HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 38, 13 August 1930, Page 13

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. to-day.

The Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith) gave notice to move to set up a special Committee to inquire into unemployment and the conditions relating thereto, and to make recommenda tions for the better organisation and more expeditious application of relief; the Committee to have power to call for persons, papers, and records; and to consist of Mr. Endean, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Massey, Hon. Mr. Ransom, Mr. Semple, Mr. Sullivan, and the mover. On the motion of Mr. P. Fraser (Labour, Wellington Central), standing orders were suspended in order to allow the Wellington and Suburban Water-Supply Bill Amendment to proceed. The Bill was introduced and read a first time. The Pointers and Decorators Health Protection Bill (Mr. Jordan) was introduced and read, a first time. The Apprentices Amendment Bill and the Scaffolding Amendment Bill were read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. CUSTOMS AMENDMENT BILL. The Houso went into Committee on the Customs Amendment BilL Mr. A. Hamilton (Beform, Wallace) said that he for one had expected the Prime Minister to give a reply to the criticisms raised before the Committee stage. It seemed that the best way to make the Government economise was to keep them short of money. According to the Bill the Government was not going to go short, and was not worrying whether others went short. He would like to see a reduction.of Government expenditure instead of increased taxation. It was a time when the Government could have run the risk of meeting a deficit rather than extracting unnecessary tolls on the people, because the taxpayers throughout the country would have greater difficulty in balancing their budgets than the Government. It was not for him to say in what way the Government should reduce expenditure. The Government, in bringing in the new tariffs, was going to set a new standard for a section of the people, and the farmer was going to i suffer. ... I

Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle: "We are ! not taxing the farmer." Mr. Hamilton said that whenever they put up the standard of living of the people in the towns they penalised the farmer. The farmer had the worst economic position, and he wanted to see the man on the land pfaeed on equal footing with everyone else. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Labour, Avon) declared that the Government was practising economy in the wrong places, and he deprecated the reduced rates to the Plunfcet Society, the Boyal Life-saving Society, and the-Swimming Association, -He complained that the Bill had i been prepared too hurriedly, and insufficient consideration given to the (effect of reductions' in certain direcitions. Referring to the difficult position of local industries, Mr. Sullivan questioned whether the rural members were sympathetic to protection to the secondary industries, and suggested that they would sacrifice their Freetrade principles immediately if their own industry was threatened. The Government might have done a little more for the motor-body building industry. What it was doing would not be of very material advantage to the indus'ry. Mr. X, A. Wright (Bcfonn, Wellington Suburbs) vdid not think that the men on his side of the House were opposed to reasonable protection to local industries, but what they contended was that, while they were looking after the secondary industries, they should not forget the fanner. The main object the Prime; Minister had in view with his tariff was revenue, and because of this he could not give adequate protection to local industries. All iiad a certain amount of sympathy with the farmer, who had to-sell on unsheltered markets, but it was essential that they shonld find employment for those boys and girls leaving school.