BUDGET DEBATE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 65, 14 September 1911, Page 3

BUDGET DEBATE.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS. NATIVE LAND POLICY. (VARIOUS* QUESTIONS DISCUSSED. Th© debate on the Budget was eon- ' tiroied in the House yesterday. • Throughout, ihe greater p»rt of the ' sitting the galleries wer<* full, and there .was a more than us-ually large attendf.nc* of members. Continuing hie r<?nia.fks after The T?oat ' .wetit "to press, Mr, Hitw said that, jk- | ccrding fo th<» lwords. there »r« ' £.511.018 aetea of land yet left in the 4)*nds of the Native*, a.nd they wanted 4 0- know when that -was going to be brought into cultivation. He contendedtiiat tho first- attention, of the Government should be to the lands which are lyins? tfa*to and give increased vigour to the NiUivo land purchase policy. He went on to give fitmrcir showing that, the value of land fieM »<y Uie Maoris ha* inareftrfn of late yeats, ift spite . of the decreased saea, although, •tlio Maori p*ya very little toward* <h(? ta.-Ws compared with the European. Mr. Huston; How do you propose to «cottij« t.l« land? Mr. Hino: Buy Jt, of course. Mr. Hussoll: Cotflpnisorily? Mr. Sine: Yes. if necessary; and ptovids miflimont land /or the Maori fiimsctt. I dt-ti t propose to chea-t the jVlftorts. I would apply Me proceeds ,kvwff,rds enabling Uiin to develop his urn and nw-kinj; himself a profitable and useful citizen. Mr. Stailworthy. in tin? couree of his speech, raid the Government- had found that iwaimn yf»s a better way to break up ]s*«6 stater, than purchasing tdie 7 land At * prkf which did not give trio •ietiftttt a fair chance to make * living. If theifc was a mistake in tae Budget it was tiiaith© incfewed gfadß*t«d t»x wa* not to be brought info operation *t ot.cc. Mr. Mander complftifled tb*t ettblicworks votes put on the E*t&n*t«e too late for local bodies to expand them. Tf the money was wted earttef, Be contesded that 25 ■ per cent, would b« <tawd. Speaking generally. h« reH»rked that if tn« Ofipoeitioo had beeft called the Liberals and the other aide the Sod»li«tir. or, perhaps, the Opportunists (which -wottla oe mow appropriate) the positiofl. vronld liawe been abeohitefy re> .vereed. In that «Kpeet the opoooitiofl and the party on the Treasury Benche* cotild not. fiml "Very mwh fault with each other. In maay respects th© Op* position h«l been proddnig tip %c Gof««ini«nt>'ift regard to Liberal legislation. If it h»d not been f<w th*- prod4ing of the Opposition «« would not h»ve had a« Laberal » ptoterm as had «ow been put before the country. As t<ya»tiv« lands, he wanted to know why thfy should, not b© subject to the cutting go process equally with taods owAed by ifeeopeaofi— alow bo, in /act, seeing that Etffot»«» land* paid 'tastes *id the native land* paid m> t«K*tion. H« compkifted that th«re wa« -no mention of a Local Government Bill' in the Bnclget* and h# added' that a« between parties th© question at< issue wa* really ofl*,, not of legislation, but of administration, A# to- the farmer*' State gnaranWd hanks, h© tlw>«aht tfowe w»r an element of danger. Th^tß were memW* of the House who were ini*vonr of a State bank pore and simple, and •if they 'couM g«t the tlrin end of the w«d«# j» by thJ# m«ffls they would waift* ha- go further and would no*, be ■> sstiftfied until they got a. State bank. the <ypp<m'ftos~-Mx> (Mmctm. J«Bt after 7.30 p.m. the debate neatly collapsed, ' Sir Joseph Ward had risen to reply, but Mr. Scott was just in time. Tti© member for T!uapeka' urged that it «hvw«d irritability o» th© part of the Premier to resent hon«t f .i»tr»igh.t< forward critknam by the Opposition. th« Oppo*Haott wa« there -to watch the Gov» e/nment. Sir Josephr.Ward, : We have to watch, yon very caceMly when you want a million for your district. (Laughter.) AJr. Scott aaid that tho majerity of the members of the Opposition were honest, hardworking farmers ; they -ware not monopolists or land grabbers. A member: What about the member for Wairarap»7 Mr. Scott $ W© are no more entitled Uy the name of Ooftiervafcive or Tory than I am to> be cla«ed among th« liadicak. ffe urged that th© Qoverflment had only been playing with the schema' of irrigation in- Central' Otago, which wag dependent for its develop* men*i on' th© 'successful carrying out of the scheme. A* t-o the Budgetis content*, he expressed regret *hat no reference was made to afforestation, immigration, and the opening up, of new markets for our prodtice. Hi* informa* tion, for instance, w.a» that .there ie » good market for oui? produce in Java. Further, ho urged that the Government should plant larger area* in, Canterbury and Otago with forest trees, and appoint a. highly qualified expert to carry out the work, As to immigration, he said there was a crying demand for man 1 to > go out into the country. There, wa« not a man.' on a farm Tbnt was handicapped beestsM h» could not get enfliciient labour, farmers in Otago were willing to ,pay almost any wage for efficient labour, and th4y could not get it. THE GOVERNMENTS PROGRAMME. Mr.