PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 20846, 16 July 1931, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, July 15. The Legislative Council put tho Unemployment Amendment Bill through all stages. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The following Bills were introduced and ' read a first time: —Licensing Amendment (Mr H. G. R. Mason); Rent Restriction Extension (the Alinister of Labour): Amusements Tax Amendment (Air W. E. Barnard); Invalid Pensions (Air J. O’Brien). Explaining the Licensing Amendment Bill Air Alason said it was intended to give some encouragement to the winegrowing industry, which, he stated, had two powerful opponents—the licensed traders, who seemed to regard it as a rivhl, and tho Prohibitionists, who seemed to regard it as an extension of tho liquor traffic. , Mr Mason added that New Zealand was well adapted to wine growing, and if its people were to drink wine at all they might as well drink local wine. The Bill sought to remove a number of restraints on tho industry. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Waitomo) said it was highly desirable that the dominion should encourage its vine growers. Everything possible should bo done to remove the restrictions on producing light wines within its own borders. Explaining the Amusements Tax Amendment Bill, Air W. E. Barnard (Napier) said that under the original Act entertainments tho proceeds from which were devoted to charitable, philanthropic, patriotic, or educational purposes were exempted from the tax. The Bill proposed to include in this exemption football matches arranged for obarita 1 - 1 or similar purposes. ADDRESS-IN : REPLY. Resuming the Address-in-Ileply debate, Air A., Harris (Waitemata/ suggested that the 'Government was not concerned about any policy except that of balancing the Budget and extracting tho last ounce from the taxpayer. There was little to show for these demands. It was stated in the last London loan prospectus that the public works expenditure had tapered off to the extent of 40 per cent., but the Government had failed to give this information to New Zealanders. Air W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) declared that what was required to overcome the present economic situation was to give a lead to tho people. Tho Government seemed afraid to deal with tho situation. The people in this country were not afraid of taxation—thev were not afraid of paying their way or making a genuine attempt to assist the dominion out of its difficulties. What they were afraid of was paying more and more money, day in and day out, while the Government seemed to be bankrupt of a policy. The Government should come out with a definite plan of work with a real financial foundation to it. It had been said that if wages were reduced more men would bo employed, but since the wage reductions there had been a great increase in unemployment.

Mr C. H. Clinkard (Rotorua) quoted English political authorities in support of his contention that the present crisis could be dealt with by no one party. Ho said the burden that pressed most severely on the people at the present time was interest, and the time had come when the State should give a lead in effecting a reduction. One per cent, should be deducted in respect of State Advances loans for this year at least. Mr H. G. Dickie (Patea) said that Mr Sv A. Bodkin (Central Otago) had advocated the development and the irrigation of Central Otago. This seemed strange jn view of the fact that one of the first acts of the United Party had been to stop the construction of a railway which would have developed the pumice lands in the Ro-torua-Taupo area. Mr Dickie considered that the prospects of economic improvement should eventually be found in America. Much depended upon the lowering of the tariff walls of the United States.

Mr 11. Semple (Wellington East) said he was fully in agreement with the claims of the importance of land development, but all the dominion’s surplus labour could not be absorbed in that quarter. It was of paramount importance to encourage secondary industries and enable the country to produce more of the articles it consumed. EVENING SESSION.

Mr G. C. Munns (Roskill) said that Labour members appeared to consider the Government should find work at 14s a day for all the unemployed in the country, but this, he contended, would cost £10,000,000 per annum. Mr C. L. Carr (Timaru) : But what would they produce? Mr 11, A. Wright ( Wellington Suburbs) criticised the statement of the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr de la Per re lie) that the Government should continue the subsidy to the Bluff-Melbourne steamer service. He said the service could not be defended at a time like the present. The Government was subsidising it, and it was nob paying. What was the use of bolstering up a service like that, ho asked, adding that if the Prime Minister would look into the matter he would find that the Government was not justified in continuing the arrangement. . Mr. J. O’Brien (Westland) referred to the Reform Party’s attitude during the emergency session, and suggested that its members had carefully watched to see that there was a sufficient number voting with the Government to pass its wage-reducing proposals, while others took it in turns to vote against the reductions. ‘‘ Isn’t it true,” he asked, “ that most of the members of the Reform Party will be able to go on the hustings and state at one time or another they voted against the cut? Yet they must take their share of the blame.” He asked what would be Reform’s attitude if the Prime Minister brought down proposals to increase income tax G or 7 per cent. Would they oppose these and expect the workers to bear a greater portion of the country’s burden? Mr W. J. Poison, arguing that Britain could not continue to consume our products as in the past, submitted that New Zealand would have to look for new markets. He, drew attention to the increasing purchases of New Zealand wool by the Japanese, remarking that this seemed to be sold in the cold regions of Northern Manchuria, which were policed by the Japanese. If there was a suitable trade organise-

tion in .New Zealand it might be possible for the dominion to arrange a direct trade in wool with China, taking in return stock foods for which there was a great demand here. It should also be possible to extend the trade with the Dutch East Indies and South America. It had recently been reported that there were fifty markets besidep Great Britain for Australian butter. Why should there not be a similar number of markets for New Zealand butter?

Mr W. P. Endean (Parnell), referring to finance, said an appeal should be made to the people to get a solid Government into power and to indicate to that Government that it should appeal to the people within New Zealand to subscribe to a voluntary loan at a low rate of interest. They could not expect to go to Britain and get money when the British financiers knew that some of it would be spent on such projects as the railway being constructed in the South Island. The debate was, adjourned on the motion of Mr H. E. Holland, and the House rose at 10.20 p.m.