“BRUSH-UP” REQUIRED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19988, 13 July 1939, Page 5

“BRUSH-UP” REQUIRED

NATIVE LAND SCHEMES LABOUR MEMBER’S VIEW (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. That some of the native land development schemes want a brush-up was the opinion expressed in t'he House of Representatives on the noconfidence debate yesterday by Mr. E. L. Cullen (Lab., Hawke’s Bay) who at the opening of his remarks regarding native settlement, declared he was going to be a bit critical, not * only of the former Government, but of the present one in respect to the administration of this responsibility. Mr. Cullen noted that although a clause of the no-confidence amendment referred to native land, declaring the administration had been unsatisfactory, not a word on this subject had been heard from the Leader of the Opposition, or his supporters. A Board of Native Affairs was set up by the National Government to watch one Minister, the member for Eastern Maori, and if the latter had had his ;gay this board, which was simply a shock-absorber, would not have been allowed to exist. Heads of Departments Men who had spent their whole - lives in the administration of native affairs in the department had no voice, nor did the Native Minister have any .say in regard to native affairs. There was nobody on the 'board to .present the native outlook as it comprised only the heads of the departments. He was glad to note that about £IOO,OOO had been spent to provide new homes and; recondition Maori dwellings. The board seemed to have the native land development complex, although he contended that what they should look to was the individual native to assist him instead of concentrating on a policy which covered the whole native population. The clause in the amendment was an indictment of the Government of which the Leader of the Opposition was a member. The law had not been changed. Mr. A. E. Jull (Nat., Waipawa): There is a vacancy on the board now. Mr. Cullen: I’m pushing to have the board abolished and the Minister brought more closely into touch with the problem. This could be done through the medium of judges in the field.