PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 170, 17 July 1908, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, c p (By Telpp-aph.—ParliameDtary Reporter.) I c WELLINGTON. Thursdjy. <• THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. *. The debatp nil the Budget was contin- c aed in the House of Representatives this s afternoon and evening. Mr P. Reid, junr.. opened this after-j If noon's debate, restricting his remarks' to the financial problem, and dealing very ( - largely with the r;ticstion oi him:-tal!i.-r.i. p •'■rKUNED AT THE KODT-V' i c Mr Flatnian. in refr-rriuf: to the J-Siid- \ gm;i!.itP'! on tl l, excellent result jieiiiev-! * : country, a= iii* iosp'l by the Statement. I ' Thr- i. j 1- r nf ch° Opposition had Plated 8 thai !:'■ h?ii no object inn to i-eeinz >■ 001 plai .1 on !lie Estimates for roads p ctil bri'ipes. Tli.it v\'23 beoau": , he vi":1 ! t like to "pt an amount for the Auckland i r dinn-t. The nirmber for Oraldinp eon-1 a titiued hy stating that the Opposition v claimed the credit f.-r the Advances to 1: fsnttlprs Act. Mc read from Hansard n teln-nn !T:id by >!r llassey he-.irin™ ~~i Bijznatures. w'.,"-\\ ho said proved that ourinj to keep the hill out. an:l accomt-, ed for th° htm. gentleman's vote being xec.-'-dpd aiain-t the third reading oil the hill. Turning his attention t T the * nvtirks maje Hv Mr Lang, the nirmboi , r dinary i ;, :i!_ r lo find Mr taking r Fueh an interest in nld age pensions r.o t orh'-n h« so (■onsist?ntlr opposed the " kill's parFa.se ihrough ili'e H.m=e. ! o Mr l.mj: I supported i.!l the nmend-1 men , .?, and. likewise, the incense lo 15. t Mr FlatL-iiin: Vo;i supported anything T you thought would kill it. ; t Continuing. .Nir Flatman pr.irl 'he mem- t Vr for Manukau hart • pro'>s«e<l to be l< favourable to ihpland for spiilement f •heinr. though he voted the third r.-adlns. He had also voted ajrainsi : t the Advances to Settlers Bill, scying ihei »- i.-n -urt; wsj vastly different to the : .fcii! the Government had introduced. i "The hnn. member comes hf.-e every i s Tear." arlded Mr Flitm-in. "and blows' c , and blossom-!, hut he produces no fruit, t! Herequirps pruning. I believe he hat been! ii prun.-d. but he lie taken up .i:>d c pnmed at the root.*." (Loud laughter.) ; c In Ronclusion, Mr Fiatman said that tin- a Leader of the Opposition h-.id prophesie* , p n back-set, hut he believed they would .ir never feel any back-set or hack-wash. | n THE COUNTRY'S FINANCES. j v Mr Jus. Alien said that Mr Fl«iran; had been eulogising the legislation plac-.l i ■upon the Statute Book by the Liberal j J jiartv. Was the hnn. member for Gerald- 'c< iae proud of the Arbitration Act. which . c: made it possible to imprison the work- .ji ing-man? The increase in the public fd< debt by two or three millions per yearj \ T ■W3.S deplored hy Mr Allen, who objected . d< ±o the senrling round of begging letters! m to friendly societies and other institu-j tions when the local loan was floated. I He. cla.iined that many of the most Lib-; eral measures on the Statute Book had j' originated from the Opposition, more par- j ticularly in the matter of educational subjects. Sir Harry Atkinson, he asserted, had originr.ted the national annuities scheme. ' • Mr Laurenson: His party did not back ihim. Mr. Allen: The country was not ripe for it then. Continuing., Mr. Allen said that mem- | ibers had been misled 1 over the Loan Bill, i He asked, was it not a fact that the i proposed loan of -£1.250,000 had been j urged without any declaration as to the , halanee carried forwards They knew the | balance available was £152,001), which j meant that the Government would have a I ■ways and means account to work upun of I A £2,441,000. Was the Prime Minister, [C< therefore, justified in asking for the mil- ] in lion and a quarter loan. The member Ise ior Brace ai~o condemned the proposal to Si increase the railway expenditure from jth £66L,000 to a million, despite the fact 'ne that the main trunk line was now com- . pleted. w: Sir Joseph Ward , : And you are one of in the men persistently