IN THE COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 7, 8 July 1938, Page 10

IN THE COUNCIL

DEBATE CONCLUDES

DEFENCE OF DOMINION

Continuing the Address-in-Reply debate in the Legislative Council this morning, the Hon. E. R. Davis (Auckland) said that he did not think the isolation of New Zealand gave as rhuch security as could be desired. He congratulated the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) on what had been done for the defence of New

■Zealand, but said he considered some training should ,be : taken in anti-gas methods. Great credit was due to the young men who were serving in the forces, and credit was also due to the employers who allowed their employees time off for training.

The Toujust Department was doing good work^Mr. Davis said, and New Zealand, in spite of its isolation; was getting more overseas tourists than Canada. The tourist traffic had increased to 19,468 persons in 1937-38, and it was probable that they spent upwards of £1,500,000 in the country. That could be regarded as an invisible export, and.it was a valuable one. The economic significance of the tourist trade was great, and New Zealand had a definite advantage in securing visitors because of the exchange rate. Many industries, and particularly the hotel industry, benefited through tourist traffic. In view of the recent trend of licensing polls, it was astonishing that the licensing laws, which were obsolete, had not been amended. The licensing laws of today had been framed for puritanical times when women would have been ostracised for smoking and using lipstick. The licensing*' laws were as antiquated as the moa,

"I venture to say," he said/ "that the time will come^when our museum will have a moa in* a glass case and in its beak the licensing laws of 193&. Alongside it they could have a wax figure of the Hon. Mr. Archer." (Laughter.'*

The Speaker (the Hon. Sir Walter Carncross) asked Mr. Davis to withdraw the remark about Mr. Archer.

Mr. Davis apologised and said the wax figure of a councillor with a poster bearing the legend, "Beer, glorious beer," would do. | It was time that something was done about the accommodation provided at tourist resorts in New Zealand, Mr. Davis continued. Tourists could not understand- why they could not get drink at tourist resorts. Visitors expressed the opinion that the restrictionjs imposed in New Zealand %nade the country compare unfavourably with other if rts of the world. COUNTRY'S PROSPERITY. The Hon. B. C. Bobbins (Auckland) [ discussed the evidence of prosperity in New Zealand and said the records of the Post Office Savings Bank showed that the workers were prosperous and thrifty. The primary producers were in a good position and the rank and file of the farmers were quite' content with the principle of the guaranteed price for their produce.

For a long time, said Mr. Robbins, there had been an agitation for the refojm of the education system. At the present time the Minister of Education (the Hon, P. Fraser), who was one of the most progressive Ministers that Department had ever had, was preparing a measure that would meet the wishes of all concerned. The readmission of the five-year-olds and the reopening of the training colleges had been attended to as soon as the Minister took charge, and right throughout the Dominion school buildings had been improved. There was nothing of more importance to the country than education and the sooner the schools could be put on a footing that would enable the teachers to do their best wo'rk the better it would be for the country.

The Leader of the Council (the Hon. Mark Fagan) said that he considered the Hon. W. Perry was fair in his criticism of defence. He had not blamed the Government rather than the people in general.

Should a war break out the issue would be so clear that within a week everyone in New Zealand would realise that their destiny was at stake and he believed that a call for men would be responded to in a way that would leave no room for conscription.

"What was home defence?" had been asked, Mr. Fagan said. He would give his view and, he believed, the view of the Government. If Britain were involved in war then, in a split second, New Zealand would also be at war. A war now might be quite unlike the last war. New Zealand might not be able to send a single man overseas. In the absence of the help of a friendly nation it might not be possible to send produce away, and the best thing the Dominion could do'for Britain then was to be able to defend herself. .

It was true that the numbers in the Territorial Force had decreased, Mr. Fagan said, but because of the reorganisation and mechanisation that had taken- place the land defences could move to such purpose that it was quite conceivable /that the 7400 men now in the Territorial Army were more than equal to 12,000 men under the old system. , "I am convinced,'* said Mr. Fagan, "that if an unbiased expert were I called in tomorrow he would say this Government has done more in two and a half years than any other Government did in double that time." OPPOSED TO CONSCRD7TION. The Government was definitely opposed to conscription and compulsory military training, Mr. Fagan said, and he believed Britain had proved that a volunteer system was best and most in keeping with British ideas. Mr. Fagan discussed the main developments in defence, on land, at sea, and 4n the air. Replying to allegations that the railways were uneconomic, Mr. Fagan said the railways were helping to develop the country and it was unfair to judge their position on cash returns only.

Replying to members who had mentioned licensing laws, Mr. Fagan said the Government was anxious to make tourists welcome and he would pass the suggestions made on to Cabinet.

The Hon. F. E. Lark (Auckland) replied to the debate and said that what he had said about a plebiscite on defence had not envisaged a state of war at all. What he wanted to suggest was that people could be educated away from war; that common sense should prevail.

The debate concluded at 1 p.m., and the Council adjourned until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday", July 19.