PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 154, 2 July 1927, Page 12

PARLIAMENT.

THE DEBATE CONTINUED. FARMERS' HARD TIME. WAGES AND ARBITRATION. • (By Telegraph—Press. Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday,

The debate on the Address-in-Reply was continued in the House to-day by Mr. T. D. Burnett (Temuka). Referring to the proposal made hy the seconder of the motion before the House to set up a committee to inquire into the conditions at present facing primary producers, he said he hoped the difficulties of the wbeatgrowers and their relation to the millfers would Mot he forgotten. It Was A fact that the primary producers were having a hard time. There was ho use blinking at the fact, and no one should be branded a pessimist if he said so plainly. He was surprised at the attitude taken up hy the Labour patty during the! debate; They eiaimed that high wages were the cure for all their ills, but What was the use of trying to keep up a standard of wages which arose duriflg bdem times When prices had everywhere slumped? Mr. W, A. Veitch, Leader of the Liberal party, stated that the road to progress Would be foiifid along the lines of cheap money and a good standard of living.- ftogtess would not be achieved i by reducing wages. There had been a covert suggestiofl in the -House that aa Labour had reached an impossibly high standard of Wages the Arbitration Court should be abolished; While some unions had ahtised the principle of arbitration, the vast majority stood loyally bv the Arbitration Court and ther should be protected. The functions Of the Court should be extended and improved. One Of the most potent causes of unemployment Was that the people were being dflvefl ffom the laUd by economic pressure, find there was nothing in the GovSpeeeh to show that the Goternhieht realised the situation. In eoneiusiofl Mr. Veitcß said confidence in the Refdfrii pftrty WaS rapidly Waning. The drftatie poligf ot fee Labour partv Was looked upon With suspicion and therefore there Was only One thing left, fthd tMt Was "revive Literalism!" Customs Barriers. : The Horn A.- D. MeLeod, Minister of Lands, said one Of the modern difficulties liltO Which most countries Were drifting was the Customs harriers, which were being ereefed «H the worlds against Britain Was the only nation which at pfeseftt Waff keepag her doors open to trade; This pofic| file might Hot continue long; afld if Britain once decided to make the- plimge and adopt higher ehsfOffls duties it would raise a question every" tfit at) -gefiOua as disarmament; however; Was encouraging, tßftt had aS were better id -3Jg* «gftland7tHfifi in any other part of the World or Empire. Dairy Control. • The debate was continued in the-even-ing by Mr. J. A..Lee (Auckland East), who said, he had hoped the Minister of Lands would have cleared tip matters connected with the Dairy Control Beard, but nothing satisfactory had eOhie frdm him. What was wrong with control arid why had the Government Wreeked the marketing organisation set tip as a feSiilt of legislation? Did it waht the old conditions of gluts and shortage to continue! The farming coWnruflity Was Waiting anxiously to see if the Govra-n----meht Intended to provide adequate assistance through the medium Of rural credits. He asked why rural credit bonds could not be offered Straight out to the public, as backed W the State The country needed and Wanted a Change in? -its political managers". The people Wete tired of promises witfidut petfdfmanee. Mr. W. X). Lysnar (Gisboffie) said the Government and Parliament did dot seeiri dl§fiosed to face a sdlUtioti Of the diffieulties-at present faciflg the country; Replying to an interjection, Mr". Lysfiaf £iid he blamed trusts fdf the Condition of the meat industry to*daVi , - Replying to a statement by- Mr. 6: W *6tbeS, the Hon. A. D. MeLeod sajd the Lands Departmentr had heeh Compelled to take drastic action in Connection with certain Settlers who had secured advances from the Government and theh raised seco J mortgages. Steps had t6 he tfth|fl to protect the Crown's interests s8 far as possible. In these case's the Reform Government had doiie a great deal for farmers. He pointed out .that 50,000 out of 85.000 settlers on theV kind in New Zealand paid neither-land hot" income tax Under the remissions granted in recent years hy the Reform Government. It was local taxation that was pressing sq heavily 08. the man on the land. ; •; ■ ; ' ; The Minister mentioned that the rural settler in. New Zealand was in a considerably better.- position than ..similar mea in New South ales. Relief ffdm the heavy burden of interest on loatla fof publie toadiug pufpeses could Secured through that hutden beihg Shared hy the general taxpayer or rtfie dominion. •.. - :'•■•.• «. ' [Speeches by Mt. J. A* Lee- (Auckland last) and Mf; ft G. R. Mason (Eden) are reported elsewhwere.] A Ministerial Reply. -Touching: on rural .finance, the Hon.: A-, D. MeLeod said ho would welcome any system - of" farmer?'" finance which rWas. kept '. .from political, coa-. tfol. This function, he thought, would be best served 'by the State- Advances Ofllee, The turridtref of €bat, i3epart ! ment was now so large that he was of opinion it , should depend on its own resources fof the petmanent lending ot the Dominion. If at any time a safe system of rural credits- free from State guarantee could be devised he would welcome If, -hue *uhtu- then the - State niiiSt .go Oil as It was doißg'at present. If the State borrowed money for the .pjurpose. of .lending,,. tfc« Staia" musi .control that lending. He deprecated pessimists going round the country talking d'bhdf people 'Walking* bff'theil' tatftis. These people had done more to bring about deflation of land- values- than anything- the Government had doile; AS a matter of fact, the number of those who walked" oh* the land was^aly lAo2, with-the .deteriorated lands there 'Was. a certain." amount of, deteriotition, hut the positieft Was dot bf afty ideafis hopelesß,, and tha GoVt-r nm4Bt wag not" W any means ueglecting'the matter. He denied that the Refetfc patty, had handled ft tithe Of tha money election tjmo Which had-heen .men* tioned, and he thought wrongful impu tatkms -regarding its • use■ ware - -most uttfkiri Tht TtefOfra party 'frauld be bound>to With r control. He was never In "Javour of put 4hV-«IHT h«i im felt that the Ciovewipießt must have Representatives on : .the-hoard, because; as iandlordj' the Government " had" a direct interest in the* success of about one-third of the farmers of the country.

Those who were given administration of the Act were warned that they had a loaded gun in their hands, and they must be careful how they used it. No matter how good a case "may be, there was always a time when a little common sense Mas necessary in handling, and he was afraid those in charge of dairy control had, by their rashness, in no small measure contributed to the present difficulties of dairy farmers. The speaker was proceeding to develop this phase of _h;s. argument when the House' adjourned '«« /u'lik.