PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2569, 17 September 1915, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

COST OF LIVING

A BILL-TO BE INTRODUCED HUTT ROAD BILL The House of - Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon. W. D. S. MACDONALD gave notice of Lis intention to introduco the Sale of Food and Drugs Amendment Bill.'

, Mr. XH. HINDMARSH (Wellington ! South). asked the Minister of Education when the report, of the Education' Boundaries' Commission -would-be presented. ■The Hon. J. A. HANAJT (Minister of Education) said that it was -his intention to lay tho report of the Commission on the table of the House when certain other Government business was out. of the way .7 .He hoped that .member would their responsibilities in dealing with education ''boundaries, beoause if the' number of districts was not reduced, in tonus of the Act of last session, : important reforms- might be blocked; WORK FOR MONDAY BITTINCS. The Right Hon. . W.. F. : MASSEY .'(Prime Minister) moved that on and after Monday next tho House should sit at : 7.30, p.m. for the transaction of Government business. He said that ;next • 'Monday he proposed to give r members an opportunity of discussing questions, and then to deal with local Bills after •the supper adjournment The following Monday-he would give members an opportunity of discussing the Trentham .Commission's report. As far as private .Bills wero concerned, lie was not really ißure what private Bills should be gono 'on with.

Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin Smith) asked the Minister of Public Works ho proposed to bring down a 'Railways Authorisation Bill this session. v The Hon. W. FRASER: Yes. : V T. M. HORNSBY (Wairarapa) asked whether the House was to have Vthe opportunity of dealing with the cost of limn. . > .. . I The Right Hon. TV. F. MASSEY: A . ißill is- coming -down, i

| . JLrJ W. A. VEITCH (Wanganui) askled if they could have an indication from 'the Prime Minister as to what the Gor- ' eminent proposed. It was a most important matterj'and was one of the : planks of the : National' Government • .when, it iwas .formed..

: Mr. J. M'COMBS (Lyttelton) said that the country, was looking to the .Gov-: ernment to bring down soma, very practical measure with regard to tho cost of living along, the, lines indicated by! both wings of tho House. Mr. L. M.'ISITT (Ghristchurch North) Baid that, if, the country had, _to meet any timo of financial stress it would occur between the end of this and the beginning of the next session, and they should not leave before doing all they could this, year .to. ielp the people tide over , any such time of stress. •

V Dr. NEWMAN (Wellington East) regretted .that nothing had been done in Connection witli the cost of living.. This :most'-burning question-should bo considered by Parliament before they went to their homes'. He believed Parliament could do a great deal of good in this direction, and he hoped the Prime; .Mifiister. would make an announcement that the. Government would at once take this matter into consideration. Mr. J.' B.;HINE (Stratford); said that they must not* look at the -question in •a one-eyed manner. They had also to consider the increased cost of production. . / JUr. T. 'A. H. FIELD (Nelson) agreed, that something should bo done to attempt to reduce the cost of living. • Cost of Living Bill. The Right Hon. W. F. MASSEY "(Prime Minister) said that v until the financial legislation was disposed of it was : impossible: for him to say what other business would be. taken concern- . ing- the cost of _ living. He. said that he had waited time after time to hear a practical suggestion from members when they were speaking.,. Of nonsensi-cal's-uegestions they had had any number.- The Government intended to bring down a' Bill, and he thought that it Would be a good Bill., It had not yet taken, shape, but it would be an amendment of the Commercial Trusts Act. Regarding the suggestions for maximum prices and. paper money, they would-ruin jiny country. The motion Was agreed to. : LAND TRANSFER ACTS. The Hon. A. L. HRRDJfAN (Attor-ney-General) moved the second of the Land Transfer Acts Compilation Bill. He said that tho Bill was simply a compilation of the Acts. Urgency was .claimed for the measure. It was put ithrough Committee witnoul amendment. ; BIRTHS AND DEATHS REGISTRATION. ' The Births and Deaths Registration [Amendment Bill jvas committed. A new clause was inserted, making Special provisions as to the registration of adopted children. /

Further amendments were added, providing an extension of time for registration in, certain cases, and to .provide for'the registration of children born.at sea.. . Tlio Bill was reported with amendments! v . / ; . •. HUTT ROAD BILL. fJ'AN HONEST ATTEMPT TO GET | • OVER ALL DIFFICULTIES." . The Hutt Road Bill'(No. 2) was committed. ■ ' Messrs. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) and R. A. Wright (Suburbs) both contended: jhat the local bodies had been led to that the whole work—road /and railway—was only to cost £100,000. [[Nearly three times that amount was spent, and while the local bodies wero thankful for the reduction from £100,000 io £60,000 as their contribution, they that a further reduction should he made to £40,000. _

