POLITICAL MEDLEY. IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1909, Page 4

POLITICAL MEDLEY. IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSED.

RAILWAYS, DEFENOE. AND TAX"" DEPARTMENT. INFORMATION SOUGHT: SOME GIVEN. The introduction of an Imprest Supply Bill when the House resumed after the dinner adjournment last nighu afforded members the opportunity of discussing a variety of subjects. They did bo at considerable length. THE TIMBER COMMISSION. A PECULIAR POSITION. On the motion to go into Supply, Mr. T. Y. Seddon moved as an amendment : "That the Government 6hould set aside an afternoon for discussion of the repoit presented by the Royal Commissioner set up to enquire into the timber industry." This was seconded by Mr. Massey. A peculiar position arose here. Mr. Massey desired " to take advantage of the liberty .which an Imprest Bill gives for di&cussion of any political question, but was informed by Mr. Speaker that he must confine himself to the amendment, and that if he did speak to the amendment he 6 could not again speak on general questions. Mr. Massey did not proceed further. Sir Joseph Ward wished to know whether, if he replied then to the amendment he would afterwards be given an opportunity; of answering any criticisms passed during the debate. Mr. Speaker promptly answered "No." Sir Joseph also subsided. The amendment was lost on a division by 31 votes To 26. GENERAL CRITICISM. BY THE OPPOSITION LEADER. Mr. Massey then launched out on a general criticism. He commenced with an enquiry as to whether the Premier would, before the House went on with the Naval Defence Bill, present a summary of the work done at the Imperial Defence Conference. It was patent, from information published in Australia a couple of weeks ago, that important proposals had been made at the conference of which members knew nothing. TAX DEPARTMENT. He also complained that the presentation of the Public Works Statement had been delayed, and went on i<\ refer to the enquiry which had recently taken place in connection with the working and administration of the Land and Income Tax Department. If legal proceedings were to be taken as a result of the enquiry he would say no more. If, however* proceedings were not to be taken the report should be laid before Parliament. Parliament was entitled to it. He did not suggest that names should be given. GOVERNMENT'S INTENTIONS SOUGHT. Mr. Massey also asked what the Government proposed to do about the taxing proposals. Did the Government, he asked, intend to bring down a Bill to put into effect its taxation proposals? What was going to be done about the Estimates? They had not yet come before the House. Why was no opportunity given for discussing the reports of various Royal Commissions? Ho wished to Jivoid trouble, but he hoped that (favourable replies would be given to his questions. PRIME MINISTER IN REPLY. The- Prime Minister, in replying, said he proposed to lay before the House all the information in his power regarding defence. He hoped to bring the Defence Bill down the next day. The Public Works Statement could not be laid on until a certain stage had been reached. Certain information, however, had, been made puiblic during the short session. As to the Land and Income Tax Department, the position was a difficult one. The responsibility was on the recent head of the department to take what steps he thought proper, and the alteration in the department had ibeen made to enable a full enquiry, and for the Government to receive full advice. The report of the two judges could not be laid on the table without disclosing details of private affairs, which would be extremely improper. The matter was one of very great importance, and the Government might bo depended upon to do what was (right and proper. ' - THE POSITION OF PARLIAMENT. He had a right to complain as to the criticism about the position of Parliament, continued the Prime Minister. The only points on which we required information were the Dreadnought and defence proposals, and alterations in the land and income-tax (which could stand over until next year, as the taxation would only data from 31st March). Mr. Herries : What about the banks T Sir Joseph said that that legislation would be down soon. H,e denied that any Bills were being kept back. He thought an opportunity should be given to discuss both the Police and the Timber Commissions, and he would provide it. An afternoon, and possibly an evening as well, should be eaflw:ient. Ho would welcome a full discussion oi tho Estimates. RETURN TO THE ATTACK. Mr. Herdman took exception to a statement by the Prime Minister, to the effect that he had blocked business with his Public Service Bill. He denied this, although he admitted that he knew from j the very first that the Government would do all in its power to thwart it. He had a right to bring it forward, and had done so from a sense of public duty. The Government had no right to criticise his action. He went on to declam that the people, even the working men^ were beginning to lose confidence in the Administration. STATE MINERS. One instance, said Mr. Herdman, was the view the man in the street took on the State Coal-mine trouble. The State miners were outside the law, having cancelled their registration as tin industrial union. Thus they escaped the penalty for striking. Could an employer escape the penalty of the law? The whole thing was based on injustice. TAXATION DEPARTMENT. No one knew what had happened in the Land and Income-tax Department. There were rumours, but what was contained in the report of the two Supremo Court judges was known only to Ahe eight Ministers. Members had a r^nt to know what had been taking place in the department. He hoped Mr. Massey would insist on the information being given. Members took an oath on entering Parliament binding themsslvea, among other things; to see. that the

