PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

Evening Star, Issue 12867, 17 July 1906, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

From the long-drawn-oat debate on the Combinaiions and Pooled Products Prevention Bill there sprang on the previous sitting day practically a waot-of-confidence amendment in the policy of the Government entrusted with the conduct of the business of the. Dunedin Parliamentary Union. This debate was resumed last night. There was an excellent attendance of members, the Speaker (Mr/A. R. Barclay. M.H.R.) being in the chair. Mr J. Kirby led off with lukewarm support of the Government, in. the coure© of which he found fault with the machinery chaises, and advocated the appointment of beer inspectors. He expressed sorrow that the Leader of the Oooosition had allowed a colleague to place himself in such a position by moving a no-confidence motion. Mr W. Michael began with the usually safe and non-controvertible assertion that while the measure had its advantages it also had its disadvantages. The Opposition joined issue with the Government on this pointthat trusts were neceiisarily evil. He did not think so. He believed in organisation, in trusts. It was the evils attending them, resulting from out bad. social system as regarded production and distribution. Mr Michael (who is annarently a disciple of Mr Prehear) went on to talk about "robbery," and said thai there was no justice in our present system of distribution, which went " hand in hand with robbery." The Bill would hinder organisation as much as it would hinder robbery. The Government were not consistent. From the speeches of Government members on this Bill, he judged some to be rabid Protectionists and some rabid Freetraders. Mr A. C. Cooper made a vigorous fighting speech on behalf of the Government. He started that there was no need for panic legislation in New Zealand, as there were no wealthy men here. The moment a combination began to exploit the public it became criminal, and should bo prosecuted. Trades unions had been formed.—(A Voice : " To stop robbery."} Exactly, and trade combinations were formed for self-protection. " There are traders," he continued, "in Dunedin. too. who get their stuff and don't nay for it, never intend to pay for it. They go up in a balloon, and never pay back a sixpence."—(Name, name.) They combined for their own interests. He thought the Orrocsition simply wished to get the Government out to get in themselves, and he characterised this as petty and puerile. Mt J. Edwards rose to a point of order. Mr Cooner assured the Speaker that he had not intended the terms "potty and puerile " to amly personally to individual members on the opposite side of the House. Mr Brasoh asked if the member who had raised the point of order had been arointed sole judge of the honor of the House. Mr Cook proceeded to say that a certain member, who should be nameless, had approached him outside the House Mr Edwards again rcse to a point of order amid cries of " Sit down." He asked if a member could Tefer to what took place outside. Mr ruled ihai it would be unreasonable to confine debate only to what took olace inride. After Mr Robinson had delivered an Onm-tiition speech, Mt Gilchrist, a leading Socialist member of the Opposition, said that trusts made for organisation, and that was what was wanted in our social system. " The trust we want is Lhe State," he said, "a trust that can be trusted."—(Laughter, and a Voice : " We ire the State.") Members had ind displayed an entire ignorance of what Socialism meant. It was the quintessence of common sense. In some communities the milk sunolv, the bread sunnlv and even the pawnshop had been municipalised. Mr Braech said that the in Wellington claimed, and risrhtly claimed, that thev assisted the Government to lick their measures into sha.oe. None of the members of this Opposition attempted such a thing.—(An Voice : " Imnoesible.") The Owoosition did not want the Bill, but had never given their reasons why. Mr C. Darling, jun., won some Opposition apctause for his owning remarks, but went on to say that though' he sat on the Opoositicn hunches his sentiments to come would probably be disagreed with by his oontigrous fellow-members. He had originally sat with the Onncsition because thev were fewer in numbers. Then he tried the cross benches, but found an un?leasan£ draught there. —(Laughter.) Mr )arling went on to suooort the Government on general orincinles. Mr J. B. CaJlan, jun., ako supported the Government. The Leader of the Ooncsition (Mr W. S. Bedford) said that the Premier had made the amendment a want-of-confidence one. He himself did not know two members on the Ooncsition 6ide who wished to occupy the Treasury benches.—(Laughter.) From the sneers at organised labor and State control, he judged the Government to be representative of Conservatirm. They blocked any measure aiming at social reform.—(" No, no.") The Government had yet to prove their constructive a/3 well as their destructive ability. Fully three-fourths of members favored control of combines and trusts, and fully threefourths did not believe that the' present Bill provided for any such control. Yet the Premier, on the amendment being moved, cracked the party whip to make it apDear as if the narty were in danger. He would support the amendment. The Premier : You manufactured it. Mr Bedford : I did not manufacture it. The Bill is Illogical and unworkable. Mr Buranrd said the Government 'of which he is a member) could not honestly remain in office and lead the House while such systems of thought as State Socialism were brought forward. Mr Gilchrist : Do you understand what it menus? Mr Bumard renlied that he had listened to the hon. member's exposition of it, and did not.—(Laughter.) The soeech of the evening waß made bv Mr Sykes from the frmt On-osition bench. He asked if _ the Government. were prepared, as chnnwiens of individualism, to disannul all that had alreadv been done in the way of State Socialism. The trend of the evolution of society was towards the extension of the Socialistic idea. No one would snnnort individualism per se. Tt wan unthinkable, and no sonnl Sfpite could be based on what unthinkable.—(An^Knse.) Mr R. Hilkißon pn.id that all that legislation conM do to combat tb*» evils arisine from combines was to restrict and restrain the nowers of trusts. The Premier (Mr A it ken) mid the Onpositioii were the real Conserva.tiyes, because thev wished to conserve the inferos of one claps. _ The Government wwhed to corseT-ve the interests of the commtma>y. —(Onnosition laiyht/T.) The Government were not nor were thev blnatpd.—fLp.iK'hter.) The problem of living was just as acute to members on the Government wide as to the sacred brotherhor-d of Labor o-ooosiie.—(Govern-ment While economics nwdit affect coTwtitiTtions thev could not affect human notrere.— ( Ann^unpe.) The tW the Bill be read a perond time that dav six months was then nut and to* hj" 96 votes to 22. The motion for the second reading of

the Bill was next pot. and was also lost by 27 votes to 20. The House then adjourned.