"HERESY HUNT!"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19124, 19 September 1936, Page 5

"HERESY HUNT!"

CHARGE IN HOUSE DISMISSAL OF OFFICERS "JOBS FOR FRIENDS" DENIAL BY MINISTER COMPETENCE THE TEST (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. - There was a suggestion about a spoils-to-the-victors policy in the contention raised by the Rt. Hon. J. G.. Coates (Nat., Kaipara) during the committee stage of the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Bill, when the committee reached a clause empowering the appointment of adjustment commissioners.

vThis provoked the only lively discussion during a long afternoon on legal technicalities.

The Finance Minister, the Hon. W. Nash, denied making appointments or retentions, of present commissioners except on a basis of competence.

Mr. Coates asked whether it made for sound administration" to change the personnel of a court. He, regarded it as an unsatisfactory principle to charge tha personnel of semi-official bodies when a new Government .came "to office. It was a new change in political administration. It was an mdication in part, of the present Governments policy to remove those men who had been administering the law and start off witn an entirely new personnel. " The Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash: Did you remove the railway commissioners? Mr. Coates: What has that to do with it 7 The Minister's question does indicate that it is part ol the Government s policy. It is only one step further and judges and magistrates will go. Mr. W. J. Poison (Nat,, Stratford) : Justices of the Peace will go, too. POLITICS AND JUSTICE Mr. Coates: There are too many of them £o shift. This is bringing political considerations into the administration ot law and justice. The policy is wrong and unsound. It introduces an entirely new phase into political affairs. I hope the Government will either throw out Uii« clause or have it voted out. The Minister: That is a lot of bunkum. ■ "Mr. J. G. Barclay (Lab., Marsden) : You appointed your friends. Mr. Coates: Now it is coming out. The member for Marsden will not be satisfied until his friends are put on these readjustment commissions. Ine Minister said it was a lot of bunkum, but he wants to appoint his own political friends too. The men who have administered the job to the satisfaction of the country are to go, because this is going to be some job for friends of the Minister and members of the GovernmentCan anyone tell me what are the views of the present members? Mr. Barclay: Yes, the chairman of one organisation organised a political meeting for you.

, Mr. Coates: I should say that was a very good recommendation. Dr. D. G. McMillan (Lab., Dunedm West) : What party does the Hon. FWait© belong to? Mr. Coates: He is a good sound man.

The Postmaster-General, the Hon. F. Jones: Why impute motives to the Government?

Mr. Coates : Because you have said so.

SUGGESTION RESISTED

Mr. Barclay said he would recommend the present chairman of the North Auckland commission for reappointment. He did not want J obs ior hls P olltlcal friendt.

The Hon. J. G. Cobbe (Nat, (Jroua), who was Minister of Justice in the previous Government, said he resented very strongly a suggestion that any of the appointments he had made were political appointments. He selected the best men available regardless of political considerations.

Mr. Poison caused laughter by stating that hej was not going to accuse the Minister of wanting to make political appointments., as he believed the Minister would reappoint the present members. He gave the Minister credit for good intentions, but ho objected to tne provision that lay members of the Court of Keview should be deemed to Have vacated their offices on the passing of the bill. That suggested that a neresy hunt was on.

Mr. Barclay: A hit of weeding out has to be done.

Mr. IL A. Wright (Ind.,' Wellington Sub.) said that ever since he had been in Parliament he had seen political appointments made, and if the Government did make such appointments it would be no better and no worse than its political predecessors. He did not believe in the policy of spoils to the victors. "DECKS BEING CLEARED" The Hon. A. Hamilton (Nat., Wallace) said he would not object to the Labour Party putting some of its friends into offices if the offices feU vacant, but it was something new to find all the existing offices were wiped out by legislation. The decks were being cleared in a way that had never been done before, he said. . . ' . "Why cut off all the heads?" he asked. "If a few men are not suitable to the Government, let them be retired, but their terms of appointment should be allowed to run. out." Mr. Nash brought the argument to a close with the declaration that the whole test was competence. Good men would be reappointed, but the Government must be in control of the position. He could not see how the Government could be criticised for taking power to reappoint every member. There was just as much capacity and integrity in the members of the Government to do the right thing as there was in the member for Oroua.

A division was called for by the Opposition on an amendment by Mr. Coates that sub-clause 3 of clause 13, which provides that the lay members of the Court of Review shall vacate their offices on the passing of the bill, should be deleted, hut the amendment was defeated by 41 votes to 13. .Mr. Poison moved a further amendment, the effect of which would be to retain the present members of adjust-ment-commissions. This met defeat by 36,votes to 14.