affairs of the country were properly administered. How could they do that' if they were kept in - ignorance of what was going on? He was nqt actuated by political motives. (Laughter.) Members might laugh 'as they pleased. GOVERNMENT WHIP IN " ANSWEB. Mr. Laurenson said , thai v - Herdman was a magnificent hand at making the worse appear the better case. He did not for a moment think that Mr. Herdman believed what he was saying. Mr. Laurenson quoted from a speech delivered by Mr. John I>uthie in 1891, and declared that Mr. Herdman's effort was a most exact echo of it in- its pessimism. TROUBLE. , At this stage Mr. Laurenson criticised Mr. Buchanan, as the result of an interjection. He charged Mr. Buchanan" with, in effect, being a false prophet. All his predictions of disaster, made years ago (said Mr. Laurenson) had been falsified, and he ventured to predict that his success as a prophet would be no greater in the future than it had been in the past. AN OPPOSITION RETORT. Mr. Herries twitted Mr. Laurenson with supporting a freehold Government while he himself was a pronounced leaseholder, and on remaining in the party after Mr. Hogg had been cast into outer darkness because of his opinions on the land question. He thought that Mr. Laurenson would be judged more by his actions than, his words. As to the Native Landf Bill, Mr. Herries remarked that, while not altogether agreeing with its policy, the more they looked into it the more they saw how well it was drafted. It would be better for the country if the Government brought down two or three important Bills at the beginning of each session, arid confined itself to the task of piitting them through. Criticising the railway management, Mr Herries quoted figures to show that the returns, as compared with Australian railways, showed an inadequate return from the suburban traffic, . which, he urged, could bp encouraged to a greater extent than at present, and he also complained of the small increase in the earning powers of the railways as compared with the increase on the Commonwealth railways. In spite of having passed through a period of unexampled prosperity, the New Zealand railways had either earned less or shown no increase, as against a steady increased earning power on the part of the Commonwealth 'railways. One of the reasons was that the percentage of working expenses to earnings had v steadily increased, while in the Australian States the percentage had decreased. RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION DEFENDED, j The Hon. J. A. Millar said the member for Wellington North had madfi general charges of mismanagement, and had given no specific cases. They had heard a lot of talk on the subject of the' desirability of placing our railways under the control and management of commissioners, on the lines followed in New South Wales. He had made careful "enquiries, and could tell them something of the actual position. As was known, the Railway Department had aimed for some years at making the railways pay a return of 3 or 3£ per cent. Where any excess had been experienced rates had been reduced, and' the people given the benefit. They were told that the New South Wales railways paid £4 Os 8d per cent., while the New Zealand railways only paid £3 3s 6d. There was a vast difference in the conditions prevailing in New South Wales and New Zealand. What made railway lines pay? Was it hot thet long stretches running from One centre, -en-" abling them to work '"under- one< ad- Iministration. In the Mother State there was one central Board of Management. Its railways were fed by Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland' Likewise the population of the Commonwealth reached four and a half millions of people. In this Dominion the conditions were entirely different. There were no less than ten separate sections, each requiring separate management. He could prove, nevertheless, that if this country liked to adopt the system of commissioners the railways could be made within twelve months <^~ pay 5 per cent. Take one item as an illustration.* In this country a truck of sixty slreep was carried over 100 miles for 50s. In New South Wales the cost for -a same-sized truck over a similar distance was 63s 4d, and in Victoria 71s 3d. It was apparent, therefore, that if the system employed in these countries was introduced into New Zealand, farmers would pay 21s 3d more per truck. Last year on the New Zealand railways 5,211,000 sheep were carried ; otherwise 86,856 trucks. If the same rates prevailed here ac m Now South Waleb, the department would have received £57,905 more, and, if the Victorian rates applied, £92,284 more would have been derived. Again, in the carriage of material, in Class A, the price per ton in New South Wales over 100 miles was 54s lOd, while in New Zealand it was only 495. Over a distance of 426 miles (equal to the distance between Auckland and Wellington) the charge In New South Wales was 141s sd ; in Victoria 176s per ton, and in New Zealand only 107s per ton. The. Minister went on to give detailed figures showing the difference in freight charges for various districts on the New South Wales, Victorian, and New Zealand lines. In eadli case the difference in the charge was in favour of New Zealand, and he