Influenced by Political Views?

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7025, 8 December 1932, Page 7

Influenced by Political Views?

Appointment of Members of

Commissions

LABOUR VENTILATES A GRIEVANCE Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. Discussing the vote in the .Supplementary Estimates, presented to Pan liament to-day, of an adidtional £SOOO to meet expenses in connection with Mortgagors’ Belief Commissions, Mr. J. A. Lee (Grey Lynn) asked how the appointments to the commissions were made and alleged that from one end of the country to the other commissions were packed with supporters of the Government.

Hon. J. G. Cobbe said the appointments were not political appointments. The best men who could be procured had been asked to act.

Mr. F. Langstono (Waimarino) alleged that tho Government had shown favouritism in its appointments, and said: “There has been too much of this sort of thing going on for the good government and clean political lito of the country.”

Bt. Hon. J. G. Coates said he did not think Mr. Langstone’s remarks needed to be taken seriously. “Ho talks and talks in every possible way.” Mr. Langstone: You can’t even talk. Mr. Coates: He just talks and talks and he talked his poor unfortunate candidate out at Motueka.

Continuing, Mr. Coates said the members of commissions were carefully selected. It was difficult to find supporters of the Labour party who were farmers and who were able to understand farmers’ difficulties.

Mr. W. E. Barnard (Napier) expressed astonishment at Mr. Coates’ statement that it -was difficult to find men from amongst the Labour party who were suitable- to serve on commissons. He said ho could name half-a-dozen farmers in the Ivaipara electorate who were in sympathy with the Labour party and who could do the job. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) said they had heard something from the Minister of Public Works that was fortunately rare in the House —an attack on the personal ability of a member.

Mr. Coates: Yes, very definitely.

Mr. Fraser: The only difficulty in the matter is the qualification of the Minister of Public Works to judge. Mr. Coates: Now we shall get some Billingsgate. Mr. Fraser: I am not going to follow the example of the Minister and reflect on his ability.

He added that as a friend and colleague had been attacked ho wanted to state that Mr. Langstone would compare more than favourably with any Minister or any member in the House.. . ... .... ... ...

Mr. Cobbe said that when he had appointed commissions ho had been ignorant of the political leanings of any of tho men, apart from two or three. Political influences had not weighed with him ono iota.

After a further discussion, Mr. A. M. Samuel (Thames) declared: “Of course, all these appointments arc political. It is no use playing blind man’s bluff with two holes in the handkerchief. We know that if tho Labour party were in power, appointments would be made in a similar manner.” Labour members (emphatically): Ho! Mr. Samuel: Of course, they would, and if they were not made in a similar manner, the Labour party would not be playing the game with their supporters.

Mr. Barnard said he wanted to draw the Minister’s attention to a disparity. Farmers were appointed to commissions because of their knowledge of farm mortgagors’ difficulties, but in the cities, people such as bankers, who would clearly appreciate the mortgagees’ position more fully, were appointed. He asked why the Government did not appoint somebody who would be able to appreciate the position of tho householder, wage-earner and sal-ary-earner.