IDLE RETURNED SOLDIERS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 16

IDLE RETURNED SOLDIERS

PART OF UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM "MANY IN ABLE TO WORK." [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.J WELLINGTON, September 17. Two Government back-benchers who spoke to-day in the Address-in-Reply debate. Mr W. M. C. Denham (Invercargill) and Mr E. L. Cullen (Hawke's Bay), found a good deal of interesting material to use, althought their colleagues had covered the general policy so well in previous speeches. "The administration of the Government has been on orthodox lines," said Mr Cullen. Nothing unorthodox had been done, and the last Government could have done the same things as the present Government had if it had wished to. Much had been said about unemployment, but it had to be remembered that between 6000 and 7000 idle men were returned soldiers who were unable to work. Reference had also been made to shirkers on the Government side of the House. Tribute and not sneer should have been paid for what the workers had done in the Great War. In spite of the mortgage legislation, land values were far too high, Mr Cullen said. Dairy land in Hawke's Bay was as high as £IOB an acre. High land values were a greut disadvantage to the farmers of the Dominion. Practically 90 ner cent, of the farmers were tied up with stock mortgages they were unable to meet. It was most discouraging to find some of the small farmers mortgaged over and above the value of their properties '•Farmers in the country had no freedom whatever under the system of marketing which existed with the approval of the previous Government, declared Mr Denham. He said that the policy of the last Government had been based on most haphazard lines, farrrters having had to take whatever the world markets gave them. It has been snown conclusively by speakers from this side of the House that the guaranteed price is n fair and reasonable return to give an cmcient farmer," he said. "I am satisfied in my own mind that the farmers prefer our system to the old haphazard order of the last Government. The House rose at 5.30 p.m., alter Mr Denham had spoken, and will resume on Tuesday.