THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1195, 2 August 1911, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE;,

MR. MASSEY'S SPEECH,

A MINISTERIAL REJOINDER.

Tho Addrcss-in-Keply debate opened in tho House of Representatives at 8 p.m. Mr. AV. T. JENNINGS (Taiimarunui) rose, amid applause, to movo "That a respectful address bo presented to his Excellency in reply to his Excellency's Speech." In opening his speech Mr. Jen- ■ nings congratulated tho Speaker upon his recent knighthood. Turning to tho_ Speech ho declared that a portion of it which had a particular appeal for him was the > last paragraph but one, which staved that, in view of the large amount of important legislation passed during the lengthy session of last year the present session need bo only a snort one. Legislation need not bo a matter of perpetual motion. A Jittlo attention to silence might, perhaps, be in tho interests of tho country generally. Another paragraph in his Excellency's 'Speech relerred to I local government reform. This important question might very well in itself provide business for a whole session. The speaker concurred with' the paragraph of the Speech which referred to tho farming industry. As to compulsory military training tho speaker noted with regret the feeling that appeared to 'be rising in many parts of tho country. There was a want of discipline in many young Now Zealandcrs. Military training would confer great benefits upon them. He hoped that the feeling against military training would die oul. . Land Settlement. . ' ■■! . Many_ statements had been made as to tho policy of the present Government so far as land settlement was concerned. Ho could not speak for other electorates, but ho claimed that in regard 'to the King Country astonishing developments had taken place.'- Places that' six years ago were ti-treo paddocks were to-day the sites of flourishing towns, the homes of flourishing industries. The Taumarunui electorate now carried tho third highest population of any electorate in tho -Dominion. Six years ago tho 6150 square miles of the Taumarunui had carried scarcely 1000 settlers. Now/there were 9150. Was' not (his a standing tribute to the land settlement carried on by the Liberal party? The speaker had stated that the North; Island' Main Trunk line was going 'to revolutionise tho whole trade of the'Dominion.-This had been borne out. The only. Hy in the amber was one that applied throughout: tho, North Island an excessive and undue valuation of land. Much'had'been'said of "tho opening up of Crown and Native lands. In I'aranaki, tho - total. area of Crown lands remaining .was 211,000 acres. Of this area 80,000 acres wero how being■surveyed and 45,000 acres would bo thrown .open for settlement that year.' Of the balance a great part was second-class land, almost inaccessible and only to be worked by settlers, owning two or three thousand pounds of capital. The total 'area of Maori land in Taranaki was 338,958 acres. Of this area 125,700 acres had been disposed of under the Act of 1691 and prior to April, 1910, only 82,500 acres of Maori land remained'in the Tarnnaki land district and most of it was second-class land difficult of access. In fact, Maori lands in Taranaki had got down to the vanishes Point. In view of this ho was amazed at Opposition statements in regard to what was (aking place. So far as the laumarunui electorate was concerned the lands were being rapidly settled. Limitation of Area. I. The limitation of the area of land was a question that would have to bo tackled without loss of time. "I:will support any party, said Mr. Jennings, "that will como forward with a strong proposal to have tho limitation in areas of land brought,about." The existing law must bo altered as soon as possible. • -It .was not in Native hands, continued Mr. Jennings, that tho bulk of tho idle lands of tho Dominion were to be found, but in the hands of big European owners.. Iwenty-four million acres of lands belonging to Europeans wero lying idle. . Mr. Massey: Not belonging to Europeans! There are 'only 16 million acres of freehold in New Zealand altogether. Mr. Jennings named a weekly newspaper as his authority,' and, continuing, contended that though the position was only half as bad as he had indicated it was still deplorable. Speaking of- omissions from his Excellency's Speech, Mr Jennings regretted the absence of reference to tho Alh-Red route, which would give communication with the' Old Country in 25 days. Concluding, Mr. Jennings asked what measure passed by the Liberal-Labour party its opponents would repeal if grafted tho opportunity. Ho paused for a reply. If the hon." gentleman (tb.e Leader of the Opposition) was to be the Moses that would lead tho country out of bondage, tho Liberal party would not be backward in going a little bit further. The speaker bad fought tho battle of tho pioneers in one of tho hardest electorates for tho past ten years and did not regret it. If tho Government continued opening up the wasto lands of the Dominion, its prosperity would continue.

THE SECONDER. REMARKS BT MR, WITTY. Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton), in seconding the Address-in-Reply Wion,' congratulated tho Speaker and Actiug-Primo Minister upon the honour of knighthood conferred upon them. Turning to the subject of tho Speech, Mr. Witty said that a Local Government Bill was ' certainly needed, had been wanted for many years, and probably would be. wanted for a great many more. (Opposition laughter.) Mr. Witty said ho believed in drill and military training, but ho believed it should be dono in schools. If, in addition, proper encouragement were given to tho volunteers tho country .would practically have a standing army without the cxpenso of keeping one. A member: That would be a mean way of doing it. Mr. Witty went on to say that the previous speaker had referred to the settlement of tho Maori land. Caro must be taken that too much land was not taken from the Maoris. They did not want freetrado in Maori land. Tho speaker had noted with surprise a statement by the Leader of the Opposition nt Akaroa that they wanted free-trade in Maori land. Mr. Massey: He said nothing of the sort.

