ADDRESS IN REPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 9 July 1931, Page 15

ADDRESS IN REPLY

CONCLUDED;IN COUNCIL

LEADERS' OPINIONS

The Address-in-Keply debate was concluded in. the Legislative Council yes-

tei'day afternoon.

Concluding, his speech after <! The Post" went to press, the Hon; W. Earnshaw expressed' tho view that it was for tho people to decide whether there should be .any fusion between the two main parties or not. Tho experiences of thp .nastftwere not favourable to : fusion. ..-..-■■•■■

-The Hon.-E.-Moore -referred to the necessity for protecting the wheat industry. Under the amended sliding scale, the grower was guaranteed 4s 6d a bushel, but that ./as hardly enough to justify the grower remaining in the ; business, ft If the duty were .taken off, ; altogether, asft.had-ftbee'n.' suggestedftin' : some quarters, 'th.ere ; ybuld; be no wheat j l grown in the Sonthftlsland.ft 1 ..The .Hon. G. -Witty,said' that, then , trouble'in New Zealand 'was that people had obtained;;money, too easily, , without thinking suffldibntly of how the money was td'be repaid. However, he thatrtljey were now iii thedark- ;- est hour'be.ore .the-dawn, and that before very lohgftthrflgs would be bright again. Theresas do need .for- anyone to, starve in New Zealand;; prepared: to -work 'forft.their ■food. ' • Unfortunately, there -■ were -ft 1 a ; number of men on relief works who were do;, a , fair, day 's wpfkftfor,"a '■■£ air, day's,pay, ahd'-'ithey pr.e.yentedj-others : from : ,workiiig.>' J. Mr.: Witty-severcjy criticised thaft miners o:il tho-Wegt Coast who had boycotted,the; Cascade.iCp-operative workers. ':E'efer-i ringft'to,:tho: relief works, he deplored! tho faef that much 'of the •work beingi ■urtderiakeii: was Unproductive. Thati enough in, itself, but it wasl on' 9. .recognised the, faibti that .tlie ftineii on the job were: 'ing ft! rohb'edj of their self-respect. ;Bingle;ifelief (workers should be sent into camps in country districts and placed Y t'o>vofk; in clearing land which was overgrown ftwith weeds. The belief; yas'i'exjiressedv; by the speaker that NewftZealand;"ft.was. spending far too much moneyftpn' educ ;;ion. Workers were wanted;'in. ft Kow Zealand, not white-collar men. ft If a boy had grit ho could win his way in life, even if he only passed,the-sixth standard. Tho boyfwith, academic qualifications would get to the.tdp all right. The Civil ■Service was:"ft!overcrowded, and the .waste that wdi- goihg on was ahsolute-ly.'-:shameful. ' ' vEye'iy Department of should bevoverhauled very closely; 1 ' Coupdn trading was condemned whojaid the whble thing amounted .to, illegitimate trading. % NEW ZEAiiAXD FINANCES. v. Tho Leader of Council (the Hon. .Sir Thomas Sidey) ( said the suggestion Had been made during tho debate that the Government should this year make use;.of. the accumulation of reserves in the; Post Offico Savings Bank. In .such .tiipes. as.,, tlie present they might adniit that it was justifiable to draw to isoiii.e' extent on the reserves, but one had; to.be very careful. - It had to be remembered that in the next ten years . the'-ftGovornment >vbuld be faced with the-necessity pf replacing a number of buildings,, and plant, ; ; : and> if there were no reserves the ftonly;; way the renewals! could lie, made wasfput of borrowed money, ft;-The suggestion had also been .madeftthabftpayments-;. ..under • the , Act , .pr6y-idihg.-:-'fo'r the -.-.ftextinction- of- the Bublic.; Debt, should ft be : -postponed for : reason. forftNow Zea*i •landiftcbminitting; itself Ltd annual pay- :; rnents.ftWas . in;- order.:,;,to-, ; mairitain.'-./theft ;. ;cbuntry-'s ; '■ especially , as '■■'New : Zealand'was still'a -debtor nation; and ■wag' still borrowing money; ' In ft their prospectuses they'had always placed in a/prominent pbsition. the ; facts that they had a sinking fund for their loans and..that provision had beeri'madefttpr the.repayment of .the' whole "of tho Public Debt. It had.paid inftNew Zealand to do, that. ; Itft.was possible, indeed,' that, they, had-saved in interest asmu'eb ■ as the, siuu they had paid intbthe-fund.. Ho thought the Government would be . open.',to/serious ''criticism if it adopted; the proposal made I ...';.'ft- ■'-. : ;,'

Speaking ''generally ot tlie". financial positioa;pf.'' i tii , q^«Mntvy^'Sii', - -. 'rhomaS saidftthat;.he",>vas soi-ry .'to, say. that tlie' position.,.; had''not improved; since tlie sh'9'r t!';'s's'sibp ''(>£[ Parliamerifin MafcA last.,'ft. ' Tliey,!;h"ad had' to appropriate niprb .of;the.-aciitiiiiulated surjilusca tKaa; 'it-was ''at'.''iirst-'.-thought would ..bc-'n6cos'-' ! Baryft ftft . ■.. ftft - ... ■•-.,, .',.'■ -ft ftft'..-" .; ]

iWic Addf-cssHviis agi'ooji'to.