AN OBSERVER IN PARLIAMENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 8 September 1930, Page 10

AN OBSERVER IN PARLIAMENT.

RELIEF WORK AND DEFENCE. (SPECIALLY 'WRITTEN I'OR TIIE I'HESS.) [By Politicus.'J WELLINGTON, September 0. On Thursday the Minister for Labour was moved to remind tho House that it was in the tenth sitting day at which tho Unemployment Bill had been considered, and he politely suggested that a little more progress should bo made. Some part of the slow progress is attributable to the amended Standing Orders under which the House now works. In old times, when a Government considered that a Bill had been sufficiently discussed, it would begin to apply the screw by s'itting later and later. Now this cannot be done without suspending the Standing Orders. If this wore dono regularly —well, what would bo the uso of tho Standing Orders? Without suspension and with regular adjournment at 10.30 p.m. the talkativo members return to their talk the next day refreshed. Ono may say that this is preferable to legislation by exhaustion, but it means poor progress, and unfortunately Parliament is not on pieco-work. With all tho discussion, oniy trifling amendments have hitherto been mado in the Bill. Tho flat rate levy has been retained and a proposal to include youths in tho scope of the measure has been negatived. The Minister gave an assurance that the Unemployment Board would attend to the needs of youths under the registration age, but he opposed the movement to include them in the Bill so that they would become entitled to sustenance. In this the Committee supported him. Generally the attitude of the House to the measure has been: Labour urging that its scope should be widened, and tho cost to the wage-workers reduced, and the Government (supported in the main by the Reform Party) maintaining that it is undesirable to attempt too much until experience has been gained in the operation of a moderate and safeguarded measure. When progress was reported on the Bill on Thursday night there were still some difficult clauses to consider, and then the third reading. After that the Legislative Council will get to work and, within the limits of its powers, it may make many alterations. Telegraph Office Under Fire. Members of tho House had a lot to say when the M to Z Petitions Committee on Wednesday recommended favourable consideration (in ono case "most favourable") of the petitions of five Auckland telegraphists dismissed for making what was held to be illegal uso of an official telephone. ; One of the five found many friends in the House to press his claims for reinstatement, and the Department was severely criticised for tho severity of the penalty imposed for what members deemed to bo merely a technical offence. At tho same time the Department's attitude to racing and betting telegrams came under discussion. Mr Kyle said that the evidenuo given to the Committee showed that 750 betting telegrams went through the Auckland Post Offifo on tho day of the alleged offence. The Postmaster-Gen-eral said that they did not allow betting telegrams, but it was not the easiest thing in the world to detect one." For instance, a man might send a telegram: "Eighteen sacks of wheat., fifteen sacks of oats." They had stopped telegrams like that only to_ find that they wore stopping commercial messages. If they thought a telegram contained a betting message they asked the sender to sign a statement that it was not a betting telegram. No one seemed to think it worth while to comment that the man who was proposing to break tho law tvas unlikely to have many scruples about denying that intention. Mr Cobbe Drops a Bomb. Tho Minister for Defence (Mr Cobbo), whose office, has not been, included in tho defence retrenchment,had something to say on. Tuesday concerning the action of tho Legislative Council in rejecting the Defence Amendment Bill, lie explained that tho Govern, inent had power to suspend compulsory training without the legislative authority which the Amendment Bill contained, but it had no power to spend money on a volunteer defence organisation. Tho Department still had power to train Territorials who elected to continue . as volunteors. But he added: "Tho fact that the Bill has lost its way prevents the Government from carding out its intention so far as the training of volunteers is concerned. ... It is a matter for regret that our defence system should have been weakened and hardship inflicted upon a number of men whoso services the Government hoped to be able to retain.". In effect the Minister has picked up. the bomb which the Legislative Council threw over into x his lines and has thrown it back to the Council. But one cannot say yet where' it will explode or whether it will explode at all. Beports and Papers. Some of tho more interesting discussions in the. House this week have boen upon reports and papers. For example, the presentation of tho Pensions Report gave Labour an opporturiity to demonstrate. Mr Parry moved to refer the report back as an indication that the House was in favour of increased pensions for the blind and tho aged. This led to much Party cross-talk. Mr Coates plainly declared that the move was all make-believe on the part of members of tho Labour Party, and Mr Downie Stewart commented on its futility. If the amendment were agreed to, whero did the Leader of the Labour Party suggest the necessary extra taxation should come from. "Tho amendment has no real meaning and is an idle gesture for the country." Nevertheless members seemed a little perturbed, probably thinking of tho time when some questioner at the backof an election meeting would ask: "Did you vote in 1930 against increased pensions for the blind?" However, the tea adjournment interrupted the debate, so that the vote could not be takon. The Railways Statement appeared during the week, but was not discussed. It was found to contain little new, since all reference to railway policy is deferred pending the report of the Railway Commission. . Another subject of general interest was raised by the appearance of the Valuation Department accounts. Mr David Jones made a strongly worded protest at the inequity of tho valuation system. Some farmers were being crushed out of existence, while others were escaping their fair share of taxation. He referred particularly to the hardships imposed on Canterbury farmers. This led the Acting-Prime Minister to produce a report from the recent conference of valuers. The Minister s&d, in effect, that nothing could be dono beyond getting the _ most experienced valuers and bringing them together from time to time so that they might adopt uniform methods. The only value to take was the value set by

voluntary sales—sellers tvho were not compelled to sell, on the one hand, and buyers wlio were not obliged to buy on the other. The heavier . Canterbury land tayes were principally due to the bS T °t the tJ unim P r oved value as a basis for taxation and the fact that much of the Canterbury land required less expenditure to bring it to full carrying capacity. Thus the land tax was relatively greater in proportion to carry in#t capacity than in.parts of New Zealand where higher expenditure on improvements had to be made. Members did not seem satisfied with the explanation, but none suggested i better method. "Bfeostea a