PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3142, 21 July 1917, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY'S SITTING ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE VARIOUS WAR PROBLEMS The House of Eepresentatives met at 2.30 p.m. Tho Shops and Offices Amendment Bill (Mr. Hindmarsh) and the .Maori War Medal Bill (Mr. K. A. Wright) wore introduced and road a first time.

Mr. WEIGHT explained that the object of tho Maori War Medal Bill was to give to Maori war veterans who had never actually been under fire tho right to receive and wear a medal. The New Zealand War Medal at present is Riven only to soldiers who were under fire in that war.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE WAR AND SETTLEMENT Mr. G. E. SI'KES (Masterton) resumed the debate on tho Address-in-lieply. After a reference to the significance of tho inclusion of our Ministerial envoys in the War Cabinet, ho went on to discuss postwar problems. Fiscal problems would be the most difficult of all, ho said, and altogether tho social and industrial problems would bo scarcely less grave than those facing tho Empire now. He hoped to see better relations established between Capital and Labour, and to see working men getting their just rewards, Tho burden of the war in our own oountry would have to bo borne by the land. There must come a slump .after the war. and we had the more causo to be thankful that the prices of our exports had been high, and that tho accumulation of wealth had been great. He condemned the excess profits tax for the reason that it did not levy toll upon tho men best able to pay. An export tax would bo a, decidedly unfair burden, which would fall only on certain classes of tanners. Men who did not sell fat stock, or who sold for the local market, would pay no tax. Mr. Syk.es emphasised tlio need for'a carefully prepared schemo of'demobilisation, and said that it would bo a stupendous task to place on tlio lawl all tho returned mon who would, wish become fanners. The present settlement scheme would not bo adequato, since tho Government would not re aMo to borrow 'onough money to buy tho land required. Ho suggested that tho principle of compulsion should bo applied to this settlement problem. The csialcs suitable for subdivision should oe classified and then subiected to ballot, the owners to be paid in Government bonds. Ho agreed that the Government taf.d a right to keep down the prices of commodities, but ho thought a wrong procedure had been adopted in regard to butter by tho imposition of tho buttoifat levy. He hoped tho Government would refund to the producers tho amount already collected in this »aj. He was in favour of six o clock closing, and not in favour of compensation to the Trade. Ho would, however, like to Eco a clause inserted in tho Bill to provide for tho varying of all _ covenants of leaso relating to hotel premises in tho event of early closing being carried. Ho thought tho Government must bring down proposals for tho increase of allowances and pensions to so diers Mid their dependants. His concluding remark was that wo should continue to do our part in tho war until vu.lcry was assured.

' Town Versus Country. Mr W. A. VEITOH (Wanganui) referred to tho butter-fat levy. Ho was astonished to find that a great Ural of adverse criticism had been directed at the Hon W. D. S. Mac Donald m this connection. Ho deprecated a town versus country issue, but if the country'members were going to attempt to control the whole Dominion tho city members, would have to resist. The rplit, which he feared was coming, would bo a great deal worse for the country ■ than tor tho city, since at present there was a united effort to assist the farmers and promote settlement. Tho farmers had done uncommonly well out of the war. Ihe dairymen, after making all due, allowance for increased cost of production, had wceived a huge advance on pre-war prices, and they were not entitled to demand unlimited war profits at the expense of .the rest of the community. Every member of the Houso should be prepared to support the Government in soeiug fair play between the producers nnd consumers and so securing unity at the present critical 'period. Enormous profits liau teen made by eonio of the producers, particularly the wool nnd meat men. lie asked what the dairy-farmers would say if tho workers demanded a free market for their labour at tho present time of labour shortage. They undoubtedly would demand that tho Government should protect them from extortionate demands. He! could not support the amendment moved by the member for Lyttelton tor several reasons. One of his strongest reasons was that he believed that tho adoption of such a, resolution by tho New Zealand Parliament would nave a serious effect on the general diplomatic situation. It was strongly urged that we should abandon the compulsory system, and go back to the voluntary system, offering the men higher pay. The effect would be that labouring men would be attracted into the Army by tho higher pay, while the rich married men wou!d not go. He was. strongly in favour oi: the compulsory system. An outcry was made about tho cruelty of forcing conscientious objectors into tlie ranks. He would have no objection to relievin" conscientious objtctors, but for the" fact that that there were so many conscienceless objectors, and it a way out was loft there would be a great many men suddenly developing consciences. He was strongly of opinion that the House should stand by tlie Military Service Act, and all that it entailed. He did not support the doctrine that we should prepare to meet tho cost of tho war by exercising economy—by savin" our pennies. Ho thought this would be a timid policy, suro to end in failure. Ho would rather counsel a bold development policy, to secure tho maximum of national efficiency. Ho believed that land had reached such a, sta»e of development that it should itself bear the further cost of its own -development. Hitherto it had been the custom to borrow two millions a year for land development, and « this money wero released from tins ■channel, it could be used for the development of our industries. A private company was asking for.permission to use tho Bowen Falls for the production of nitrates. He was one ot those who believed that tho State should wherever possible keep control of waterpower, but he was not foolish enough to stand in the way of the enterprise, which would be of great benefit to tho Dominion Tho company should bo allowed to use' tho power now running to waste under somo charter, by which tho Government would havo power to rcsiimo control at the end of a period. Mr. Veitch said that New Zealand should follow tho example of Australia yx fostering tho iron and metal industries. Irritating Burdens. 3tr. R. A. WRIGHT (Wellington Suburbs)' said ho took exception to the statement of the member for Wellington South to tho effect that members of the Houso were "elderly gentlemen," who riicl not hesitate to send younger men to fi«ht while they remained liore m safety. The Act compelled the sons of members of Parliament, to go, just as it compelled Hip sons of other men. Mr. Hinclmarsh: Have you any &'-ns ? Mr. Wright: No; but if I hail they would havo gone to tho war. Mr. Wright added: "I may say (.tint every relative I have who is of military :ige is there, and somo of them have paid Hie supremo sacrifice. Continuing, ho said tbat there was a good deal of irritation in tho country about tho taxes levied to pay for tho war. All the small imposts —on cheques, receipts, letter-postage, railway freights and fares—caused irritation. People said they were viiiing In pay for the war, but experience siluiwcd that the Government that made them pnv becamo unpopular. Mr. Wright, referring i to the-peso cf tho Second Division,' said that he bcliov- ,

