The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1930. SUBMARINING THE DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 81, 5 April 1930, Page 8

The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1930. SUBMARINING THE DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

IS IT THU INTENTION of the Hon. Mr Veitch to submarine the Wanganui Development League" His latest utterance evidences that design.

At the last meeting af the Wanganui and District Development League Mr F. H. Allen, when discussing the desirability of settling up-river lands, moved to the end that the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Lands be asked to pay a visit to Wanganui. His purpose in suggesting this Ministerial visit was made doubly plain by the chairman of the League, who interjected :—•

“Mr Allen wants to take him (the Minister of Lands) up the river.” Whereupon Mr Allen retorted: “Yes, I believe that he should go up there.” “Then I tell you it will he a straight-out waste of money,” was the observation of Mr A. S. Burgess.

The settlement of up-river lands is a matter upon which there arc definite opinions both for and against. Mr Allen holds definitely that up-river lands can be settled and desires the Minister of Lands to take a trip up-river so to be convinced of that view. There can be no doubt of the object and purpose of Mr Alien’s advocacy, for it is made clear by the interjection of Mr F. Webb-Jones. Mr Allen’s aim is simply to get the Minister of Lands to go up-river and see for himself; the quality of the land there.

The Hon. Mr Veitch, however, considers that to invite Ministers 1o visit the Wanganui districts is evidence of party bias.

“If Mr Alien is really in earnest about maintaining the existence of the League. ... he will try to curb his party prejudices and play the game by the League. Unless wc can keep this League free of party strife it may be found that the citizens of Wanganui will cease to contribute to the funds.”

It is hard to conceive that Mr Veitch, who was absent from the Development League meeting, should be a better judge of Mr Allen’s intentions than the meeting’s -chairman, Mr F. Webb-Jones. Nor can it be conceived that Mr Veitch’s sagacity has deserted him, causing him to think himself the

better judge of Mr Alien’s motives. It is not. Mr Allen, but Mr Veitch himself who is dragging the League into party strife, and evidently he hopes by this tactic to submarine the Development Ler/rue.

Mr Veitch’s desire to compass the destruction of the Development League can be well understood. This Development League, with its constant demand for a new post office, a new court house, a new railway station, and for closer settlement, is keeping in the public mind matters which, in consequence of nothing being done, are an embarrassment to Mr Veitch. With the Development League continuing in existence these matters which the League arc pressing forward will remain thorns in the flesh of Mr Veitch. It is in his interests that the Development League goes out of existence, and to charge members of the League with political party bias is an easy way of compassing the League’s destruction. From Mr Veitch’s own point of view his tactics are admirable. He made a mistake, however, in that he chose the wrong incident on V/hich to hang his charge of party bias. Mr Webb-Jones’ interjection of Mr Allen completely dispels the suggestion of political purpose on Mr Allen’s par:. Mr Allen will doubtless be able to deal with Mr Veitch in his own way. The quarrel between these two gentlemen is of no great moment. What is of public con-

cern, however, is that Mr Veitch, on a hollow pretext, is prepared to injec* party political animus into the Devrloprcent' League with the only obvious objective of compassing its destruction with the obvious purpose of preserving his own political position in the face of a do-nothing for Wanganui policy on the part of the Government of which he is a member.