A SERIOUS CHARGE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 10 July 1913, Page 7

A SERIOUS CHARGE.

BY THE MEMBER FOR NELSON. Spacing in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Mr, member for Nelson, stated that because the Minister for Marine was a No-license advocate and a baremajority man, lie should have been .tho last -aiember of the Cabinet to approve'the appointment of a Governinciu nominee on tho Westport R.rbour Board. This was a man who had been twice convicted for using •, ,: ..Kl: junguage, twico for pernut.ting drunkenness on his premises, once for selling liquor in .prohibited hours, once for playing unlawful games, and once for assault. Mr Fisher: Give his name. Mr Atmore: I will give you his name and all the particular* you want. Here is a man whom the Licensing Committee give three months to get rid of his license —this Simpson, of Karamea —but the Rainbow Minister considers that he is fit to represent on the third most important harbour board iu the Dominion. Continuing, ,Mr :Atmore stated that fifty shareholders in "The Dominion" newspaper owned three million pounds' worth 'of Ijind. He advocated a, stiff graduated tax, so stiff that ait its .maximum it would represent 20s in every £ of annual value. He condemned the loc.il navy proposal as an insane idea. Nothing , in the Dominion would progress as it should until tihe land monopoly in ; Hawke's Bay and other parts of the Dominion had been broken up. To ■; solve problem of land monopoly would be'to solve also the problem of ] "defence. •

. The Hon. F, M..8: Fisher said'tliat •lift' assturved. .that the membex: :pi-, ,th£ : Westport. llarbqur. Board to whonf: the hon.. gentleman had referred was Mr' Simpson. . . An hon. member: There is only one Simpson on the board. ~ » Mr 'Fisher «iid that he wanted to state, for the information of the. House, the reasons of Mr Simpson's appointment. Otherwise it might appear, that, he had done something that -was very wirong and that a refledtibn. upon himself and upon the ■ Government. Mr Simpson represented Karamea on the Harbour Board, and he had been selected for the position beoaiuse he was the most recently-elected representative of the. Karamea district upon the Buller Gou-nty Council. It had seemed clear that the most suitable maJi to represent Karamea on the Harbour Board was the. mam whom the people of Karaimea had returned to the County Council. Mr Gillen, another nominee, had been put on the Harbour Bowd because he was the next best man on the poll. Mr Colvin: What about the Mayor, who had the largest number of votes ? ,

Mr 'Fisher: Messrs Munro and Scanlon became members of the board. I took the third man, Mr Gillen. The other nominee is Mr Simpson, Mr Isitt: And mow that you know his cteiraeter, will you take him off ?

Mr Fisher: I don't know hi-, character. I am,.going t.>. verify that. Mr Isitt: If you verify his character will you take him off? .Mr .Fisher: lam not going tb take him off on what the'- meml>er for (Nelson says. • 'Ma- Isitt: If it % right, will von take him off? ■ 'Mr^Fisher: I .think he might come off. Mr Simpson wins only elected to the Cotmty Council six weeks or two .'months* prior to his appointment on- the Harbour Board. Mr. Gillensnext ori,ijhe, poll to the tlvb who -were elected.:/ , If. isV-as stated : by' the member::for^icxarton' : the craiar evening; and tlie ; .-member for Nelson to-night, then he (Mr Simpson) . ought nob to be on the board, and I am very gJxl that the lvon. gentleman has called my attention to it. <Mr Atmore asked whether the Minister suggested that he had been guilty of a misstatement. Mr Fisher giid that he could not take action in an ex-parte statement in the House. Mr Russell: How can vou take hioi eff? Mr Atmore denied that he had made an ex-parte statement. It was a statement of fact. Mr Fisher: I should ask him to, and I think thatb under the circumstances he would resign. I can't put him off. Mr Russell: Of course you enn't. iMr Fisher: I think he would be a wise man amd get out.