NATIVE AFFAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 22474, 9 November 1934, Page 8

NATIVE AFFAIRS

LABOUR MOTION DEFEATED ON DIVISION MR FORBES DEFENDS EX-MINISTER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, November 8. The principal speaker in the adjourned debate on the Native Affairs Commission’s report and the Leader of the Opposition’s no-confidence amendment in the House of Representatives to-day, was the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, who spoke highly of the ex-Minister, Sir Apirana Ngata, but said that he would have acted as Sir Apirana Ngata had done in resigning if he had been in his place. Other speakers in the debate followed the same lines as previous speakers, except that the first Labour speaker, Mr H. G. R. Mason, delivered a vigorous speech in favour of Sir Apirana Ngata. Mr Forbes said that it was absurd for the Opposition to suggest that the entire Cabinet should resign because one Minister had done something that made him subject to criticism. There was nothing in the authorities to support that view. As far as Cabinet was concerned it would be equally to blame with the Minister concerned if no action were taken after the matter had been placed before it. Where the matter became a Cabinet question, there was Cabinet responsibility, and he was not trying' to avoid it. The Prime Minister proceeded to review the legislation of the last two years passed with the object of strengthening control in the Native Affairs Department. The Economy Commission made recommendations and the Government acted on them. In December, 1932, legislation was passed amalgamating the Native Trust Office and the Native Department and a board composed of responsible heads of departments was set up to advise the Native Minister. Sir Apirana Ngata had informed him that the board had been helpful. It was useless for members of the Opposition to say that there was no check on public expenditure, for the Auditor-General had very grave powers, and there was no possibility of public funds being misused when the Auditor-General and Audit Department were watching the expenditure. Dealing with the reference to embezzlement made during the debate, Mr Forbes said that when one took into account the huge amount of money handled, there was no more honest Public Service than New Zealand’s in any part of the world. Reorganizing Steps. Mr Forbes reviewed the steps taken to reorganize the Native Department and said that the Government had done immediately whatever it had been asked to do. If the Government had refused to act, then it could have been held responsible. It had taken . the Commission some months to investigate the complaints, yet members of the Opposition expected Ministers to know all about them. The matters brought before Cabinet related to the difficulty of the securing of vouchers and checks by the Audit Department from the Native Department and every recommendation of the Auditor-General had been backed up by the Government. Mr Forbes said that he had already given an indication that the Government would put into effect the recommendations of the Commission. The legislation suggested was more or less of a minor character, but had it been urgent, it would have been dealt with immediately. Mr W. E. Parry: What about your colleague? Mr Forbes reviewed the circumstances leading to Sir Apirana offering to resign in the first place and his action after the report was presented. Mr Parry: Do you think the report is correct? Mr Forbes: I can’t say. I have heard what has been said, read what had been written in the report and heard the speech of the ex-Native Minister and he has the side on which a good deal could be said on his behalf. I accept the Commission’s findings. The Prime Minister said that he thought that Sir Apirana had done the manly thing. He had taken up the attitude that he did not agree with the report and though he had trusted the officials who had let him down, he had done his best. However, the Minister had said, “Here is the report of the judge and I am not going to continue in my position while that report is against me.” “I quite honour him for doing it, and I would do the same under the circumstances myself,” said Mr Forbes. Though Sir Apirana had resigned, he had still offered his co-operation in the work and that had shown a very fine spirit indeed, and his offer of co-oper-ation would be of the greatest value to the country. People did not realize the work Sir Apirana had done, but Mr Forbes said that he had been closely associated with him and he had realized the fight he had made. He had preferred to go straight ahead and take the risk of criticism. He was still the leader of the Maori people and Mr Forbes said he welcomed Sir Apirana’s assistance. “Without him I say it would be impossible to carry on this work,” he said. The debate was continued by Messrs J. O’Brien, W. A. Nash, C. J. Carr, C. A. Wilkinson, and M. J. Savage replied. The division was taken on the noconfidence motion at 11.20 and the motion was lost at 36 to 22.