PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1945, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS DEBATE RESUMED WELLINGTON, July 18. . The debate on the Address-in-Re-ply was continued when the House of Representatives resumed this evening, the majority of speakers taking part being from the back benches. Mr. Mackley (Nat., Masterton), discussed primary production. He said that our volume of production during the war had fallen at a time when it was of the greatest importance to both New Zealand and Britain. He asserted that as far as the Government was concerned, the farmer was tne forgotten man of New Zealand, and that this was a most damaging policy so far as the economic life of New Zealand was concerned. The Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan), said that the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Roberts, had already stated that our production was on the up grade. The Dominion average production of butterfat for the last five seasons was substantially better than the average for the previous five years. Mr. Sullivan said that a form of ruthlessness which had been very pronounced was that of the attacks made by those in opposition to the .Government upon the Ministry of Supply. During the war, the method of bulk purchasing as between Governments had been the only way of getting goods. When the Dominion Government ordered any goods, the specifications were sent, and all precautions were taken. The country that was fulfilling the order did not always have what was wanted, and. if they sent a substitute order, there was a “howl” against the Supply Department. It was a case of blaming the customer for the mistakes of the supplier. No doubt, some mistakes had been made by the Supply Department, but in relation to the quantity of goods it handled, the percentage was infinitesimal. Mr. Murdoch, (Nat., Marsden), referred to trade with Britain, saying she was the main customer of the Dominion, and opposing regulation, of imports on that account. He complained of subsidies for industries, saying that other industries besides farmers obtained them, and that some subsidies of the farmers were derived in fact from funds created by sale of their produce. He also complained of the prices of certain textiles. Mr. Lowry (Govt., Otaki) said Britain was the mainstay of the Empire, “when she falls, we go, and when she prospers, we prosper,” he said. It was- important to New Zealand that Britain should recover. It would not help her to recover if we had locked out her goods, but we had not in fact locked out her goods. During the war we had had to turn to America because Britain could not supply us. But we could not buy any more from Britain than we were buying at present without getting into debt. Our sterling funds in London would not last if the floodgates were thrown open for import, as there was plentiful purchasing power in New Zealand, and people naturally would like more goods to buy and complained when they could, not get them, such as motorcars and the like. Discussing the future of the New Zealand forces, Mr. Lowry said that New Zealand should maintain a limited land force, and a good Air Force and Navy. We could not afford to relax our efforts. Before decisions about the future of the New Zealand Division were made, he hoped that every member of the House would have an'opportunity to express his views. BREACH OF FAITH. Mr. Polson (Nat., Stratford) quoted Mr. Nash as having said that the policy of the Party was put to the electors. and was not altered until the next general election. The GovernorGeneral’s speech had stated that the Government would take over the Bank of New Zealand. That had not been in the Labour Party’s election policy. They had gone to the country with a policy of not nationalising the trading banks. There was a breach of faith, not only with New Zealand, but also with Britain, because Mr. Nash had stated in London that the Government had no intention of taking over the trading banks. He said that the statement had a bearing on the treatment Ne\y Zealand had received. , „ ~ > Mr. O’Brien said that before the Government made the change as regards the Bank of New Zealand, it went to the Labour Party Conference and discussed the whole .matter. There was a time when Mr. Polson himself wanted an Agricultural Bank and when Mr. Polson thought that the Bank of New Zealand would be useful to the farmers, if they owned it. Referring to the coal shortages, Mr. O’Brien said that there was talk about the miners’ earnings, but it should be ■remembered the miners’ pay was four shillings per ton for hewing and loading the coal. It should also be realised that the percentage of injuries among the coal miners was higher than that of injuries among the soldiers overseas. The Government was blamed for a coal shortage as if it were something which the Government could prevent. The shortage had been due to the stoppage of the imports of coal, in conjunction with a great increase in the demand for supplies from industry including extra demand from gasworks throughout the country. At the present the supplies of coal were being increased slowly, but we would have to produce more coal or else get coal from Australia, before the position would be really easy. The debate was interupted by the adjournment at 10.25 p.m.