POLITICAL CAVALCADE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 12

POLITICAL CAVALCADE

Mr. Lee Uses Weapon of Ridicule “JEKYLL AND HYDE” The weapon of ridicule was freely employed by Mr. J. A. Lee (Government, Grey Lynn) in attacking the attitude of the Opposition toward the restoration of wage and salary cuts during the second reading debate on the Finance Bill in the House of Representatives last night. “As I listened to the Leader of the Opposition,” said Mr.'Lee, ‘I felt like saying: ‘Good evening, Mr. Hyde; good morning, Dr. Jekyll.’ He tells us there is no precedent for the haste with which the Government is giving effect to its legislative proposals. My mind goes back to a time in 1932, when the Address-in-Reply debate in this House was interrupted to allow the Bill destroying the Arbitration Court to be introduced. When the House refused to allow it, the debate was again interrupted to allow the closure to be introduced. Then came a cavalcade of destructive Bills, and within 72 days the Arbitration Court was destroyed, the five-year-olds were out of the schools, the life of Parliament itself had been tampered with, the unemployed army had increased to staggering dimensions, and from end to end of this country we had riots. There may be no precedent for haste in doing good, as we are doing, but there is certainly ample precedent for haste in doing harm.” In February, 1932, Mr. Lee continued Mr Forbes had said that he had been told that if his Government persisted in amending the Arbitration Act his Government would be swept out of existence. “He dared,” Mr. Lee added, “and the public dared to accept his challenge. Now he gets up and sees danger in this clause compelling employers to restore the cuts which his Government compelled them to make. He is backing both horses —a little bit both ways—and whatever happens the right honourable gentleman will be able to say ‘I told you so. “We have just heard the Leader of the Opposition tear a passion to tatters because the Prime Minister has dared to suggest that an attempt would lie made to negotiate more reasonable terms with New Zealand’s bondholders in London. We have repeatedly heard members of the last Government saying that they were making efforts with people in Britain to fund our debt at lower rates. Now the truth is out. We are not supposed even to approach them. Britain asked the United States for a lower rate of interest. She defaults and gets a lower rate of interest. Then there is Italy, which, judging by her ability to carry civilisation into Abyssinia with the aeroplane and the high explosive shell, cannot be badly off. Britain wipes off millions of Italy’s debt and reduces interest, and Italy eventually repudiates. The same thing happens with France and Bel4gium, All the Prime Minister has said is that we within the Empire expect as fair a spin as has been given to those outside the Empire. “The Leader of the Opposition says there must be no repudiation. Did I dream when I sat on the Opposition benches and found the compulsory conversion loan being forced through the House? The last Government, on the principle of voluntary' compulsion, simply tore a piece off the bonded debt, and the right honourable gentleman who repudiated more contracts than anyone New Zealand has ever' known before now says that this is outrageous : 'that no Britisher would ever repudiate. We like him. Sitting where he is, he adds to the gaiety of nations. And now he contracts-out of British, nationality. There was repudiation by his Government. No good Britisher would ever repudiate. Bang goes a Britisher I “I believe that when New Zealand states a reasonable case in London, as she is entitled to state it, we will reeeive'the hearing to whice we are equally entitled. British statesmen who themselves have defaulted to America are not likely to accuse us of contracting out of British nationality. “The Leader of the Opposition says his Government brought down the cost of living. 1 remember the old clothes drives we used t ohave. To bring down the cost of living we started to wear one another’s trousers and reduced the charwomen’s wages.” Change Inevitable. It had been said that the country wag so much more prosperous that it could afford to restore the cuts, Mr. Lee continued. Actually in July, '1931, just after the cuts were made butter was bringing about 115/- per cwt. approximately the same price as it was bringing to-day. Mr. Forbes: Costs were different. Mr. Lee: Costs are an internal factor. We do not pay our costs in Great Britain.

Similarly in 1932, Mr. Lee said, butter averaged about 109/- for July. From the point of view of butter exports, the Dominion was just as well off in the days when the cuts were made as it was to-day. It was good to hear members of the Opposition saying that the cuts should be restored. Probably before long they would start trying to take credit for the guaranteed price. The Hon. A. Hamilton (Opposition. Wallace) : We don’t want it. Mr. Lee: I am willing to prophesy that before 12 months are passed you will be offering the farmer an extra penny. Mr. Hamilton: He will need it. too. The whole trend of events during the past few years had proved that the cuts were not warranted, Mr. Lee added. Deposits in the trading banks had been steadily increasing while the people were being pauperised. A change had been inevitable, and it had now arrived. “Jeky ll and Hyde.” The suggestion that the Jekyll and Hyde description he had used with respect to Mf. Forbes might well be applied to Mr. Leo himself was made by Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Opposition. Central Otago). “I would ask the member for Grey Lynn to travel back a few months to the time when he was wooing the electors," said Mr. Bodkin. "He spoke of unlimited credit and of an authority in this'country which would, by some manipulation of the public credit, give effect to the will of Parliament and restore the cuts. This evening, however, we find him defending a measure which is a complete and absolute admission of the failure of the honourable gentleman and his party to give effect to their election ’promises.” There was no doubt, continued Mr. Bodkin, that the money for the restoration of the cuts was to come from taxation. What has the member for Grey Lynn to say to the working men’s wives who would find that the restorations would bo cancelled out by rising costs? Wonderful benefits had been promised by the Government, but how illusory they were.