The Wanganui Chronicle WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1948. AN APPOINTMENT QUESTIONED

Wanganui Chronicle, 27 October 1948, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1948. AN APPOINTMENT QUESTIONED

piL appointment of Mr. W. G. Simpson, undischarged bankrupt who could have secured his discharge by the payment of the small sum of £46, and who could not qualify as a member of Parliament, as a member for a local body, as a public servant, or as a director of a company, to an official position in London was brought into question by Mr. Sheat when discussing the vote of the Department of Labour.

The debate was a disgraceful one in that the Government members sought to cloak the issue by making counter accusations against Mr. Sheat, which counter accusations had they been true would not have touched the matter in issue. The matter was quite properly brought before the House of Representatives by Mr. Sheat because there is within the Patea district widespread interest in this appointment. Why should a man who has so little regard for his own status as Mr. Simpson has proved himself to possess be regarded as of sufficient merit to represent the Government in interviews with prospective emigrants to New Zealand? That is the question which the Government is called upon to answer. It does not matter for the moment whether Mr. Sheat owes money to the Labour Party in New Plymouth or whether the Labour’ Party owes Mr. Sheat money, because the two pieces of business have no connection whatsoever.

Assuming that the Government has done right in employing Mr. Simpson then it follows that to impose upon him the disqualifications under which he now labours is to do the man wrong. If he may not sit in Parliament, may not sit on a local body, may not become a Public Servant, may not be a company director, and yet may represent the Government in an important 'field, then the Government is something of less consequence than Parliament, a local body, the public service or a limited liability company. Surely such a topsy-turvy proposition calls for comment!

Leaving aside the disgraceful phase of the conduct of the, Ministers concerned and concentrating attention upon essentials it is to be found that an important, appointment can now be made without the Public Service Commissioner knowing what is publicly available concerning the prospective Government employee and this same ignorance can extend to the Department which is to employ him. The question naturally arises as to whether there are not other cases of men with public records that are unknown to the Departments concerned now being employed in the Government service? That is the important phase of the Simpson case. Why did not the Ministers who replied to Mr. Sheat meet that important issue instead of, to use their own phrase, “raking in the garbage tins.” It is an axiom among lawyers which runs thus: When you have no case abuse the other side. Had the Government been able to bring forward some justification for its action the Ministers could have better employed their time in making out their own case, but their abstention from such a course leaves them open to the charge that they adopted the policy of the shady attorney for a client without a defence.

The public would not be averse to seeing a man who has failed being given a chance to make good in another field of activity and the extent to which this motive prompted the Minister of Labour to his course of action in the making of the appointment could be excused. But there are other factors to be considered. The ap pointment to which Mr. Simpson has been sent to fill in London requires a degree of integrity which it is not as yet in evidence that Mr. Simpson possesses. It is an oppointment which requires the holder to possess the capacity to sura up men and women and their circumstances at home and their probable chances of success in New Zealand. If the duties of such appointment were carried out bv a competent man he could do a lot of good both in encouraging and in discouraging people m respect to removing their families to New Zealand. The appointment calls lor a man of wide experience and much human sympathy. Can it be said that a man who refrains trom making so small a payment as £46 to those who trusted him, so that they shall be paid only five shillings in the pound has the integrity, experience and human sympathy to qualify him for the position of emigration officer? If it can then words surely have no meaning.

Another phase of the matter that is important is how did Mr. impson find it possible to leave New Zealand seeing that he has not discharged his legal obligations?. And how comes it at th £ late date the Munster when replying to that enquiry had to confess that Ze Jon ’ knoW t ’ h ® f nSwer? To what ex t e nt are the laws of New Zealand being waived m respect to members of the Labour Party’ 1 The 6 f’n th ! s I ls . th ? °. nl ’ v incident of a like nature. ‘ • ti i, ! 1 / t le de bate 18 interesting; it may be summed un in the short sentence: The Government is ignoring the law which it is en rusted to administer. Were members of Parliament to remain silent in their places when they know of such instances thev would not be fulfilling their duty. The electorate of Patea is for innate m that it has a member of Parliament who, despite the expeeta ion of slanders ot Ins past, is not to be restrained from doing fiilfifled 111 6 86 Re P resentativ ® 8 a 8 he knows it should bf