ADDRESS DEBATE

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 March 1943, Page 4

ADDRESS DEBATE

CRIME AND DISEASE ■ APRICOT CROP BUNGLE WELLINGTON, March «1. In the ' House of Representatives this afternoon the debate on the Address-in-Reply was continued by Mr C. E. Harker (Nat., Waipawa). He criticised the Government for its lack of preparedness on the outbreak of war. He doubted, even now, if the Government realised the seriousness of the position.. “Where were they last month?” he asked. “Why, in Christchurch East fighting a byelection. They were fighting for Party rather than for country.” Mr Harker said he doubted very much, whether the lady member who had been returned had been assisted by their efforts. He thought that she would have done much better if she had been left alone. Mr Harker also expressed concern at the increase in crime among young people, and at the spread of venereal disease in the Dominion. Dr. D. G. McMillan (Govt., Dunedin West) interjected: Any increase in crime is partly due to encouragement given to guilty people to escape punishment. Mr Harker: I have never encouraged anyone to increase crime! Dr. McMillan: The increase in the number of venereal disease cases reported is very largely due to better diagnosis, resulting in many people receiving treatment who did not receive it before. Mr Harker raised a point of order to ascertain whether Dr. McMillan had insinuated that he (Mr Harker) had encouraged crime by assisting persons to escape just punishment. Dr. McMillan replied that he had not intended to convey such an impression. i Mr W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Otago Central) severely criticised the handling of the apricot crops in Otago Central by the Internal Marketing Department. He stated that in the middle of the apricot season just past, the Department had called the growers together and informed them that it required 50 per cent, of the crop, and that otherwise it would take over control of the industry. The Department informed the growers that the apricots were required for drying, jam-making and canning for the Army. However, the Department had not first approached canners and packers to ascertain if they would handle the fruit, with the result that when the edict came into effect, canneries were swamped with apricots and were forced to refuse supplies. Mr Barclay (Minister of Marketing): That is incorrect. Mr Bodkin: I challenge the Minister to come to Dunedin and I will prove it to him. As a result of this bungle there was a tremendous lot of fruit lost. The stone fruitgrowers from the outset had recognised that Government control of their product would mean disaster. They had opposed it consistently, and all they asked for was to be left alone. The Minister could not interfere with the crop on the plea that he was going to the rescue of the growers. Mr Barclay: I have not had a single complaint from the growers. Mr Bodkin: A single complaint? I was inundated with them. The Department could not have supplied the Minister with copies of complaints. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 5.30 p.m. RELEASE FROM ARMY. Dealing with Army matters, on resuming the Address-in-Reply debate in the House at 7.30 to-night, Mr. Clyde Carr (Govt. Timaru), said that it did seem to him that the time had arrived when some people in the Army could well be released. For instance there were the mess orderlies, and those looking after the drains, and suchlike. He knew that farmers, generally, were very appreciative of the work that Army men were doing in the harvest field, but he thought that some little discretion should be displayed in the choosing of men for more arduous farm work. Then, he said, there was the case of specialists, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, and plumbers, who were placing theii- skill and knowledge at the service of the Army, but they received only the Army pay of 7/6 daily. Mr. J. A. Lee (Dem. Labour, Grey Lynn) said that thousands of people were being dragged into camp. There was no intelligence in keeping them there. He wondered, he said, how Mr. J. E. Stewart, who had had a large part in having him (Lee) put out of the Party, obtained a good position in the E.P.S. How did it come about that a certain Minister’s son was in a Government carpentry training school? He felt entitled to ask these questions, because the Minister had not hesitated to do so when he was out after his (Lee’s) blood. •

Mr. W. Sullivan stressed the necessity for increased housing in the Dominion. Mr. Sullivan said that there had been a shortage of homes for many years. In the period from 1938 to 1940, an average of 8000 homes a year had been built. Recently the Minister of Supply had spoken of a housing programme of 18,000 houses a year, but he thought that such figure would not be reached, and it would not be possible to build more than 16,000 homes annually. A survey of New Zealand in 1938 had shown that the Dominion was short of 20,000 homes, and if a survey were taken now, it would be found we needed from thirty to thirty-five thousand homes. He also made a plea for all of the State tenants being given the opportunity of owning their homes.

On the motion of the Prime Minister the House decided to sit on Firday from 2.30 p.m. until 10.30 p.m., on Saturday from 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Monday from 2.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON, March 4. The greatest post-war problem would be that of making sure that there was no repetition of war, said the Hon. B. Martin in the Address-in-Reply debate in the Legislative Council this afternoon. That problem is not impossible. Hon. W. A. Ward praised the people of New Zealand for theii’ patriotic work. Hon. J. E. Duncan advocated the replacement of the quota system for manure because it was not equitable. He suggested development of the sugar-beet industry in New Zealand: The council adjourned until tomorrow.