! s ' Mr. W. H. Field (Otaki) said.that it rhad been distinctly understood that the (railway could be duplicated and the road constructed for £100,000. Hey; were 1 amazed'when £100, was later set /down as the amount which.the road had frost.' Some of tie local bodies simply fchild not afford their Bhare ' of. tho '■£60,000 which was now asked from the contributing bodies. He agreed withprevious speakers that tho road was a main arterial road. : Dr. Newman • (Wellington East) ,'thought that with a few adjustments .toe Bill might be made a very good Bill Had the road, and. they had to ipay for it. The burden might be made n little lighter by a further reduction W the amount asked. I Mr. C. A. .Wilkinson (Egmont) said that the country was about sick of the Mutt .Road discussion. The Goyernjwent had been most generous in giving ■'£40,000 as a gift to the.local bodies. ' , Mr. J. Payne (Grey. Lynn) said ho hoped the House would support the Wellington members in their endeavour to persuade the Government to bear the •Whole'cost , of the road. • Mr. C. A./Wilkinson (Egmont) said he livas sorry to hear an Auckland member the Wellington members in their attempt to loot tho. Treasury. He argued that the Bill would not inflict any hardship on any of the local Bodies concerned. The Hon. W. H. Herries (Minister of Railways) said that it was not the fault

of tho Government that the : rate of interest had gone up all over the world. If the' Bill was again postponed the rate of interest charged in tho Bill might be further advanced. Tho Bill was an honest attempt to get over all the. difficulties. In fairness to the rest of tho Dominion tho Government • could not make a romission of more than £40,000. H,o regarded I'otono as the only recalcitrant body with 1 regard to the measure, Mr. W. H. Field (Otaki) said that it had to bo admitted that tho work was not carried out. on economic lines. It was done in an antique and out-of-date method by doddering old men with wheelbarrows.:

That "Misconception." Aftor tho debate-had continued until, 10.30 p.m.. Sir Joseph Ward said that he felt impelled to make some comment on tho remarks made. .While ho recognised that tho members for the districts concerned/wished, to do the best possible for their" constituents, those members should not suppose.that other members of the House were bereft _of common sense. He had . been seriously misrepresented. . It had been said that the Government' had informed the local authorities that the total cost of the whole work—road . and railway—would be £100,000. But for this work, which was spread over' a period of some years, three separate finance bills of £100,000 each. were put. through the House.in threo separate years. When the Government set out to build the railway it had no intention to alter the winding Hutt Road, a very useless road at the time, and almost impassable. Local bodies appealed to tho Government to have a good road, say 40 feet wide, but in the end a proposal was made by Mr., Shorthand finally adopted at the request of local authorities, to build a road' parallel with tho railway, 80 feet wide, with an asphalt cycle track. If it was correct that Colonel Pitt, Leader of tho Legislative Council, had misunderstood She proposals, and had said that the whole work could bo done for £100,000,. was it reasonable , for any member to argue now that members then really believed that this lino, 8} miles of .double track, and this road, 80ft. wide, could be built, when land had to be cut from the hills or reclaimed from the sea,: for a total cost of£100,000? Why, it was the most ludicrous suggestion ho had : ever heard 1 Such a contention was absolutely insufficient to induce the House to relieve local bodies of the obligation to contribute the reduced amount of £60,000. After expenditure had gone on at the rate of £60,000, per year for five years without, any protest or repudiation- of liability by the local bodies,_ it was absurd now to try to escape liability by reference to a supposed original proposal. If; the members for the districts concerned were to succeed in escaping the liability they would do so at the expense of the other taxpayers of the Dominion who had not been so well treated by, the Government. If the Railway Department had gone on with its work without regard_ to the requirements of the local, bodies, tho local bodies could no more have built their road for £100,000 than they could have flown over the'moon".' If he represented any/part, of the City of Wellington lie would be ashamed to come to Parliament, cap in hand, for the cost of a road. He held that the reduction from £100,000 to £60,000 was a very generous concession to the local bodies: : "A Bungle from Start to Finish." : Dr. Newman said that the concession was not generous, because ho did not believe tho Minister knew the cost of tho road. ' The assessment of £100,000 was mere guess work. Mr. Herries: We know exactly what it cost.- It cost £105,330 18s. lOd. (Laughter.) • Dr. declared' that the t local bodies could 'liatf e ! 'builtffor"i r " 'theiiis&ves a good road for less than £60,000. Tho thing had b'een a bungle from start to finish. The burden would be heavy on 'the city, and'he urged "tho Minister to reduco ths demand made.

Tho opposition to the Bill was continued, and clause after clause was op-' posed. , The Bill was passed through Committee' at 1.20 a.m. BILLS REPORTED. The Bills in Committee were reported. The Land Transfer Acts Compilation Bill, reported without amendments, was read a third time and passed. Tho Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Bill, and the Hiitt Road No. 2 Bill were also reported, the former with and the latter without amendments. The House rose at 1.23 a.m.