PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1934, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

FINANCE BILL DISCUSSION. [PBB PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, September 6. In the House, this evening, the Finance Bill debate was, resumed. Mr Schramm said the police should be a properly trained body. If more police were necessary, the regular force should be strengthened. He did not think there was anything sinister in the Minister’s proposal, but he thought the Minister was wrongly advised. If additional regular police cost a few thousands, it would be money well spent. He stressed the need for an amendment of the Workers’ Compensation Act, especially as it applied to relief workers, and hoped an amending Bill would be passed in the present session. Mr McLeod said it had been said the Meat Board was responsible for stopping the export of certain classes of meat, and that the Home authorities had not asked for it. He was in a position, as was the Prime Minister, to deny that. The Home authorities had said New Zealand had exceeded the quota under the Ottawa agreement. Mr Barnard said that the Minister of Finance had shown considerable ability in covering up the bill which the country must face some day, resulting from raising the exchange. The country now realised that the people themselves would have to bear that burden. He said the establishment of a Mortgage Corporation would be opposed by the Labour side of the House, and he hoped by other members also. He contrasted the increased provision made for defence with the provision, or lack of provision, for unemployed. Labour would definitely oppose the increase in the Defence vote until better provision was made for the unemployed.

Mr Smith, referring to statements that the country was frothing for an election, said that over 830,000 people were entitled to vote in New Zealand, yet only 54,000 signed the petition, which was recently presented to the Gove'rnor-General. Ther© were some people in New Zealand who ought to have the right to free speech taken away. Last year the Government spent £34,000 on universities in New Zealand, and endowments brought the figure to £64,000, yet agnosticism, atheism and revolutionary socialism were the chief products coming from some of those universities. He contended that the Unemployment Board had come through its terrible ordeal with a great deal of credit to itself. The debate was adjourned.