PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 233, 2 October 1928, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

JOTTINGS FROM THE GALLERY

FOS&IC WQRKS DEBATE

PROTRACTED MONDAY SITTING

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Monday.

When it wa? stated on Friday night i that the first Monday sitting of the session might be a short one, occupying 1 the afternoon only, some memhers were hopeful of an early adjournment. How- : ever, the Public Works statement provided an opportunity for discussion an unemployment, and preeioys little else, till after midnight, when the Public Works Estimates were attacked. There was nothing of a constructive nature in the debate, which was for the most part a colourless string of disconnected statements, ranging round unemployment, the Government putting up man for man during the later stages. A Late Sitting. Discussion on the Public Works estimates was continued in the early hours of the mornipg. Members of the Labour Party strongly attacked the vote for immigration, contending that before more public school boys were brought to the Dominion provision should be 1 made to give New Zealand boys a chance to obtain education in farming. These arguments were replied to by several Government supporters, who argued that if the Empire spirit was a living thing we had no right tci object to have our population being increased by recruits from the British Isles. The vote was finally agreed to without a division. In three hours votes totalling £8,753.500 were passed, and progress was reported. The House rose at 340 a m. tilt 2.30 p.m. Tree Planting Finished. That a large number of men who have been employed on tree planting woFk during the winter had been dismissed during the past two or there weeks, was admitted by the Commissioner of State Forests, the Hon. O. S, Hawken, who explained that the season had ended and it was useless to go on planting trees that would die. As a matter of fact, he added, the supply of trees throughout New Zealand had run out, and there was no further work for the men. A Political Bug. 'If the unemployed are going to kick me out of office for doing what we have done for them, then good enough for them," was the Prime Minister's defiant statement in the House late to-night, when Mr. J. A- Lee interjected: "After men have worked on relief works for six months at nine shillings a day they will vote the Government out." Mr, Coates said he was not afraid of any man in New Zealand. What public works had been provided they had to thank the Government for. For anyone to accuse him of being responsible for the rotten conditions was a political bug. Souther? Railway Claims. Among the few Labour members who did not confine their remarks on the Public Works Statement almost wholly to the unemployment question, Mr, Armstrong (Christchureh East) was one who took the Government to task concerning its railway construction policy. The Government, he said, had announced that it was intended to concentrate on the construction of the Gisborne-Napier Une as far as Wairoa. Where the line would »o after that no one seemed to know. Considering that this line had been in process of construction for a great number of years, it was high time that a decision had heen made. The Government did not seem to know whether they were going or coming. As far as the South Island was concerned there was apparently but one line to be constructed. The Beef ton-Westport line was hist as important as the Napier-Gisborpe line, and it would open up much better country, and give a much better prospect of returning a profit. Mr, Bitchener: Oh, you know the ! member for Gisborne is not in the House. Mr, Armstrong said the Department had apparently just made the discovery • that there were rich coal mines in the Buller district, but he ventured to say that if the railways construction policy , was not speeded up all timber and coal deposits at Buller would be well worked I cut by the time the line got there. Petrol Tax for Cities. ; That large centres did not get their ■ fair share of the petrol tax. was a statel mcnt made by Mr. Armstrong (Clirist- ! church East). The cities, he said, pro- ' vided the lion's share of 'evenus from the motor spirits tax, but city people ' got little re'ief as a result of their con- ; tributions. He thought some roads through cities and borouarh« should l>e ' declared main highways, or. failing that. • a much larger share of the tax should • be given to the large centres. Christ- . church was far from satisfied with the L treatment it received. City people ' would bo more satisfied if a larger share j of their contributions were spent 011 , roads which they used. The 'Minister of Lands (Mr. McLeod) : Flo vou sav country people get too much ? A Reform Member: He won't sa v that. Mr. Armstrong T have not said that. Rut I say that 50 per cent for the larpe centres would he more fair than 8 per cent. T don't think the present proportion is a fair deal whe none considers the amount that city motorists pay in ! "-elnt'on to the roads they use.

The Reform Donkey. Twitting the Opposition with never being satisfied with anything the Government did. tbc Minister of Education, the Hon. R. A. Wright, said in the House that it reminded him of the old fable of the old man and his ass who tried to please everyone and ended by pleasing no one, and he lost his donkey into the bargain. Mr. W. A. Veitch; We are the old man. Mr. H. T. Armstrong: The Reform party will lose their donkey this election. (Loud laughter.) itr. Wright: The Reform party will come back stronger than ever. Mr. Coates (joining in the joke): And the donkey with 'em, Mr. Wright: Yes, {he people of New Zealand do not believe in changing donkeys in mid-stream. (Renewed laughter.) A Minister's Admission. ■'There is no golden rule and no golden path to a solution of this problem of unemployment." declared the Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, in the House to-night, in answering Labour criticism. He professed great sympathy with the unemployed, but made much of the fact that New Zealand's proportion of unemployed was less than that of any other democratically governed country in the Empire. "I say that everyr thing that can reasonably be done has been done by the Government." was hi? concluding statement—quite a surprising admission for a Minister to make in an election year. Mr. R. McKeen (Wellington South): Then you admit you are a failure, A Minister on Piecework. Defending the co-operative and piecework systems in the House to-night, the Minister of Education was Facing along on top gear in great style when he was hrought up by a sudden interjection. Declaring that he had worked on the pteeework plan, Mr. Wright stated: "I was never happier than when I was paid on that - prineiple. There were no pannikin basses, and as long as I did pi? work I got paid for what I d>dMr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central): Aren't you lucky you are not paid on that principle now? When the laughter subsided Mr. Wright replied that if he were paid on the piecework plan he would earn mere to-day than ever he did.