COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3165, 17 August 1917, Page 4

COST OF LIVING

PLAIN TALK ABOUT COMMITTEES. Tho Bight Hon. AV. F. Massey stated in Ilia House of Representatives yesterday afternoon that in deference to the opinion expressed in the House he proposed to add certain members to Urn Cost of Living Committee. He would move that tho Hon. W.'D. S. Mac Donald, Mr. Ell, and.Mr. Wright be added to tho committee. Mr. Wobb: What about M'Combs? Mr. Massey: That makes a committee cl fifteen, and that is as far as I can go. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) «wd he hoped the Prime Minister would put Mr. Hindmarsh on the committee instead of Mr. "Wright, not because he thought Mr. Wright'was not a suitable member, but because Mr. Hindmarsh represented Labour. ' , . ~ Mr .Hindmarsh: I refuse to go on tho ■committee. ..,,,. Mr. P. C. Webb (Grey) protested that 'Labour was not represented. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh (Wellington South) said that he would not sit on a committee after tho Prime Minister was Implored to put him on it. In any case, ho objected to the setting up of a committee. It was being appointed for the purpose of not doing the work. Tho Government did not want it to do the work. Tho facts of the matter were well known. What was wanted now was action. The Government was again hiding' behind a committee. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) also expressed doubts about the committee. He urged the Government to appoint a Labour member'to the committeo because of the effect that refusal to do so might havo on workers throughout the country. Several other members also urged that Labour members be added to tho cbmThe Right Hon. W. F. Massey, replying, said he had been rather surprised it tho clamour for tho appointment of Labour members to tho committee. Surely Mr. Vcitch, who was a member of the committee, was . a Labour member, and other Tepresontatiovs of Labour on the committee were Messrs. Poole, Ell, Glover, and Hornsby. Mr. Hindmarsh: You claim to be a Labour man yourself! Mr. Massey: "I am one. I know mora about manual labour than any of those Labour members in the House who talk so much about it, because I have done more of it. lam not ashamed of it; I could do it now." He added that he had to appoint members to tho committee who could work together for the remainder of the session, because this.committeo would have to 'go on for somo time. An hou. member: The longer tho better for the Government. Mr. Ma<«ey said that ho would bo quite willing' to submit to the committer the names mentioned that afternoon, and if the committee was anxious or willing to have any of them, or several of them, on the committee they could bo appointed. The committee had met that morning, and Mr. Stathani had been elected chairman, because ho was a member of the legal profession, and would be ablo to direct tho examination of witnesses. ' The motion was agreed to on tho voices.