HARBOUR BRIDGE AND POLITICS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 671, 24 May 1929, Page 1

HARBOUR BRIDGE AND POLITICS

Omission of Members of Parliament

deputation claims advance

\ SUGGESTIONS of political feeling, following a question j U concerning the omission of Mr a it • „2“? SWOn / Waitemata, from the recent deputation to WeltogS, were f aat:o d n a L a t“|.° f Au “ Bridge’

fTHE president, Mr. R. H. Greville, said that the deputation had done more to advance the cause of the bridge than two years of talking. Every speaker had made it his object to emphasise that the bridge across the harbour was wanted. The many phases of the project were gone into and it was felt that the object was much nearer than before. The deputation had been representative of the people and the municipal corporations and it was hoped when Sir Joseph Ward visited Auckland more would be heard of the proposal. Mr. F. E. Powell: Why was the member for r Waitemata omitted from the deputation? Air. Greville: The idea was to take raun.cipal representatives and not Parliamentary representatives. A letter from Mr. W. Parkinson asking why all members of Parliament in the Auckland district had not been taken to Wellington was read. Speaking in support of his letter, Mr. Parkinson said that, although the deputation was to be congratulated on what it had done, in his opinion it had missed a val table opportunity. Members of Parliament could have been taken to Wellington without anycost to the association. He was not supporting any political party. “I am here,” ho said, “for the bridge, and I feel that a valuable opportunity was missed in not inviting the members to go down. lam gratified. but I would been more gratified if that had been done. The great opportunity was to invite members of Parliament and increase the influence cf the deputation.” SUGGESTION OF VENDETTA Mr. Greville: The deputation will have to be judged by results. Voices: No! No! Mr. Greville: I had no wish to exclude any member. Mr. Moore: It was not courtesy, sir. A Member: Supposing all members of Parliament and the various boroughs had been invited, would the deputation have done any better? Mr. J. Macdonald: There seems to be a bit of a vendetta between you, Mr. President, and Mr. Harris, but Mr. Harris has been before and he should have been invited. Mr. Mason, the member for Suburbs, should have been there. Members of Parliament have nothing else to do. (Laughter.)

BRIDGE ONLY OBJECT “I regret that there appears to be political feeling regarding the’ bridge,” said Mr. C. H. M. Wills. The impression seemed to hpve got abotlt. he said, that it was a question of political feeling. People knew of the feeling

I lM tV i een ■ t ] le president and Mr. Harit ’wonfri' I '!’ and was considered that of The'h -? eea in the interests a K ge lf mem hers of ParllaM? Vr - been lnv 'ted. Knowing that Harrl .l was -omitted lent the imfeeling 11 that there was political The opinion that Mr. Harris’s exclusion from the deputation would not stop him from moving In the House in tavour of the bridge was advanced by another speaker. Parliament, he said, would have to And the money for the bridge. Voices: No! No! The people. | The Speaker: Well, who is Parliament but the people? | “Mr. Harris did a lot of harm to | the bridge,” stated Mr. E. Blampied. j Mr. Harris had rushed into print and t had also introduced a deputation at Wellington wlthput the authority of the association. Mr. Harris, he said, had not acted in the interests of the the association when he rushed into print. Mr. Moore: The whole thing is a matter of courtesy. Mr. Dawson: This deputation is in the same boat as the previous deputation. Mr. Greville: The deputation taken by Mr. Harris did not have the sanction of the committee or sub-committees. Mr. Dawson: We must be careful that we give no political colour to the association. We are out for the bridge. CABINET’S DECISION To test the feeling of the meeting Mr. G. O’Halloran moved that in j future deputations to Ministers of the Crown, where practicable, all members of Parliament in the Auckland Province be given an opportunity of attending. An amendment that the invitation |be limited to members for the city electorates, Auckland Suburbs, Waitemata and Kaipara was lost. The motion was also lost by one vote. Mr. J. S. Fletcher, M.P. for Grey Lynn, who introduced the deputation, was present and was given an opportunity of speaking. "Political considerations never entered my brain,” said Mr. Fletcher. “I went down merely to further the interests of the bridge. I think it an absolutely national undertaking. “I think that when Sir Joseph Ward speaks at the Town Hall he will be in a position to give you Cabinet’s decision.” After a vote of thanks to him for his work in connection with the deputation had been carried, Mr. Fletcher offered to do anything in his power to further the harbour bridge project.