AMUSED OR ANGRY?

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 126, 18 August 1927, Page 18

AMUSED OR ANGRY?

MR. NOSWORTHY CHIPPED LOAN TO RADIO COMPANY (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Seemingly small things do cause arguments in the House of Representatives. Small things, indeed, have caused wars. But one thing that caused some concern to two members in the House to-day was whether the Postmaster-General, the Hon. W. 1 Nos worthy, was angry or amused over Labour’s criticism of the loan of £15,000 to the New Zealand Broadcasting Company. Not that it mattered a great deal for the purposes of the country’s welfare, whether the Postmaster-General was irascible or highly delighted, but Mr. F. N. Bartram became worried about it. Mr. Nosworthy had hotly denied that the loan was a second mortgage, he said in the debate, but he did not see what the Minister had to become l angry about. Mr. Nosworthy: I was not angry. Mr. Bartram: If everything was fair and reasonable, why was there so much fuss? Mr. Nosworthy: I was amused. Mr. Bartram: Well, Mr. Speaker, the Minister has a peculiar manner of showing his amusement. When he is amused he looks particularly vicious. Even this did not satisfy the member for Grey Lynn, who continued to chip the Postmaster-General on the question. Mr. Nosworthy then felt constrained to interject: I have a copy of the Gazette. Mr. Bartram: Oh; the Minister has looked it up. This is an indication that when he interjected the other day he did not know his facts. Mr. J. A. Lee: Hear, hear. He does not know his own business. Mr. W. Parry: Hear, hear. Mr. Nosworthy: You are right for once. Mr. Bartram quoted from the Gazetted mentioned, showing that the Bank of New Zealand had a first security of £SOO over the £15,000 loan to the New Zealand Broadcasting Company. “The action of the Government in granting this loan at 8 per cent.,” he said, “was neither expedient nor wise.” The Postmaster-General let it go at that, and the House does not know yet whether he was angry ‘or amused. Such trifles disturb the minds of members sometimes.