DEBATE ON BUDGET

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 August 1939, Page 2

DEBATE ON BUDGET

CONTINUED IN HOUSE. CONCLUSION EXPECTED TO-DAY. [per press association.] WELLINGTON. August 22. When the House resumed at 3.30 p.m. to-day the Budget debate, lor which, urgency was granted on the sumo lines as lasi, week, was continued by Mr J. Thorn (Govt., Thames).' He said the Opposition made a habit of criticising the Government’s public works expenditure, but there was none who was willing to see such expenditure cut down in Ills own electorate. To his way ol thinking, said Mr Thorn, the members of the Opposition could not ask the Minister of Public Woks to increase expenditure in their electorates, and then turn round and accuse the Government of extravagance tor having consented to that expenditure. The Opposition had also charged the Government with failing to solve the unemployment problem. Strange arguments were heard from the Opposition, whose members were quite ready to say that, if money was spent in making bullets, guns and armaments, the men for this had to he found; but, if the men were put on public works, developing the country's resources, then, according to the Opposition, it was symbolical of unemployment in the country.

Mr T. D. Burnett (Nat., Tenniku), speaking of the broadcasting of the proceedings in Parliament, said he had been amazed recently, when he had listened in over the radio to a Parliamentary debate. Members should think carefully about the broadcasting of debates from the House, and should endeavour to ensure that,-when listeners tuned in their sets to listen to Parliament, they would not be listening to a. cheap variety show. He stressed the importance of primary production to this country, and said it was on the exportable surplus of the 170,00(1 primary producers of this country that our prosperity depended. He paid a tribute to the work of the Agricultural Department, and stated it ill became people to sneer at primary producers, because it was the “Cocky” on the land who was bearing the heat of the day, and was responsible for our exportable primary produce. He suggested that twelvehour regional weather forecasts should be made to warn the highcountry farmers of impending storms, and also that a conference should be held under the auspices oi the Ministry of Transport tc< consider ways of clearing high-country roads of snow to enable farmers to get their stock out of danger. In conclusion, he further suggested that all the social security tax from persons under 25 years of age should be set aside for housing for young couples. At the present time we were thinking overmuch of old people, and not enough of those who were to carry on the country.

Mr ,T. G. Barclay (Govt., Marsden): Is that the new policy of the Nationalist Party? Mr Burnett: No. I am speaking entirely off my own bat. Over here we are entitled to do that. The House adjourned for tea at 5.26. OHAKEA AERODROME. Continuing the debate after the tea adjournment, Mr J. O’Brien (Govt. Westland), referred to a statement by Mr H. G. Dickie (Nat., Patea). that the aerodrome at Ohakea should be placed underground. Mr O’Brien stated that, on the figures supplied to him by officers of the Department, the cost of doing this would be £1,200,000. With the necessary equipment for such underground hangars, including the installation ot electric light, etc., the cost would be nearer £2,000,000. To adopt the same policy for all of the military aerodromes in the Dominion would cost nearly £10,000,000. The present cost of the scheme at. Ohakea, said Mr O’Brien, was £450,000. The Opposition had always been accusing the Government of not giving farmers a fair deal, said' Mi O’Brien. Thej-- said that the guaranteed price was not enough, and so on- He would remind the Opposition that New Zealand had had farmer Governments for sixteen or seventeen years, and that there had been three with farmer Prime Ministers and with, farmers holding practically every portfolio. Mr Osborne: And they were all dumped! Mr O’Brien went on to quote the bankruptcy figures, to show that farmers had headed the list for year after year until Labour came into office.

Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nat. F.lccartonl congratulated Mr AV. F. Schramm (Gcvt., Auckland East) on his recent speech in the debate upholding the British foreign policy and comparing it with that made by Mr R McKeen (Govt., Wellington ’South), on the same subject. In answer to a Labour interjection. Mr Kyle said he would gladl.v go up to Auckland East to assist Mr Schramm in an election campaign. (Laughter). DAIRY PRODUCE DECLINE. Mr Kyle, continuing, forecast, a decline in production this yea? totalling £3,000,000. Dairying had decreased despite the fact that the Government was still telling the House what a wonderful thing the guaranteed price was. He said that the decrease was entirely due to increased labour costs and to the difficulty of securing labour. He contended that strikes against the increased' price of beer by watersiders, railwaymen, etc., were really strikes against Hie Government policy. Tie also asserted that a great portion of the increased income tax for which the Government had provided in tile Budget would come from the middle-class sections of (lie community. The people with larger incomes wore at. present heavHy taxed., but. their numbers wore comparatively small, while the people with smaller incomes were more numerous, and it was on them (list the increased incometax would bear mosi heavily. Speaking of Hie Government's housing policy. Air Kyle asked if the Government were selling aside any sinking fund to provide for the depreciation on the houses which were being built. He doubted if any of the rank and file members of ' He Government knew what, the cost of these houses really was. All that, they and the House know was that Gio Government, was spending £ IO.OMI.iiOO on housing. A tint her question which arousud interest was whether the Member for Grey Lynn, Mr .1. A. Lee, were still the Under-Seen tary lor Housing. No one seemed to know. Mr Kyle predicted that, unless tin* Govern.'ACiit made better provision for over-

