SAMOA AGAIN

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 5, 6 July 1928, Page 14

SAMOA AGAIN

SPEECHES IN COUNCIL ! GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED This-chief topic- of discussion in .the course 'of . the throe Address in Beply speeches delivered yesterday afternoon in the Legislative Council was that of Samoa. Continuing his speech • after "The Post" had gone to press,, the Hon. W. H. Ti'iggs referred to past disturbances in Samoa in order, to show what a- powder magazine Mr. Nelson and others had put a match to in instigating, the'present trouble, and deprecated the claims of certain people in New, Zealand that, the Samoan should receive full "rights of -self. . government. The Samoans. would be, incapable of such a thing" for' many years to come, he said, and in the meantime they must bo governed with firmness ' and tact. The New Zealand Goveriim.eiit had car-; ried out the terms of its trust most faithfully, and he anticipated that the League of Nations would express the strongest approval of the Government's action. Mr; Nelson was determined at all costs to-get;: rid-of General Eichard-, son as-.Administrator, and deliberately set out to incite the. natives to unrest. The speaker referred to what he regarded as the subtlety and secrecy with .which the movement was developed, and said he had no doubt that the-new Administrator would in time succeed in enforcing order and ensuring-progress. The whole movement had given" a big set-back to the advancement of the territory. One would have expected a realty patriotic Opposition to have assisted the Government in such-a crisis, yet the' Leader of the Opposition had. set himself out tooth 'and nail to ."'embarrass' the- Government and incidentally to assist the insurrection. Mr. Triggs regarded that as most reprehensible conduct. . DISCREDITING THE COUNTBY. The Hon. H. -L., Mieliel dealt .also with the :Samoan' question,, and said it was regrettable that it-had been used to discredit not only the Government but also our country, in the eyes of the world. It would have been really serious if those attempts had succeeded. The Administration had' been com-, pletely vindicated up 'to' the present. It was also extremely .regrettable that unemployment had been used as a stick with which to.flog the Government. The unemployed in New Zealand were less in proportion to the numbers of workers than in any : other State. The entry of women into business had-'dis-i placed, many men, and the development of the motor industry' had 'had,. the effect of displacing coachworkers, farriers, and other... workers. Another cause was the, completion of big public works' undertakings.. He deplored such a question, "being made, a political or party One, and said -that' the efforts to exploit unemployment and the;"Sa; ; moan ' situation had. not helped in the solution of those problems.1 Mr. Michel opposed the idea of a State bank, and pointed out that New' Zealand possessed, apart from the banks,'several semibanking institutions, including the State Advances- : Department, which Were helping the farmers and others. Despite speeches favourable- to peace and the high ideals which were being expressed, much remained, to be done, to bring about a better commercial understanding between the various., countries. • Ho'-favoured trading in the most profitable markets. . . The- Eight Hon. Sir Francis Boll: "Are you against Empire, preference? - -Mr. Michel: "No.'?" " ' :'i ' '"'- ';■:?- Sir Francis: "Well, then, you must have duties."•■■■. "■■ •.- „, '■ , ,; "You have protected industries in this country," said the speaker, "but they have made no-, progress, and 1 believe-the only way to bring down the cost of living,iu-this-country is to have a .freer .interchange of trade .between overseas States.", , . :..'■ -.. :;.;: ; PAYMENT BY EFFICIENCYv;: ; The Hon. G. J. Garland declared that no nation in the world would declare war when Great Britain and the U.b.A. desired peace, therefore he welcomedthe multilateral treaty, for the renun-, ciation of wai>. He supported the Government's poltey in Samoa, and turning to the subject of industrial peace, said that there could be no progress without conciliation, mutual trust, and mutual self-help. The worker had;bcon goaded on by his leaders and told he was a wage-slave, and thofire-kindler behind himJshould be showir.that there was-no place for.'.him "in, the ebunti-y. The Labour Party might, have gamed more wages, for the worker, but it had filled his heart with discontent. The gains were more than offset : , by^tno losses through strikes. How long would it takesthe fire-Whaler'toi recoup those 'losses? He /advocated the grading, of men according to efficiency,-and payment accordingly. Discussing the-trade-; balance, Mr. Garland declared that people with incomes of between £500 and £800 a yeariwere more deserving of reductions' in income tax than those on the higher scales;-, If the, proposed new bank were established he hoped it would not bo grouped with tho associated banks, and that it would pay^nterest on current account, Ho.-. understood'that. that was to be done . The debate. was adjourned .at 4^5 p.m. on the motion of-the Hon. W. M'lntvre. .' - '"' "' ;" ' '