Mr Witty said Mr. Massey had been reported as indicated iu the Christchurch 'Press. lie must of course accept tho hon. gentleman's denial. In succeeding remarks Mr. Witty advocated the prevention of the growth of slums in thi.* coun- • r ii &P «?!?"}F of the Political situation in tho Old Country, he hoped tliat tho power of tho Lords would he broken. Mr. Witty congratulated the Prime Minister ,on his work-in tho Old Country. Ho had brought New Zealand well to tho front, although ho bad not succeeded in carrying through all that he had proposed. New Zealand was a splendid country, but a good many people were alwnvs trying to run the country down. This was not fair or lo.val to the cotintrv, or to themselves. Member.-, of Parliament were liko directors of a big company, and, like directors, should do their best for their shareholders. Much needless 'criticism had been directed at public borrowing in this country. Tho State operations in this particular might bo compared to those of a farmer who was content to borrow so long as he could see an interest return upon his borrowing. Tho only difference was that the private individual required a greater interest than did the Government. The individual looked to his own benefit, the Government to (ho benefit of tho people. Borrowing. Tho Opposition, said Mr. 'Witty, did not oppose borrowing when loans were under consideration. They voted for loans because they needed "tho money as badly as anyone else, nnd afterwards raised the cry of excessive borrowing. Keferring to an interjection by Mr. .Massoy, Mr. Witty quoted from the report of a speech by Mr. Massey at T'anjiorn, when tho Leader of the Opposition had mentioned the ca=e of a person who had removed from the country a sum of money raised from the sale of an estate in Canterbury. Mr. Massey had stated that it was a sorry state of things when ;the. Legislature had made it almost im-

possible for a man to obtain a satisfactory investment for bis capital. (Mr. Massey: Hear, hear!) Why, continued Mr. AYitty, some private money-lenders were being paid as much as fnrtv per cent, interest. Perhaps the gentleman from North Canterbury wanted more than forty per cent? -Mr. Witty again turned to tho report of Mr. Massey's speech at Rnngiora, and referred to a statement that the policy of the Government was one of hypocrisy. Mr. Massey had also said that" the Government was opposed to granting security of tenure to the men who wanted to go on the land. Was it. not hypocrisy on tho part of the Leader of tho Opposition, asked Mr. Witty, to say that the Acting-Prime Minister had stated that 13.1 men owned 133 million acres of land in New Zealand? Was it not hypocrisy to say "owned" instead of "held"? Not only, said Mr. Witty, had the facts been thus misrepresented! but "they" had added a. trifle of twenty million acres to the amount named by the Prime Minister. The Acting-Prime Minister had said that 133 men owned 113 million acres of land. Opposition members: "Is that right?" Mr.'Witty: "Never mind whether it is right!';

; Continuing his remarks, .Mr. Witty ; referred to an Opposition accusation that 1 tho Government had stolen the best ' planks of the Reform party. Tho Op- : position, ho stated, had never had a plank • that would carry a fly. How, then, could • (ho Government have stolen what ths ■ Opposition had never possessed? Mr. ■ Witty went on to state that members of tho Opposition had stated freely that the • Hine charges had been proved up to the 1 hilt. As a fact none of the charges' had been proved. (Laughter.) The only semblance of a charge proved was against a poor little Maori. (Renewed laughter.) There was one feature worse still, continued the member for Riccarton, a tendency on the part of the Opposition to say what should not be said about those who were dead and gone. Sometimes the pro- ' cecding was reversed. Mr. Ballance denounced in his life-time as a Socialist and. the worst man in the country, was now held up to admiration by the enemies of the Government. "Surely," said Mr. Witty, "it is better to.scatter a few flowers in a man's path during his lifetime?" / Mr. Herdman: "You have to go back eighteen years for an example like that." Mr. Witty: ''No need to go back eighteen years. Wo need go back only a few days." * Mr. AVitty went on to say that Mr. Massey had voted against Advances to Settlers, and had there been no Advances to Settlers, there would have been no Advances to AA'orkers. The AVorkers' Dwellings Act of last year would be of great benefit, but it required considerable amendment, and in particular there were too many regulations. Tho squatter and the farmer had done particularly well of late years, but the workers had not done so well aud special attention should now be given to their condition. The sick and afflicted should also be the special care of the Legislature, and if these and other matters ho had mentioned were attended to, the Dominion should become a more prosperous and happy country than ever. (Applause.)