PARLIAMENT.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 612, 1 July 1908, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

GETS TO WORK EARLY. [per press association.] Wellington June 30. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 52.30 and passed a motion suspending the Standing Orders so far as to allow the Imprest Supply ttiU to be passed throug.ii all its .stages at one sitting. The Council adjourned at 2.40 to await receipt of -the Bill from tho House of Representatives, which arrived at 8.15 and passed all its stages without discussion. Tiie Council adjourned at d.to. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2. '60. Leave of a week's absence, on account of ill-health, was granted to Mr Irawry (Parnell). FIRST READINGS. Tho following Bills were introduced «na read a first tinwj:-Tapanui County Bill (Mt Fraser), Westport Harbour Board Loan Bill (Mx Oolvin), Public Works Act 'Amendment Bi-1.1 (Mr lzawl), Duty on Flour Abolition Bill (Mr Hogg), Oamaru Town Hall and Gasworks Sites and Recreation Reserves Bill (Mt Duncan), Quackery KeSon Bill (Mr. Hornsby), *ew Plymouth Harbour, Bl l (Mr Okey), Musicians Bill (Mr Sidey), Municipal Corporations Act 19UU Amendment Bill (Mr Sidey), Oamarn ! Harbour Board Loan Bill (Mr Dmi- ! can), Licensing Rolls Absolute Ma- ! ioritv Bill (Mr Laurenson), Uinstichnrdi City Sanitation Empowering i Bill (Mr Gray), Marriages. Validation ■ Act Amendment Bill Sir >V. J. «ewaid), Auctioneers Amendment Bill ■ (Mr Witty). IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. The Imprest Supply Bill for £72(5,---000 was introduced by Governor s mes- : sage and put through all its stages. I The following aro the schedules of fio Schedule:^Consolidated Fund £450,000, Public Works Fund £200,000, Loans -to Local Bodies 'Account £5000, Land tor Settlements Account £1000, State Forests Account £2500, State Coal Minos Account £30,000. Scenery Preservation Account £1000, Hutt K*^ay and Road Improvement Account tbOUU, Railways Improvements Authorisation Act Account £12,000, Maori Land I Settlement Act 'Account £500, JVai- | kaka Branch Railway Account £4000, total £712,000. I Second Schedule.— Government In--1 surance Account £7000, ■G«vOT" m «J" t ! Accident Insurance Account ±;iouu> State Fire Insurance Account £I»W> Public Trust Offico Account £3500, Government Advances to Settlers OHico Account £800, Government 'Advances to Workers Office Account : £200; total £14,000. » At 3.20 p.m. the House adjourned until 7.30 p.m. EVENING SITTING. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. The House resumed at 7.30. THE NEW MEMBER. I Dr. Chappie (Tuapeka), in, moving t(w Adch-ess-ui-K-eplr, said he had ■ listened with pleasure to the hopei fulness which pervaded tho Governor s i Speech. He referred to the march ; oi Liberalism since it was introduced ■ in 1890, and what it had set itself to ' .-oi-ifct. The land monopoly meant land idleness, and land idleness was ' a curse to any country. '» J'e Ballance policy of land taxation lut.t t>e<n tho cause of bringing land into the market and removing much ct the I causo of evil resulting from land idleness. The £500 taxation exemutkn to farmers, Lease.in-Perpetuity At,-, Bush and Swamp legislation, free carriage of manures, etc., on railways and concessions to school chil- ; dreu by train, had all been .concessions to farmers. Then, in later periods, scientific methods of treating the soil as the result of experimental farms, were not only of benefit to the farmer but to the whole of the country, and the Liberal Government had never lost sight of that fact. He admitted that there had been some criticism to the effect that experimental farms were not paying, ! but he declared that if it was at--1 tempted to make these self-supp«u't-j ing they would lose their value. After ' dealing with what was being doro for the flairying industry, he conteuiod that New Zealand had products equal to any other country in the wor\:l jui.'t he asked, did the farming community recognise that the Liberal Government was their best friend? He said no, and explained that the reason was that the small farmers had I been told that they would, . under j Liberalism, be subject to similar pres--1 sure to that of land monopolists andin many instances the charmer had been listened to. He wished to tell the small farmer that the policy of the Government was in their favov.r and would be greater so in future. He referred to the Arbitration Act as a humane measure, designed to abolish sweating and make for a j peaceful settlement of disputes. The discontent which arose as to the workiing of the Act should not be. used 1o j condemn the Act, as it was imposi sible at first to make a measure jior- • feet, but the Government had proi niired amendments which woui-1 I improve the Act and be the me i™ J of bestowing greater advantages to ,■ the workers. As to Socialism, tlm-o ! was a Socialism which was condeni-?el iby the community. That was ihi Socialism wheh gave them their railways, public trust, State Fire insurance and other institutions, all of which had been of immense' benefit t j the country. THE SECONDER. Mr Greenslade (Waikato) defended the peregrinations of Ministers an 4 claimed that the recent visit of tho Prime Minister to the King Country had given ample evidence of tho necessity for roading the back blocksj and speaker believed that half a million would be little enough f o . spend annually for road making. j Though not seeing eye to eye with i the Government on their land poli-jv', i