ROYD GARLICK COMMITTEE

Wairarapa Age, Volume xxv, Issue 10713, 29 August 1913, Page 5

ROYD GARLICK COMMITTEE

FURTHER CHARGES INVESTIGATED. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Royd Garlick Committee resumed its sitting this afternoon, to investigate the charge made in the House by Mr G. Laurenson that the Hon. James Allen had appointed a personal friend to the position of Director of Physical Training. Mr Laurenson justified his statement because it was current talk that Mr Garlick was very friendly, with the Minister. The Lyttelton Times had published an interview with the Minister, in which Mr Allen said he knew Mr Garlick. The same paper published a leading article, stating that it was current talk that Mr .Garlick was on terms of friendship with several members of the Cabinet. Those statements hadi not been denied. He thought it a fair inference that ,as the appointment was not made in the ordinary way, by calling applications, it- must have been because of friendship with the Minister. To Hon. A. L. Herdmah: He denied thai he had ever eaid that Mr Garlick was incompetent j but ho did not think him more competent than others in the Dominion whose services were available. He knew of no appointments of importance made by the Liberal Government without advertisements He thought £6OO per year v too high" a salary for Mr Garlick, ivhen the headmasters of big schools could not get more than £4OO. To Mr Guthrie: If Mr Allen assured him that Garlick was not a personal .iriftttti la would accept it. Without tna?r Vsarance, he would! I make the same statement again. In view of all the circumstances surrounding the appointment, the statement was not as, unfair as many made by Mr Allen and his friends j against the Liberal Gbvernment. The Committee then proceeded to ' consider, the statement made by Mite. W. Forbes in the House that, "It had been freely stated that the appointment had been made for political purposes." Mr Forbes, in his evidence, said he had repeately seen it stated in the Press,, and heard it in the street, that the appointment fc'a,i a political one. He had; eaid in the House that lie personally did not so regard it and spoke as he did to give ,the Minister opportunity of clearing up suspicions whicfi he considered would de- > trimentally affect the Education De- , partment. The public were justified in thinking that the appointment was i* political one, because of others made by the Massey Government, nuchas to the Canterbury Land Board and the Weetport Harbour Board. To Mr Guthrie: He thought his speech a fair statement of the position. He was rather proud of it. There was nothing of innuendo in it. He would not admit that inference could be drawn from it that the appointment was political. i The Hon. J. Allen asked leave to make a statement in refutation of Mr Laurenson's charge. He had not, he eaid, seen Mr Garlick prior to 14th September, when, on the recommendation of Drs. Hardwicke-Smith and Mac Gill, he> asked him to act on a Committee of Advice in connection ■ with a scheme of physical training * for scholars. Since then he had not seen him, except officially. He had never "been in Mr Garlick's house, and Mr Garlick had never been in liis. He denied absolutely that he find appointed Mr Garlick for reasons of friendship. x Mr Garlick was called, and corroborated Mr Allenstatement as to their meeting. He had never seen or communicated with Mr Allen prior to 14th September. The Committee adjourned till 3 p.m. to-morrow.