DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1944, Page 2

DAY IN PARLIAMENT

REPLIES TO QUESTIONS

STUDENT-EMPLOYEES’ PAY

WELLINGTON, March 2Assembling at 2.30 to-day long week-end recess, the House ot Representatives devoted the attei noon to a crop of new ed by members, and to Mimste .a replies to several questions askea earlier in the session. minor,™ Mr Connolly (Govt., Dunedin West) asked an urgent question concerning the recent Dunedin report that four girl students from the Dunedin Training College, manpo.vered during the vacation to a Queenstown hotel, were required ™ work from 10 to 15 hours daily, and then to falsify the wages book and accept payment for normal hours. Mr Fraser, replying on behalf of the Minister of Manpower read a signed statement, obtained fiom the girls, in which they confirmed the allegations made in the Dunedin report. Mr Fraser also read a statement from the Secretary of the Ho lei Workers’ Union, Dunedin who said that the girls concerned had made no complaint to the Union during .he four weeks of their employment. However, they complained alter their return to Dunedin, and, as a result, the Union organiser visited tm. hotel in question, and collected money on behalf - of the. gh'H representing the amount of overtime due to them. They had received this amount. In printed replies to questions, toe Prime Minister, answering a Question by Mr W. S. Goosman (Nat, Waikato), stated that men who were awaiting mobilisation had been encouraged to volunteer for work in coal mines because coal was one of the principal sinews of war. Similarly, approval had been given for men to go into freezing works dining the season. Replying to Mr Langstone (Govt., Waimarino), Mr Fraser said that it was understood that _ the insurance companies were making considerable reductions in premiums, in conformity with the recently-announced intention of the State Fire Office. PAY TO WATERSIDERS Mr Fraser, replying to Mr K. J. Holyoake (Nat., Pahiatua), said that the £l5O paid to Auckland waterside workers at the rate of 8/4 per hour for work actually done by American soldiers had been authorised by the United States authorities. This payment was the result of an agreement made between the Waterside Workers’ Union and -be United States authorities, to which the Waterfront Commission, was not a party. Mr Fraser added that the payment of wages for the loading and discharging of Army and Navy vessels was made under the reciprocal Jend-lease, and was a charge on the New Zealand War Expenses Account. The American authorities had been aioproached with a view to arranging that no further payments of such a nature be made. Mr Sullivan, replying to Mr Aderman (Nat., New Plymouth) said that the only concessions which had been made under the meat rationing was an additional .half ration to underground miners and to timber workers and bushmen in back country districts.

Replying to Mr F. Finlay (Nat.. Hamilton)', Mr Mason said’that it was considered that the imposition of a curfew for girls would, involve undue interference with the liberty of lawabiding citizens. The Government had already established a special squad of police to protect the moral security of young girls. SOLDIERS’ MAILS Replying to Mr Bodkin (Nat., Central Otago), Mr Webb said that parcel mails to the forces in the Pacific were despatched from New Zealand at every available opportunity. Vessels were frequently diverted or delayed, and when they arrived in forward areas delays no! infrequently occurred owing to heavy rain. Malls were transhipped by barges and other small vessels which had' loading limitations. Moreover, delivery was frequently delayed owing to troops being on operations. It was possible that parcels had to be destroyed in isolated cases where humidity affected the perishable contents which were not in sealed containers. Mr Webb gave an assurance that the transmission would be improved if it were at all possible. Answering a question by Mr Goosman concerning the advisability of the use of military uniform by himself and the Director-of Rehabilitation when interviewing returned men, Mr Skinner said that both himself and the Director were constantly meeting drafts of servicemen on their return from overseas, and most of the men whom they interviewed were still in uniform. The Government, therefore, considered it desirable that they should wear uniform while engaged in official duties. This question and the reply wore debated by the House. Mr Fraser said that if the wearing of uniform would help the returned men, it was justifiable. Mr Holland (Nat, Christchurch North) said the question was not a reflection on the Minister, who had a fine war record. He said the question of rehabilitation was a civilian and not a military proposition. He considered the Minister could do better job if he were on a common level with the men. The debate on the question was continued until the tea adjournment. Explaining the remaining business of this portion of the session, Mr Fraser said that the business ahead included the secret session, the Aus-tralian-New Zealand Pact, Lendlease. U.N.R.R.A... an amendment to the Government'Railways Act providing , for the setting up of a tribunal to deal with the conditions of employment, a measure to implement the desires of the Invercargill electors on the liquor question, and there might be one or two other matters. Mr Fraser said it was hoped to bring this portion of the session to a close next week.

CENSORSHIP CRITICISED Mr. F. W. Doidge (Nat., Tauranga) resuming the debate on the Finance Bill, referred to an article he had read last Thursday evening, which was held up by censorship. He understood now that the Government might put up a smoke-screen that this article was in the same envelope with other material which was unfit' for publication, because of its indecencies. Mr. Doidge said what else was censored, did not matter. This article was fair criticism on the political position in New Zealand. The fact that it was held up indicated that the wartime censorship was being used for political purposes to muzzle fair criticism.

