INDICTMENT OF GOVERNMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 146, 21 June 1923, Page 8

INDICTMENT OF GOVERNMENT.

THE DRIVE TO THE TOWNS. HER. WXLFOKD'S SPEECH. THE KO-COMFTDEXCE DEBATE. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Rt-porte-.l WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Mr. T. M. Wilford, Leader of the Opposition, moved his No-confidence Amendment to the Address-in-Keply in the Ilouse of Representatives to-day. In doing so Mr. Wilford declared that Mr. Rolleston*- speech was the most condemnatory of the Government ever made by the mover of an Address-in-Reply. Admittedly; the Government had negleeed the backblocks, and that iind other admission? by Mr. Rolleston opened the door to the arguments of the Leader of the Opposition. Burin? the war Mr. Massey used energy which acted as a bras band would act on a tired regiment, but the Premier had continued the dose, and it was time the Reform party gave way to a party willing to progress. Mr Wilford said he would show that the Government neither increased nor helped country settlement. More settlement and still more settlement was Reform's watchword in 1012, but the en* from different parts of New Zealand was that what was taking place was aggregation, more aggregation, and still more"- aggregation. Members had declared that there was a drift to the towns; it was not a drift but a drive to the towns,-chiefly because the Government had no policy of land settlement which could be deemed vigorous, alive, or even energetic. A real reformer would have a bedrock political programme, having homes for the people, work, cheap food, land, and education as its chief planks, but the Government's policy of housing was indicated in the bill announced by Mr. Massey, providing 95 per cent of the value of house and land. What was the use of passing such a bill if the money was not there to give? REFORM'S TRUST FRIENDS. One Reform member had declared that vhools came before houses, but Mr. Wilford declared tbat houses came before all the education in the world. Unfortunately many people were homeless in the Dominion, not without a roof over their beads, but being herded together under conditions not good for the body politic. Trusts and combines were controlling the prices of building material and food, and •unquestionably acting to the detriment of the country. Reform stood for vested interests, and could not stand for the people as a whole. They were responsible for dear homes and it was up to the Government to remedy matters, but the Government had killed the housing branch of the Advances Department. The Reform party had always hated that Department. FOOLING THE PUBLIC , Reformers and the Reform Press had fooled the public on questions of finance. It was declared that a fourmillion loan had been raised at 4 per cent, but it really worked out at more, and it waa a question whether or not it would have been better to pay 5 per cent right away. Mr. Wilford next dealt with the large sums of money owin" by this country mentioned in the Press 1 as having to be negotiated by the Premier when they fell due. He pointed out that the Government owed about a million to the Public Trust, and a large sum to the Post Office. There was no difficulty in renewing such loans. Was it a fact that out of sixty-six millions forty millions was owing to the Post Office! HOW TIME IS LOST. The Leader of the Opposition next dealt with roading, and said that the Liberal-Labour party's policy was road and settle, not settle then road. He contended that the Highways Bill had not been dealt with as it ought, and valuable months in which the problem could have been tackled had been lost. He asked the Minister of Public Works Whether there had not been delay over the appointment of the counties' representatives, the counties in tho end •proving to be in the right and the Minister in the wrong. SEEKING ADVICE ELSEWHERE. The fact that Sir George Elliot, president of the Bank of New Zealand, was | against the establishment of State aud agricultural banks, said Mr. Wilford, should not weigh with the Government. A member: Is that the cement man? _Ir. Wilford agreed that Sir George lad to do with cement, and had signed the contract which closed the Golden Bay cement works. He pointed out that agricultural and State banks were Abound to be anathema to a man in Sir George Elliot's position, because the 'object of the bank was to pay big dividends to shareholders by wringing the last possible shilling out of the man in trouble. , The Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, was the next speaker. He was followed by Mr. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South), who said that while he admitted that the Prime Minister should, as head of the Government, represent New Zealand at the Imperial Conference, he disputed the. necessity for curtailing the session and disorganising the country's ibusiness by not allowing the House to sit during Mr. Massey's absence. Mr. Sidey condemned the Government's failure to amend the constitution of tho Legislative Council, and complained that it had not fulfilled its promise to find some other system of election than the first-past-the-post. WHAT LABOUR THINKS. Mr. H. E. Holland, leader of the Labour party, said that the status of the Dominions was one of the most important problems to be discussed at the Conference. Sooner or later the Dominions must be allowed a final voice in determining their own destinies. The invitation to Mr. Massey was merely a stereotyped document.

Mr. YVilford: Probably a printed form. (Laughter.) Mr. Ilollii-nd said that his party would insist that Parliament should sit to deal with the great problems before the country, and, above all, that instructions ought to be given Mr. Massey. There should be no secrecy in connection with the Imperial Conference, and whatever was done should be done in the full light of day: further, that Xcw Zealand was not to be committed to any policy till that policy had been approved by the people. If these guarantees were not forthcoming the House should not agree to the Premier going to the Imperial Conference. Ur. A. D. Mcl.eod (Wairarapa) made an appeal for support for the soldier settlers, most of whom would pull through if the necessary assistance was given. The losses would not be nearly so large as was at one time expected, but whatever the losses were it was the duty of the Government and the country to face them. The adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North), and the House rose.