"IF WAR EVER GAME."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1196, 3 August 1911, Page 7

"IF WAR EVER GAME."

THE BRITISH DOGS OP WAR. Mr. .1. P. T.UKK (Wellington Suburbs) advbed the member tor (.'liitlia to walk across Ihe fioor of die Hoiim- and join "that very great Imperial man" who left Ihe.-e shares a lew iiinnlh.-. ago. What he objected lo was Hint Ihe I'rime Minister would not give tin, Hou-e the yi.-t of the speeches ho intended lo deliver al Home, bill, when he went lo Sydney, In-'blew tho whole Ihimj up there. They had hail another ( lirudo against Mm German "Ingey." Ho recognised a member of that very line, nation in the gallery, aud intended to be verv guarded in what ho >nid. A member: "He might declare war against you." Mr. Luke said he was too much of a Britisher to be afraid of any country. If tho member for C'lutha hnd had any faith in his country at all he would not. have put forward such a speech as he had delivered that night. The Germans did not want to get into Australia aud New Zealand. They wanted lo get into South America. If war should ever come, the event would prove the superiority of British ships, of British gnus, and of tho British dogs of war. (Applause.) Japan did not need watching by New Zealand so much as by Australia. If was the people at Home who had mainly derived benefits from the Imperial Conference. The Prime Minister would have been a bettor and stronger man if ho had discussed his policy on the floor of tho House before going to London, and had gone eventually with the goodwill of the House and of the country. But. this desire to shine and stand out before the people was contemptible. He could call it by no other name. "I could forgive him (the Prime Minister) tho Dreadnought," said Mr. Luke, "but I am not going to condone taking a policy to London and treating us like a lot of children." Emphasising the necessity of augmenting the tarill' protection of tho engineering industry, Mr. Luke said ho had been told that ho talked ton much on this subject; that he was agitating in his own interest. This he denied. Unless something wero done for engineering, the country would lose a valuable secondary industry, and farmers would endanger their best market, the Home market. Concluding, Mr. Luke congratulated the Speaker and Acting-Prime Minister on the honours recently conferred upon them. MORE ABOUT TITLES. "MAGNIFICENT VICTORY FOR THE . , LIBERALS." Mr. E. H. TAYLOR (Thames) said he had been waiting to hear something about New Zealand. The two previous speakers had delivered the most extraordinary, paradoxical speeches he had ever listened to in that House. In imagination lie had travelled over Europe., and seen visions of Europe in flames, trembling under the heels of a thousand armies, deafened by a thousand cannon. He had come to the conclusion that the two previous speakers did not iu the least understand Imperial affairs. He was not going to try to enlighten them at that time. Evidently, however, neither of them had read the resolutions for the. Imperial Conference laid on the table-of the House before tho New Zealand representatives went Home. True, they had not been .discussed as fully as they might have been.

.Members: Thev were not discussed at all.

Mr. Taylor wont on to say that Mr. Poole and ethers in their talk about titles did not know what they were talking about; did not know that theybolonged to a monarchy. "Whom the King delighted to honour," what right had they to question? If they wove not satisfied, let them go to Timbueloo, and get the honours there. As a tact, the distribution of Coronation honours had been a. magnificent victnrv for the Liberals. The dukos and earls had been told that a New Zealand post, office boy was as much an aristocrat as they were. It was a. triumph for democracy. Mr. Taylor quoted figures extensively, with a view to showing that the Government borrowing policy represented a paying investment. It was a remarkable fact that, since progressive Liberalism had been in the forefront over one hundred thousand settlers had been placed on the land. Complaints had hecn made about- increased taxation, but the policy of the Liberal party had beerti to take taxation off the workers and place it upon the slioulders of those able to bear it. Customs taxation upon luxuries had bean increased. Taxation upon articles of use which could not be successfully manufactured in this country had been reduced. Taxation to the. amount of .£715,511 had been removed from Hie food of' the ; people i none year. It was true that tho cost of living had gone up, but the people of the Dominion ought to .be told in an unmistakable way that the Government had removed taxation from their shoulders, and imposed it on the wealthy. A supporter of the Opposition party had told him that the Government was going to min him; ho had to pay ,£I7OO in income tax. Mr. Massey: "How much.' Mr. Taylor: "=£l7oo in income tax this year." Mr. Massey: "What was his income? Mr. Taylor: "That's what I wanted to know. I told him: "Give me your income, old man, and I will he glad to pay the tax.'" It was people of this class who complained about taxatiou. It would have to be considered very shortly whether broader and wider opportunities should not be made for the great mass of the population. It was politically dishonest and untrue to say that advanced Liberal legislation was bringing tho colony to the verge of bankruptcy. When the Liberal Government took office there were 03 bankruptcies per hundred thousand of population. Now there were only 47 bankruptcies per hundred thousand. . Advanced legislation had placed New Zealand in the forefront of tha Dominions. On the motion of Mr. J. Stallworthy (Kaipara) the debate was adjourned at 10.35 p.m. The House thereupon adjourned until 2.30 p.m. to-day.