PARLIAMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 16, 29 October 1932, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THE DEBATE ON THE BUD'GET. (Abridged from Press Association). WELLINGTON, October 28. In the House of Representatives today the debate on the Budget was resumed. _,T •, , \ Messrs F. Lye (Coalition, Waikato), R. McKeen (labour, Wellington S)., spoke . _ Mr J.. A. McPherson- (Coalition, Oamaru), referring to the value of the wheat industry to New Zealand, said there were over a million acres of liighclass wheat land in the Dominion, and that was sufficient to meet the requirements of our people and stock. While it might be possible to import wheat and flour nominally more cheaply than we could produce it in New Zealand, it should be remembered that the most important feature of the'industry was the offal, namely, bran and pollard. This was the life blood of New Zealand, and it if were lost we would find the avenues of export closed. Mr W. A. Bodkin (Coalition, Otago) stressed the need for absorbing unemployed in productive works such as the development of the gold-mining industry, irrigation in Central Otago and drainage work in the North Island. So far as gold mining was concerned, he considered that valuable results could be obtained by spending money on the purchase of plant to enable unemployed to adopt more up-to-date methods. The money could be provided by the issue of Treasury bonds, say, six millions a year, and this, supplemented by the Unemployment Board, should be sufficient to keep men on productive works. „

Shorter Working Hours. Mr H. Atmore (In., Nelson) declared that the Government had completely failed to face the conditions of the age. The time had come when it was imperative that there should be a reduction in working hours, and arrangements should be made to ensure that everyone received a just share of the country’s wealth. The- difficulty had arisen because there was insufficient ticket wages to allow men to receive satisfactory commodity wages. New Zealand to-day possessed more ability to feed and clothe her people than she had had in the prosperous year of 1926, in fact more than ever before in her history, yet people were starving. All that was lacking was currency, and he condemned the failure of the Government to utilise the credit of tlio people for the purpose by issuing sufficient ’ paper money to overcome the shortage of ticket wages to which he had re--1 ferred.

Development of Native Lands. Replying to criticisms of his administration of the Native Affairs Depaitment, Sir A. T. Ngata dealt fully with North Island activities. He said there were some things that would not wait on legislation, and unemployment was one of these. The Maoris were the most self-reliant people in New Zealand, and the way they had developed their lands during the depression would read like a romance when reported to the House. “I deny absolutely the charge’ of extravagance so far as this tribe is concerned,” he said, when referring to one Native- settlement scheme. “These, people didn’t get anything for what they did.” Continuing, he said the Maoris were felling heavy bush for 8s and 10s an acre. fvfr F. Langstone: ,You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Sir A. T. Ngata: I’m not. I’m proud of them. Members: Hear, hear.

The pakeha might be a better man than the Maori because he had more resources, Sir A. T. Ngata said, but the Maori was making the best use ot his limited advantages. “I, as an East Coast Maori, take my hat off to the Maori of North Auckland,” he said. It was impossible to make both ends meet with present prices, nut the 1 Maoris of North Auckland were going very near it. After paying tribute to the Governor-General for his gift of the Waitangi site, Sir Apirana Ngata said the Ngapuhis had expressed a 'desire to erect a suitable Maori memorial on the spot. He had explained to them that there was no money, but had pointed out that there wore eightyears before the centenary of the signing of the. treaty. He had submitted a suggestion that they should contribute 5s per year for each cow milked, and this had been taken up. There were a thousand aows being milked by the Ngapuhis, and in eight years they should have £2OOO, with wEch a memorial in the form of a carved meeting-house could be erected. He suggested that Mr Tirikatene should endeavour to obtain the co-op-eration of the Ratana Party in this project, and if this were forthcoming, it would be certain that a memorial could be erected worthy of the gift of his Excellency. The debate was interrupted by the rising of tlie House at 5.50 till 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.