sea credits, a number ci factories throughout New Zealand would soon be closing down, because importers would be unable to get goods from overseas, and manufacturers would be unable to get the necessary raw materials. NATIVE AFFAIRS. Mr E. T. Tirikatene (Govt., Southern Maori) deprecated any attack on the Minister of Public. Works tor the magnitude of his expenditure, pointing out that the works estimates included .£1,354,0U0 for Native matters, and there was another £4<>o,out) lot other Native purposes. Won id the Opposition prefer reduced wages and pensions to the petrol and beer duty increases that they criticised? Included in the debt recently converted in London was £77,000 originally harrowed in the year 1860 for prosecuting a Maori war. He calculated that £135,00 interest had been paid in 50 years thereon, and the descendants oi the people against whom the war material bought with that loan was used, had been helping to pay off that debt.

Mr Tirikatene appealed the Native Minister to abolish the Board ol Native Affairs, and to take over the administration himself. The Board', he contended, had been set up to act as a buffer between the Maoris and previous Governments. The Member lor Eastern Maori, Mr A. T. Ngata, was not. responsible for its appointment. In fact, lie had been badly let down by bis own Government on the matter. He concluded that it was apparent that the present Government was out to overcome the difficulties which had lain between the Maori and pakeha, for many years. At 10.28 p.m.. the Acting-Leader of the House, Mr Fraser, moved the adjournment, and the House rose. This is an indication that Mr Fraser will reply to the debate to-morrow, thus finally disposing of it-

CRITICISM REFUTED. SPEECH BY MR. O’BRIEN. [SPECIAL TO “STAIi.”] WELLINGTON, August 22. Opposition criticism of the Government’s financial administration was refuted by Mr. O’Brien (Govt.. Westland), during the financial debate in the House of Representatives' to-night. The Government, he said, had been accused of all the prodigal expenditure imaginable, but the fact remained that, many of the country’s troubles to-day weye due to the extravagance of the past Government, between 1919 and 1930, which was a period when conditions were good and prices' were fairly high. The national debt had increased from £176,000,000 to £267,000,000, or by £8,000,000 per year during the same period. The local body debt, had increased by nearly £4,000,000 per annum. Private debts and mortgages had also increased by a large sum. This occurred when the present Opposition was on the treasury benches. Members of the Opposition, when they were the Government of the day, had looked after their wealthy friends, by giving them relief from taxation. The hearts of the Opposition bled for the farmers, but during its administration of the affairs of the country, 10 per cent, of the farmers had been driven off the land, because of insolvency.

non-payment of fines. NO ARBITRARY IMPRISONMENT WELLINGTON, August 22. The arbitrary imprisonment of persons in default of the payment of fines, except in specially prescribed circumstances, is prevented by the Summary Penalties’ Bill, which was introduced by the Governor General’s message in the House to-day. The Bill, which also legalises the common practice of stipendiary magistrates of extending time for the payment of fines, was read the second time pro forma, and was referred to the Statutes’ Revision Commission. It is to come into force on January 1, 19-10-. “The Bill provides that, where the Court intends a fine as a punishment, there will not be imprisonment as the automatic result of the non-payment of the fine,” said the Attorney-Gen-eral, Mr. Mason, when the Bill was introduced. “A person who is fined for an offence will have to come before the Court again before he may be sent to prison for default, except in cases of drunkenness.” The purpose of the Bill was entirely humanitarian, Mr. Mason said, and it followed a. precedent established in England. It legalised what -was very frequently done by Magistrates. Mr. J. G. Coates (Nat., Kaipara), suggested that an offender might be content just to owe a fine and let it go at that. This Bill,in fact, encourages a “Kathleen Mavourneen” system. “I think that the Bill will be found to provide all the necessary machinery,” the Minister said. “If it is ineffective in any way, I shall be pleased to have the help of Members of the House in remedying its faults. To-day, there is a general sentiment aginst sending people to prison, if it can bo avoided. I am sure the Bill will operate in a humanitarian direction.”