urged, therefore, that the train earnings per mile could be made very much greater in New Zealand if the charges here were on a par with the charges in New South Wales and Victoria. He could, he contended, earn 3i per cent, on the present charges, but, no maitter what the expenditure was, the New Zealand railways were earning 3^ r}er cent: He quoted figures to show "that our passenger fares are lower than in New South Wales and Victoria. Could they wonder, in view of such facts, that the earnings per train mile had been greats* in those States than in New Zealand? Besides that, during the last two years £1,200,000 of borrowed money had been spent on rolling stock. The Minister also quoted statistics to show that the working expenses on the New South Wales railways had gone up out of proportion to the receipts. TIME WANTED. Mr. Ma&sey urged that a day should bo set apart to discuss railway administration. There was about £30,000,000 invested in railways, yet thero was no proper opportunity given to discuss railway administration. He referred to the statement that the country people were flocking into the towns. The reason was that the man on the land was not sufficiently encouraged to stay on the land. To blame land monopolisers was a ridiculous explanation. The greatest land monopolist in New Zealand was the- Government, and it was a scandalous thing that the State should lock up nine million acres in sham endowments. POSITION IN THE TAX DEPARTMENT. MORE INFORMATION WANTED. Mr. Wright eaid that not much information had been given about the trouble in the Land and Income Tax Department, beyond the fact that its head had been suspended. Tha Prime Minuter ; That is not co.

Mr. Wright asked what the position was. The Prime Minister said that he had three months' leave of absence. Mr. Wright: On full pay? The Prime Minister : Yes. Mr. Wright thought it looked very like suspension. lie advocated laying the judges' report on the table because this step might set at rest rumours that were damaging to the Advances to Settlers Department and to the Government. It was stated that among the loans granted to officer's of the department was one on a property valued by the department at a very highprice, which had been bought by an officer of the department. It was also stated that the investigations of the judges had been confined to only one branch of the whole business owing to lack of time. PRIME MINISTER REPLIES FURTHER. "CAPABLE OF EASY DISPROOF." The Prime Minister said that all the statements of the Opposition critics were capable of easy disproof, and he proceeded to meet criticism directed at the Government for their conduct of the business of Parliament. The GovernI men,t had ibeen ready with their work. Twenty Government Bills had been introduced and 19 of them had been circulated within six weeks of Parliament meeting. The hours to which Parliament had sat nightly showed that there was always business ready to be gone on with. Replying to Mr. Wright, Sir Joseph said he had heard the same rumour about a loan to an officer of the Land and Income Tax Department. His enquiries elicited the information that instead of the full amount having been advanced, the loan was £400 short of what had been paid for the property. It had been paid off, and a similar advance to that quarter by the department had been made on the property by another institution. It was his duty to see that no department made any loes through any officer, and he would do it. It appeared "that if a man appeared to be 'down, there were magnanimous Eeople ready to come along and kick im. Mr. Heydman a6ked whether the Prime Minister would allow Mr. Massey to see the judges' report in confidence. Sir Joseph Ward: Nothing of the kind. The Leader of the Opposition has no right to see a man's taxation papers. Mr. Massey: Why should you see it? (Laughter.) Sir Joseph replied that the report came from the Governor to the Ministry, who were sworn to secrecy on such matters. Ministers did not want to see people's taxation papers, but in this case it was part and parcel of their duties, which was not the case with Mr. Massey. At the- end of three months the Government would be in a position to know to what extent the charges against the head of the department were justified. In the meantime he deprecated idle rumours being introduced on the floor of the House. The three months' delay would provide time for legal action to be taken should such a step be decided on. Mr. Wright denied that he was kicking a man when he was down. He had mentioned the rumour only to give the Prime Minister the chance; to deny it. OTHER MATTERS. , Better accommodation for the Brooklyn School was urged by Mr. Wright. Mr. Herries again introduced the matter of railways, arguing that our railways were stationary as to earning power. Our passenger traffic was responsible, and he doubted whether raising our admittedly cheap long-dis-tance fares would improve matters. We should attempt to cater for the suburban traffic. v The Hon. Mr. Millar stated that comparison was impossible, because in the four chief Australian centres there was a population of 1,370,000 to work on for suibur-ban traffic, as against 248,000 in the four centres of New Zealand. Mr v Herries had suggested that the General Manager of Railways ought to travel. He> had travelled over the world, and had met railway magnates in many countries. He (Mr. Millar) questioned whether we had much to loam from Australian railways. The Bill, which had given the opportunity for the general discussion, was read a third time and passed.