ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 1, 1 July 1926, Page 15

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

IN THE COUNCIL

THE DEBATE ENDED

Tho Address-in-Beply debate in the Legislative Council was concluded yesterday afternoon after five moro speakers had recorded their views on various subjects.

The Hon. Colouel G. J. Smith (Canterbury) referred to recent Commissions from abroad which had been engaged t>y the Government to report on matters of, importance to the Dominion, and suggested that it would be better if gentlemen in New Zealand who were thoroughly conversant with local conditions were sent abroad to make investigations and report upon their return, as was done in the appointment of the Eoyal Credits Commission. As it was, he said, imported commissions had to spend somo time at the outset malting themselves acquainted with existing conditions. Colonel Smith said it seemed to him a wicked waste of money to establish an agricultural college in addition to Lincoln College. The proposal would cost at least £200,000, and Lincoln College itself had more than that sum invested in it. He suggested that if the Government took over that institution, with all its buildings and endowments, and remodelled the board to give representation to the Government and 'the Department of Agriculture as well as to the present College Board, the college could be made to serve all the requirements of agricultural education, and be brought right up to date, at a big saving in cost. Referring to the need for encouraging the secondary industries of the Dominion, he said they should be sufficiently strong not only to employ people already in New Zealand, but also those who were arriving in the country. Manufacturers should so organise their industries as to get a reasonable profit out of them, and there should also be some assistance from the Government. The speaker ..considered that New Zealand was not looking far onough ahead to provide for the future. Cabinet Ministers were rushed -with . business from beginning to end of the year, and had enough to do to attend to matters of the day. ADHERENCE TO MOTHERLAND. The Hon. A. _\ Hawke (Southland), referring to. Empire affairs, said he did not think there was the slightest chance of the Dominions breaking away from the Mother Country, and he believed Canada would retain her present adherence. New Zealand's contribution towards the upkeep of the Navy should be increased, say, for the next five years, He commended the step being taken by the Bank oi: New Zealand in the direction of long-dated loans, which would be of great assistance to tho farmer. As a further measure of assistance, the Government should revalue rural holdings. He felt that „in the next four or five years land values would become more stable. -Mr. Hawke favoured Lincoln College as the agricultural college for the Dominion. It seemed to him that if the Department of Agriculture employed, say,_ twenty instructors to go round the various districts and instruct farmers in regard to fencing, soil treatment, destruction of rabbits, etc., that would be better than turning out scientific experts from an agricultural college. Tho subject of the college should be postponed for a year or two. In conclusion, he expressed the opinion that the British Government should buy out the coal mines, and supported the suggestion that a duty should be imposed upon iron. GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN TRADE. The Hon. H. L. Michel (Westlaud) alluded to the recent a.dditioa to the New Zealand division of tho Eoyal Navy, and said it would not be long before we would havo to make a much larger contribution towards naval defence, which, after all, was insurance of our seaborne trade. Very few largo land holdings now remained in the Dominion, and it was gratifying to know that the Government was endeavouring to cut them up in the interests' or closer settlement. Any Government which conceded the principle of paying award rates, to the unemployed would very soon come to the end of its tether, and ruin the finance of the country. He condemned the argumonts being put forward by those who advocated such a system as "absolute piffle," and said it would encourage rather than relieve the unemployment situation. He concluded by finding fault with the Government for interfering too much with imports and exports by regulation. This was having a pernicious effect upon the cost of living and the general development of the land. There had been far too much government by regulation in the last 20 or 25 years, and if the Government pursued that policy of more business in government and less government in business, and interfered less with trade matters generally, it would be for the betterment and uplift of the country. -RRIGATION MATTERS. The Hon. E. Scott (Otago) said the Government must be very, careful not to overstep the mark in regard to irrigation. The Government would do well to look into every aspect of tho subject before it committed itself to a large expenditure. Altitude and aspect of the. land presented very important fea- : tures, and water used on such lauds j might reduce rather than improve the carrying capacity. Users of j water iv Central Otago were heavily penalised to-day by the heavy cost of the irrigation works, which could have been considerably reduced i£ they had been done by contract. It was impossible in many cases for farmers who were paying 15s per acre for irrigation to make their work a payable proposi-. tion. There was grave danger ahead of the Government if it did not go into the question of tho suitability of the country to be supplied with water, especially as to increasing the productivity of tho land and making it a payable proposition. The' Government should use every endpavour to stem the drift from the country to the towns, and givo every inducement to

people to settle in tho country districts. Many farmers could not afford to employ farm labour—though they would willingly do so if they could —because of the price of their land. Tho Government had not done the fair thing to the farmers in regard to the wheat importations. In stressing the seriousness of tho spread of noxious weeds he alluded particularly to the ravages of sweet briar in Otago, and said the Agricultural Department was to blame for not enforcing more strictly the provisions of the law in respect to such weeds. Touching upon afforestation, Mr. Scott said that the growth in Central Otago was very satisfactory, and it would be a great mistake if treeplanting was abandoned at Naseby, and in other parts of the province. The Hon. J. Barr (Canterbury) said that though we had to give consideration to the secondary industries, we must concern ourselves first and foremost with the primary industries. The Government was not a wet nurse, and could not be expected to help all and sundry; industries should learn to help themselves. We should be guarded against helping secondary industries whose existence was not justified. Referring to the Government's proposal for the assistance of people with large families and poor earnings, ho said ho would oppose with all his strength any legislation towards giving monetary assistance, which would be a worse dole than that which existed in the Old Country. We should seek to encourage the spirit of independence, and the incentive to work. If we gave a dole the incentive to work would he destroyed where it was most necessary to encourage it. Belief could be given in many ways without anything in the nature of a dole being paid. The mover of the Address-in-Beply motion (the Hon. T. S. Weston) agreed that the salaries of Stipendiary Magistrates should be raised as soon as finances permitted. Successful secondary industries wore apt to attract more people than was warranted, while there never was a natural opportunity for others. The Address-in-Beply motion was carried, and the Council adjourned at 4.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday next. - ' ■ ' ■ •