Mr. Fraser said that the question which Mr. Doidge had raised was very important. The question -was whether emergency powers had been i wrongly used. He had listened with some surprise when the article was read, but he could find no trace of political partisanship on the part of 1 the officer who refused to pass it. It ' criticised the Opposition as well as the Government. It was hostile to both. Mr. Fraser said that the other document in the envelope with the article that had been read by Mr. Doidge made indecent reflections on the girlhood and womanhood of New

Zealand in outrageous language. Mr. Fraser agreed that each article should be treated on its own merits, but he could well imagine that the officer concerned felt such disgust at this article that he considered he was obliged to protect New Zealand, and was moved in his emotion to stop tne lot. If it could be established that either the Postal Censor or Press Censor used his power to stifle reasonable political criticism, it would be a very serious matter. Neither he nor the Government would stand for that a moment. Nothing purely political, with no repercussions on public safety, the morale of the people, or the country’s war effort should be made a subject for censorship. Mr. Fraser said that the article concerned was so indecent that no member would wish to have it read to the House.

MR. FRASER’S REVIEW. Discussing the war situation, Mr. Fraser said that, compared to hardships endured by men overseas, trivial complaints on domestic matters faded into relative insignificance. He indicated that the House would have an opportunity to-morrow to pass nonparty resolutions of appreciation ana encouragement to men giving their all overseas. Discussing the situation in Italy, Mr. Fraser .said new responsibilities which our Division had undertaken there meant further honour for New Zealand, but also great trials for the men in the fight, and lor their relatives. Paying a tribute to General Freyberg, Mr. Fraser said that despite the fact that the former could have had greater opportunities of command,, his choice had been to remain with the New Zealand Division. For this he deserved the highest credit. There had never been a commander with more care for his men. The naming of the corps General Freyberg was now commaning as the New Zealand Corps, was an honour for. the Dominion. It included United Kingdom, Indian, and American troops. We could but pray for the protection of Providence on our forces in the tremendous task they had now undertaken. Mi; Fraser voiced a hope for General Kippenberger’s full recovery, and said his life could be of great service to the country. Mr. Fraser said that, despite their criticisms, the Opposition knew that all of the single fit men could not suddenly be withdrawn from such industries as farming without causing tne collapse of that industry. Nobody in, or outside, the House could advocate that every fit man should be withdrawn from the freezing industry, causing the collapse of that vital activity at the expense of our kith and kin overseas. The Opposition should either point out where men could be combed out without difficulty for the country’s industry, or else should remain silent. They could not have it both ways.

INDUSTRIAL STOPPAGES. Mr. Fraser said that no country had done better in regard to industrial trouble., than New Zealand. He would not justify the loss of a single hour when the'liberty of the country and the world was at stake, but New Zealand’s record remained excellent. From the outbreak of the war to the end of last year, the total of lost man-hours in New Zealand was 120,526. In Britain it was five and a half million. In Australia it was 3,145,000. If industrial trouble had been as prevalent in New Zealand as in Britain, our loss of man-hours would, on a population basis, have been 203,000, instead of 120,000, or, on the basis equivalent to Australia’s, our loss would have been 786,003. We were immeasurably better off than the other United Nations. If there was an indictment of the New Zealand Government of not running the country efficiently, and of having avoidable industrial trouble, there was an indictment ten times greater against the Churchill, Roosevelt, and Curtin Governments. Warning the country against any dwindling, far less crumpling, of the national war effort, Mr. Fraser said that one of the most disconcerting things was for people to imagine that the war was over simply because it was rolled back from our own shores. His patience was not inexhaustible when he found people with four times as much butter as people in Britain, and people with more rationed meat than Britishers, making complaint?. Appealing for the co-operation ol all groups in the community, Mr. Fraser said the people of the Dominion would not see produce which had been brought into existence by sweat and toil, intended for our forces or our kinsmen and allies, stopped for any reason whatsoever. If such an event should occur the Government would have no option but to call on the mass of the people to come forward and do the work. Mr. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) claimed that the contents of the second article censored had no bearing on the political criticism in the first article. This case of censorship was not an isolated one. A letter from a soldier in the Middle East stated that a newspaper comment on the general election's had been censored from a paper sent to him by his mother. Mr. Fraser said that he would see what the postal censor had to say about that. Mr. Broadfoot said that, m another case, a woman had written to her son about the political situation, and had had her letter returned with a note suggesting that she should stick to the truth. , . Mr. Fraser: If that happened, that was an impertinence. If the hon. member will give me particulars, I will see that it is investigated. Mr. Cullen (Govt., Hawke’s Bay) said production from the land was the spearhead of the industrial war effort, but without the assistance of other industries produce would never be delivered. Pie would agree to A Grade men being taken from the Army for work on the land if A Grade men were returned to other industries. Mr. Aderman complained that part of a speech he had made in the House had been censored. ~ , . Mr. Doidge: But that incident makes the Censor more powerful than Mr. Speaker. , ~ . Mr. Aderman: I regard it as such. Mr. Aderman said a suspicion was widely held throughout tne country that the censorship was used extensively for political purposes—for tne support of the Party in power. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 10.30 p.m.