PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 August 1943, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

LAND SERVICE BILL-

WELLINGTON, August 18. In the House to-day urgency for the passing of the second reading of the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Bill was agreed to, Mr. Sullivan (Acting Leader oi the House) stating it was proposed to sit until midnight. Continuing the debate on the second reading of the Bill, Mr. E. P. Meachen (Govt., Marlborough) answered criticism regarding the appointment of the Land Committees. He said that in England 6000 committees were controlling farming. He considered that the criticism of these committees savoured of a lack of patriotism. J TT Mr. A. S. Sutherland (Nat., Hauraki) supported the Opposition plea for a postponement of the Bill. He said that what inflation had occurred had all been in urban areas. There the land values had, he said, doubleci in the past 20 years. Mr. J. Robertson (Govt., Masterton) said one of the twin objectives of the Bill was the stabilisation oi land values. The • postponement of the Bill would be fatal to th a, objective. Speaking to the Mortgage Adjustment Commissions, which had been introduced during the depression years, Mr. Robertson said at that .time mortgages were reduced to their proper values. Mr. E. B. Gordon (Nat., Rangitikei) said he did not agree that rural land was going up in price. In his district, values were lower to-day than they were 18 to 20 years ago. (Values, he contended, were partly I stabilised, because of the stabilisation i of primary produce. . i Mr. B. Roberts (Govt., Wairarapa) I said the Bill aimed at the rehabihItation and settlement of the men. Yet ’: ’e Bill was being opposed by those i who gave lip service to the principle ' but who could see that the operation : o f the measure would prevent them ■ from getting the gain which they had : received last time. . ' Mr. J. Thorn (Govt., Thames) said iff would be shameful if we allowed, '.• fter this war, any of the mistakes ! "fliich occurred after the last wq,r. One of the tricks of the Opposition, he added, was to try and distort the Bill by raising a cry about the freehold tenure. But, so far as it concerned the soldiers of this war who had been settled on the land, the freehold had been granted. Tne question of tenure, he thought, would he solved in several ways. 11 the soldiers of this war were placed on Crown lands, and were given the same right to purchase the freehold as was given to the soldiers after the last war, ho thought that in all probability they would make the same overwhelming declaration in favour of the leasehold, as had the soldiers after the last war. . Mr C. G. E. Harker (Nat., Waipawa) said that no radical change in the laws of the country, such as were proposed in the present Bill, should be rushed through the House in the dying stages of the session. The Bill did far too little to promote settlcment and did far too much to restrict that liberty for which our men were fighting overseas. The Opposition would be willing to assist in the passing of any rational measure which aimed at preventing any orgy of speculation in land, but this could be done without putting an octopus clamp” on every inch of land m New Zealand. MAJOR SKINNIfe’S VIEWS.

The Minister of Rehabilitation, Major C. F. Skinner, was greeted with applause on making his first speech since his return from overseas, lhe critics of the Bill, he said, were move concerned about the property owners than the men whose services had kept those properties from being what the insurance companies would call a bad risk when Japan entered the war. Under the Bill the returned men would be given the opportunity of going on to economic holdings, and the" 1 country should not be asked to throw away money on fictitious vahies In his opinion, not more than 10*per cent, of the returned men would want to go on the land. The Government would implement the promises made to the men before they left, to get them back into the peacetime life of the country as tradesmen, farmers, or professional men. He added that he had had an opportunity to study the rehabilitation position m Britain, the United States, and Australia, and he could assure members that the Government was. doing more in the direction of rehabilitation than any other country in the world. Mr. F. Langstonc. (Govt. Waimarino) said: “This Bill is so comprehensive that it goes beyond being a war measure. It is something Lor the permanent benefit of New Zealand. It is a referee Bill as between buyer and seller ol land. rhe bill was generous. It fixed the price on the high price of 1942. He was glad of that, because it would force tne Government to stabilise the price of every commodity at the same level. Mr. Lanastone paid a high tribute m New Zealand farmers. He said they were second to none he had seen. He appealed to all members to get together to rebuild New Zealand for soldiers who were fighting for it. Mr. W. Sullivan (Nat., Bay ol Plenty) said the Opposition wanted to see land bought for servicemen at a fair value. What they wanted to see was large holdings taken . anc. subdivided on an economic basis. . Mr. H. Atmore (In.. Nelson) said he considered the Government macle .a mistake in not bringing down the I Bill two or three months ago, so tnat 'the people could be educated to the i points in it, and thus would not fall iprey to ardent party advocates at me 'forthcoming election. If the. Bill had been brought down earlier, tne people could have been taught to understand that it was a genuine attempt to keep the promise made to (the men overseas so that they shou>d ■ not have to purchase land at inflated j urices under which no farmer could ' ■ i :.;ke a living. i Major Skinner said there had been 1214 men who had applied to be plac|ed on the land, and 100 were now i holding the freehold. ■ The Attorney-General (Mr. Mason) said we were trying to stabilise oth'er elements in our economy, and it I was very hard to see why we should ■not try to stabilise those particular elements which caused such tragic results 20 years ago. Just before the House adjourned at 11 25 until 2.30 to-morrow, the Act-ing-Leader of the House, Mr. SuLi;van, asked the Whips of the parties |to confer with a view to reducing, il ■possible, the number of speakers on •the Bill. Otherwise, ho said, witn 'the business before the House it i would be impossible to get through io enable members to have reasonable time in their constituencies for selection purposes.

t ' “ ! ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS WELLINGTON, August 17. ' In the House this afternoon a further request for information regard- : ing the probable closing time of the session was made by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holland). He also asked the Acting-Leader of the House (Mr Sullivan) if it would ba ■ possible to settle the question of : broadcasting procedure during the . election campaign. Mr Holland added he could not book a hall anywhere in Nev/ Zealand, because he did not know what arrangements were being made, while members of the other side of the House, because they knew what was happening, were booking halls everywhere. Mr Sullivan said that the Prime Minister had told Mr Holland that he would be visiting the north and

would be speaking there. He would be back next day, and Mr Holland might- ask him the question himself. The Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) said that he had agreed to discuss the matter of broadcasting with the Leader of the Opposition, and he probably would be able to have that discussion some time to-day.