as he favoured the optional system! jhe gave the present Government j credit for having done more to j open up land's than any previ-n-s Administration. He also gave credit to the Government for the forward movement made in opening up native lands. The Government, too,* had done «• their best to assist mining —in fact, had assisted every industry in the Dominion. In congratulating the Government on their education policy; he thought that sufficient attention had not 'been paid' to teachers' salaries and he trusted the Minister would look into the matter. MR MASSEY. Mr Massey (Leader of the Opposition) claimed that there was a lot of discontent throughout the country, despite the virtues of the Liberal Government, as set forth by the mover and seconder of the Address. He combatted the advantages which were claimed for the land ■ legislation and asked what, was the use of the Advances to Settlers Act while they had tho Colonial Treasurer going to all the financial institutions of the colony for money. # The Prime Minister: Name some. Mr Massey : The Auckland Savings j Bank and the A.M. P. Society. In fact, he added, there was no finan- { cial institution but what had received attention. As to the value of the experimental farms, he believed in the theory, but they were of little us to the practical farmer unless he could follow up the results and get at the actual cost of euch results and then he would know where he was. Dealing with Socialism, he*, declared' that laud nationalisation was socialism, and those who supported it were socialists. Referring to the Governor's Speech, ho thought the Government should not, throw the responsibility for. a new Parliament House* on Parliament, but the House should have been erected on the old site, and the work begun soon after the fire in December. He failed to see any reference in the Speech to- Local Government reforms so long promised. The Opposition had been challenged to mention one of the Liberal Acts that- it would repeal, and he said he would go for the repeal of the Arbitration Act if it were not amended. A. Bill to amend it had been brought i down last session, but because it was opposed in certain directions, the Government had not the courage to force it through. He 6aid that the blot on j3.iuL.,Bettlement was that, the area was too large fpr the small man, who. wJHjHhe man who should be as-'

sisted. He thought that more might be done to improve the mail service with England, and he believed that memb&s would vote for an improved Vancouver service,, thus avoiding sending mails via Australia. He saw no mention of intention to amend the Old Age Pension Act. He thought more-provision should be made to encourage thrift. The Gaming Act should be amended, so as to remove the- blot which compelled racing clubs using- thfertotalisator to license bookmakers. ■ He would also like to see an amendment of the Legislative Council, .so aa to make it more representative of the people. THE PEEMIER, The Prime Minister, dealing with tho speech of Mr Massey, said the totter, nt referring to the £SUO exemption to farmers, had not mentioned the exempting of improvements thats^vere 'made in the Land Tax. "fie denied the allegations that jie, as Colonial Treasurer, had gone to financial institutions borrowing money. This was a statement made in and out of season by detractors of the colony. He tleined Jhat ho was a single taxer, and had said so from every platform. There might be some member of the Government who held' single tax views, but these had never been advanced as a Minister. Dealing with the housing of Parliament, he stated that he could not have gone on with the re-erection of a new Parliament House without calling Parliament together. It was*the only legal course- open to the Government, and he thought he had dono the best under the circumstances. When the Address-in-Reply was out of the way he proposed to explain to tihe House the Government's proposals on the matter, 'me ondy other building in Wellington winch" was available was the Town Hall and the rent for that would (have exceeded the whole cost of al-.te-ring Government House and providing tor tho Governor's residence at Palmorston North: Ho ridiculed tlie statement by "Mr Massey that the reinstatement of Parliament House was to cost £250,000; in no instance lrad the Government under consideration a larger sum than £150,0U0. Ho claimed t'lie undoubted right to visit the various parts of tlio country in tho interests of the community and would continue to do so if necessary, without consulting tho Leader of the Opposition or anyone else. As to tlie (Jlunese, lit» asked members to see the effect of tlie Bill to which the Royal assent was recently given. It •the effect was not as desired, then he could consider tho question of an increase of the poll tax. As to local Government, he thought it should be on a wider basis, especially so as to financial masters'. Ho was prepared to leavo the important question of post audit tor the further consideration of members ■and the country, if the Houso thought it necessary. When the Government's amendments to the; Arbitration Act were brought down, they would be what he conscientiously thought would be a solution of the defects in the present measure. As to the mails, he believed that, without the co-operation of the United Kingdom to get the Vancouver service, New Zealand could not initiate it. The Jtlebate was adjourned until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow, and the House adjourned at 11. 30 p.m.