- GHover urged the Government to opeu up native land« for (Sefetknient, and apoke on behalf of the veterans, for whom dometmng should be done by the Government (a-fid the best system was a. bonus), and contended that' the men. engaged in the taking of the electoral c®ntm had been grievously underpaid. Aa to the programme of legislation outlined in tho Budget, he thought it .would be a splendid record for the Government if it assumed legislative chape in, thr/» years. Mr. tfosworthy was the next speaker. 'After dealing with the financial position h« said that 'the Opposition had put a land policy before the people. Mr. Ell: Yet, to sell the national eniiowment*. Mr. Nosiworthy said the Government «•» afraid of the words "land policy." Ha criticised the failure of the Governmeat to go in for a vigorous land for settlement policy, and also criticised the administration of the Canterbury pastoral runs that were disposed of la«t y«&r. He went on to declare that he would vote for no more loans until he sttkvt the particulars of every loan that Imd been raised, and unless he was sure tdflt loam wei'd spent on the objects for which they were raised, CITY MONOPOLIES. Why, he asked, did they not being in l<?gisltttk>n to deal with monopolists in the cities a» well as with land monopolists? Why not put 25 por cent on hoW«?rs of city properties who owned mom than £100.000 worth of property, and let tb© «mall man in the rities have n- right to existence and tiot have to n<?ht against the monopolist? If the Government had done something at' that wort he- would have corritnended it, In i he cities the large brewing, and drapery firms were enjoying monopolies, Why should they not be taxed in the same proportion aa the men on the land? why should there l>e «la.«s distinction in this respect, us betweeit the landhoUhr and th* reciter?

A DOSE OF CHLOROFOHM. I have been asked, he added, what 1 think of tho Budget. I think it is a dose of chloroform to the electors of New Zealand previous, to the elections. Whether they will take it or not remaifle to be seen. I doubt very much whether they will take the dose. If, he added, the Budget was not to a certain extent a robbery of the Opposition platform, he did not know what political robbery was. "I wish the Government well when they go to the country." he said. "I hope the electors of this country will give them what they richly and honestly deserve, that they are turned out of • office, and without a moment's hesitation, for the simple reason that the^ have humbugged the coitntry on the land question." liEPLY PfiOM AUCKLAND. Mr. jPoo!*' quoted • Hansard to show that Mr. Nosworthy had voted against increased taxation" on city properties, and went on to say that the Radical element in the House had been constantly protesting against the lethargy and slowness of the Liberal Party in deal-, ing with political questions. The only conclusion they could arrive at was that the masses, not the classes, were going to rule in future, and before very long the great middle classes would, even more than at present., handle the affairs of the country and the interests of the common good. Borrowing was absoi lutely necessary in the interests, of seti tiers in the back blocks, and in this con- * ner tioh he said he could tell many I strange and stirring stories about Opposition members who urged the expenditure of borrowed money in their electorate and yet at- the same time strenu- j ously opposed further borrowing. He also went on to refer to the over-selling of shares, remarking that the practices of some Stock Exchanges Were worse than the gambling that went on on tho racecourse and the tote shop.. Th« matter ought to be dealt with by legislation. /file debate conclude* at 11.30 p.m.... when -th© Hot»e rose.