Ed tho married men were willing enough to go, provided their dependants wore properly provided for. lio thought our pensions scheme should ho amended.

About Reinforcements. , Referring to tho reinforcement cjuestion, Mr. Wright saiil that Now Zealand's casualties had been at tho rato of about ouo thousand per month over a period of twenty-eight months. A big percentage of tno niqn recoyerod and lcturned to tho front. That being bo, why n.ust New Zealand semi 2200 men as reinforcements every month? Sir James Allen: "Tho casualties do not include cases of sickness not reported from hospitals/' Jtr. Wright said tho recoveries would at least balunco tho sickness cases. Tho net casualties did not exceed o.uo thousand per month. Now Zealand, on tho Minister's statement, had about IG,OGO men behind the firing line -.raiting to reinforce tlio division of 22,000 men. Thoso figures justified questions regaiding the rato of reinforcement. Q-O agreed that Now Zealand's obligations must bo discharged to the limit, but ho wanted luller information on the subject. If tho last man was required, then he r.iust bo sent. Air. Wright protested against deductions being made from tne allotments payable to wives in. Wow Zealand because tho husbands had committed some military otl'enco at the f-ont. Tho Government should remedy this state of aiTairs. The Minister of Defence had quoted tho Army Act and drawn a paiallel between soldiers and persons committed to gaol, but that did 'Jot cover the caso at all. Ke urged the Government to meet tho needs of old-age pensioners and superannuated Public Servants by granting some increased allowance to cover tho increased cost of living. Deferring to the early closing question, Mr. Wright said that the Government should faco the issue boldly and give the people the reform they demanded. The agitation for sis o'clock closing did not come from tho Prohibition Party. It was a win-tho-war movement. He read the following extract from a. pamphlet issued to the soldiers by tho 3)efonco Department:—"Abstain from alcohol. It is never of benefit in health and seldom in disease. Drink is the greatest cause of military inefficiency. It is one of the chief causes of immorality and venereal disease." If tho Defenco Department hold that opinion, about the drink traffic, the Government ought not to havo any hesitation about six o'clock closing. In conclusion Mr. Wright said ho hoped Britain would adopt ii policy of reprisals in connection with the Gorman air raids. No other-argument would appeal to tho enemy, and ho was only 6orry New Zealand was not in a, position to assist in tho provision of aerial fleets.

Profits, Trusts, and the War. Mr. C. J. TALBOT (Temuka) said that the only "blot on the report fusrniehcd to tho Houso by tho Prinio Minister and Sir Joseph Ward was the insistence upon the high prices obtained for our produce. (Hoar, hear.) Ho maintained, however), that there was a good deal of popular misunderstanding about war profits. Tho popular idea was that, all tho added return from our exports was in tho hands' of tho producers, but his own opinion was that tho profits nad been very widely spread over the whole community. One of tho greatest factors in the added cost of living was tho high increase in all shipping freights, and it was not surprising that farmers wore discussing seriously proposals , for the establishment of a steamship line. Ho was glad that the Government _ had set up .a special committeo to investigate the operations of tho Meat Trust, for he believed that thoro was grave, danger ot tho control of our meat business passing into tho hands o£ foreign capitalists. Farmers alone could not fight tho trust j the State mask help them. Some people said that tho farmers should not sell to the agents of these trusts, but it was not in the nature of things that farmers should rcfuso to accept the best price offering. Ho approved of the sotting up of the National Efficiency Board, which would bo needed just as much after tho war as it was needed now. Ho thought too much money was being spent on 'luxuries, such, as motor-cars, and exponsive clothing like fur coats. Ho was a member of tho Second Division, nnd ho believed' strongly' that we must keep up our reinforcements without faltering. Perhaps the Government had been a little too' ambitious at the beginning of the war, and had promised too many men, but who at that time knew that the war would extend bej-ond tho three years' period mentioned by Earl Kitchener? In any case we must not weaken now. .

Mr. Talbot referred to the wheat market, and said that he believed the efforts made by the Canterbury farmers would result in a very big increase in local production. The debate was adjourned, and the Hoiiso rose at 10.20 p.m. until Tuesday next. /