asking for a new tl lailway. a 5 Mr. Allen: Keep quiet, and take your .0I gruel properly. You can give mc my i M railtvays out of the £152.000 additional ial ways and mean.s, I have discovered for tr you. contLnued Allen: went on " ±o say that Le "was satisfied that the vote ' ' r for back block \vas simply -an eleo- j ai tion catch. What was ■wrong was that iL" the money voted for back block roads ] P had not been spent by the executive. ; On the la-st estimate the amount voted for • the purpose was £518,000, and of this ' amount the treasurer had only expended a £. :3."33.000. Railways got all and more I than they wanted, tourist resorts also got more money than was voted by ParLament, but roads and mines both sul- tl fered. and the amount appropriated was hi met expended. , ft NEW LAXD SETTLEMENT POLICY. 01 The Hon. Mr. McXah followed, and, ir , dealing with iLr. Allen's remark, on the . Oorernmcnt's progressive policy regarding railways, said that the point of Mr. .Alle"n's argTLment broke down when it "was '. seen that the estimates for 19UG-07 provided' £537,025 for railway construction. L j". The expenditure in that year exceeded ~, tue appropriatdoris. and amounted to j = i;)lD.OO4, so that there was no point in "Mr. Allen's argument. Touching upon j\c the land settlement system, as outlined in ! .>■' the Budget, the Hon. Mr. McNab said it \ w. uas the intention of the Govemmeiit to ! \ a carry ont the lands for settlement policy ! in the future with just as much vigour as I SP in tiie past. It was amusing to hear Op- 're position members claim the authorship of ' m the special settlement policy. Some of dj the large landowners complained that !fu there weTe not enougli buyers to take up ! m what Government land there was on the pt market under the special system now pro- j io posed. There was no buying up of lands ior re-sale, but simply an extension of j the advances to settlers system. There had bo.-n a tendency io narrow tho opera- j - tinn= of the Lands for Settlement Act. i great care being necessary in selecting ' tenants for high priced "lands. If the Government were given the power asked ! these difficulties would be obviated, and ' °' farmers would acquire their own freehold ! °' ]flnd under the proposed extensions to the i Advances to 3ettler 3 office, instead of ! • looking to the lands for settlement svs- I • tern. " ~ \ n I ti OTHER SPEKCHES. o Mr J. Stevens dealt generally with the c: priiiejpal matters In the Budget, and was 1\ emphatic in his request to the Govern- bi zner.f. to see that those devoting them- si Selves to tho profession of school-teach- j E ing should receive n more requisite mone- pi tar.y canslderation, pi Mr J, C, Thompson, in referring to ef the Arbitration Act proposals, favoured ca the "needs" and "exertion" wage amend- is roent, Something was needed to stimu- th late labour, and different men had dif- sp iepent brains, Di Mr \\Tlfar4r Sew. $s&rgw& going; to dc gradtt them , ? ' ,(Jt

Continuing, Mr Thompson made referace to the question of a State Bank, nd said that there was need for some in the matter of bank Targo.s, more particularly as they aplied to the cost of keppinp a current ac■>unt, and thp charge marie on exlanges. Referring to educational mat■rs. he said the Dominion had made fundamental error in erasing grammar ■om the. syllabus. He also urged a oser study of history and loss nature udv. which he said was useless. Mr .[. A. Hanan also dealt at some ngth with education. Mr Laurens-on said there had been a ild-b'oode-d attempt on the. part of 'Op!e controlling the money market to -en ip a finnncia! pnnic. Ho. alleged nit they had taken advantage of the ro;i in tho price of v.ool to Uind up i" money market to an extraordinary itent. In one instance lie knew of sp price of money goincr up from 4 to and CJ per e«nt. If this v??. 3to oei- wh.-never a drop occurred in the -ice of products, it wnuiil b" wise for n« of tho Advncps to Settlers' Act . in prevent farmers being taken adm:a = " of by a gnm of people controller tli" money market. At 12.10 a.m. the TTousp rose.