . “In my own district, three men who were political opponents to mo were appointed,” he added. ■ k Labor member: They are not op-

ponents now. Mr. E. J. Howard (Lab., Christchurch S.) described the members of the commissions as pood party men, but men hot. good enough to get seats in Parliament. He’wanted to know why the vote was included in the Justice Dey paxtment's allocation, because he.under- ■ stood that the Justice Department was to be made payable by the people who broke laws. He understood that the Justice Department dealt mainly with crime. The Hon. W. Downio Stewart: Justice' and mercy go together. ! “Favoritism has beerf shown by tho 'Government in appointing every ono to these commissions,” said Mr. Langstone. “They have been analysed as to what their political faith is. It is nothing more or less than spending public funds on political friends.” Mr. Coates: No. ' Mr. Langstone asked Mr. Coates to ‘ ' name one strenuous opponent of the Government who was a member of the commission. He asked why the vote had been split, £SOOO appearing on the main estimates and £SOOO on the supplementary estimates. Mr. Coates explained that as double or triple the number of cases anticipated "had to be dealt with, it was natural that the vote should be. increased. It was very difficult to estimate how much work there would he for tho commissions. NOT WORTH ANSWERING Mr. Langstone: I wouldn’t expect you : to be able to calculate anything. Experience has shown that . The chairman of committees: ' You must not be offensive. “I did not intend to be offensive,” said Mr. Langstone. Mr. Coates: He doesn’t count. The Minister added that there were 11 adjustment commissions in rural districts and two in the cities. Mr. W. E. Parry (Lab., Auckland Central) <: We have one in Auckland. The Minister: I have heard you say that before. Mr. Parry: Yes, and business people know it.

• “I don’t think anyone need take tho member for Wnimarino seriously,” said Mr. Coates. “He talks and talks in

.e?ery way possible, and now he just, talks.” Mr. Langstone: You can’t even talk. "He just talks and talks, and he talked his poor unfortunate candidate out at Motueka,” continued the Minister. ‘‘We must put him on one side as not being worth replying to.” He added that the selection of com-

missions was made carefully. It was difficult to find members of the Labor Party who were farmers and who were able. to understand the difficulties of farmers. I

Labor members: Are all the brains on the Government side?

• Mr. Coates: I don’t care if they are supporters of the Socialist or any other party; we appointed the best men for the job. Mr. P. Fra3er (Lab., Wellington C.) said they had heard something from the Minister of Public Works that, fortunately, was rare in the House—an attack on the personal ability of a mom- . ber. ■. - ' / Mr. Coates: Yes, very definitely. x n Mr. Fraser: Quite definite. The only difficulty in the matter is the qualification of the Minister of Publio Works to judge. Mr. Coates: Now we will get some Billingsgate'. Mr. leaser: I am not going to follow the example of the Minister and reflect on his ability. As a matter of fact there is no need to do so. As a friend and colleague has been attacked, I want to express my opinion of that friend and colleague. I want to say that Mr. Langstono will compare more ‘than favorably with any Minister, or any member in this House. Mr. J. Bitchener (Coal., Waitnki) : Ha! Ha! Mr. leaser: The old Reform cackle has broken out again. Wrj have not heard it for a long time.

VOTE FINALLY PASSED “I don’t know whether the Minister of Justice realises the implication contained in his own statement that three members of the Feilding commission were his opponents,” said Mr. W. E. Barnard (Lab., Napier). ‘‘They ‘were’ his opponents. That means that they must have been members of the Deform Party.” Replying to Mr. Semple, Mr. Cobhe said there were 13 commissions in all, with three members on eacli commission. The members received £2 2s for every-day on which they sat, and out of that wey had to pay their own hotel expenses. They were provided with transport. . “That means that 39 individuals have got an increase of £250 a year,” said Mr. Howard. “Some of those individuals have incomes of up to £IOOO a year. . What about the poor farmers who scratch grass and look after daisies? Thev have to foot the bill.” V < Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Lab., Christchurch E.) declared that 99 per cent, of the men who had been appointed to the commissions were of the Deform Party. After a prolonged discussion, during which Mr. Cobbe reiterated that the s best men had boon appointed, the vote ytM passwi.