PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1945, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

. APPRENTICESHIP BILL. WELLINGTON, July 23. Apprenticeship was debated in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Members discussed the report of the Apprenticeship a Commission, which was tabled earlier in the session.’ Mr. Polson (Nat. Stratford), said the report of the Commission was a commonsense one, because it pointed out that, if we were to assume that the forty hour week would remain, then it would be necessary to increase our production, which would have to be achieved by more efficient labour, more up to date methods, and more modern machinery. The Commission also pointed out that production from the land must be at a price to enable it to compete in world markets. This was sound commonsense, such as members on his side of the House had always expressed. Mr. W. Sullivan (Nat. Bay of Plenty) said that the period of apprenticeship should not be less than five years, so that boys could have a thorough training, and could be given every opportunity to become efficient. One of the reasons for a shortage of apprentices in the building trades was that there was insufficient continuity of work. A five or ten years’ building programme would give employers confidence to train apprentices. Mr. McKeen (Govt. Wellington South) referred to youths who had been trained to services to a point where they were semi-skilled, and he asked what was to become of them when New Zealand returned to peacetime production. He asked if the time put in in military trades would be taken into account. Mr. Skinner said that he was rather disappointed that the report had not laid greater stress on trade training schools, which were playing an important part in rehabilitation. There were to-day 77 men in trade training schools, while numbers more were training with private employers, and others had completed their training. The Rehabilitation Department had made a survey of many trades and had computed that to achieve a housebuilding programme of 12,000 houses annually, we would need more than 16,000 carpenters. Mr. Skinner said that a shortage of skilled tradesmen was limiting some forms of building io-day. Mr. Langstone (Govt. Waimarino) advocated an extension of trade training schools, which he said, were doing excellent work for rehabilitation to country centres, where they should be established on a permanent basis to five training in industrial processes to boys, and to girls too, if girls desired it.

FINANCE BILL WELLINGTON, July 23. The granting of subsidies to the farmers again played a prominent part in the debate on the finance Bill when it was resumed in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr. Sheat (Nat.,- Batea) claimed that the Government had made claims on Britain for higher prices for primary products before Britain had agreed to make the payment of lump sums annually. He said that farmers had been entitled to increases on the basis of world prices, even before the Government made the agreement with Britain. By the agreement it secured lump sum payments. Therefore, he claimed, farmers had a claim to a compensatory payment for value lost in the past. He was satisfied, he said, that the country could not continue with the system in existence to-day. It was not sound. Under this system the main industry in the country was supposed to be subsidised by the Government. It was in actual fact being taxed both directly and indirectly to subsidise other sections of the comm Th*? Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts) said that apparently the Member of Batea wanted to have freedom for farmers to bring this country to the same state as it was in at the end of the last war, when the land trebled in price, and the mortgages quadrupled, and then the slump of'the early twenties followed as.inevitably as the thunderclap followed the lightning. In (act, what farmers were asking for, according to Mr. Sheat, was for. the stabilisation of their costs within New Zealand and at the same time high prices for their produce sent overseas. . Mr. Doidge (Nat., Tauranga) said that perhaps he should commiserate with the Government over what had happened during the week-end in the Dunedin North by-election. It was one of the heaviest blows the Government had sustained since it came into office. A majority of 2800 had dropped to 800. It seemed certain they looked on a doomed administration, he said. When the whole country expressed the same view as Dunedin North the Government would be obliterated. The Prime Minister had wiped the dust of Dunedin North from his eyes. He could now be asked if the result there did not point a way to the future. The Government hah recently announced its intention to take ov6r the Bank of New Zealand and to de-, stroy the country quota. The result in Dunedin showed quite clearly that electors did not want interference in banking or the country quota. They diet not want “Waimarino money.” i Opposition laughter). Mr. Richards (Government, Rqskill) said that the Opposition, in discussing payments to farmers, claimed that they were concerned only with justice for farmers.. But he would remind them that justice must also be done to the other sections of the community. Mr. Richards said that, of all the employers in New Zealand earning two thousand pounds or more net per annum, fifty-four per cent, of them were farmers. Mr. Aderman (Nat., New Plymouth) said the member of Roskill had concentrated on the income of farmers. He did not take into account that many improvements were includedIt would be difficult for the farmers to make that up in the future. . Mr. Langston-e (Govt., Waimarino) said that wealth was collectively created. He did not believe that all wealth came from land. It came from the sun, the air, and the water, which would not be used up, but the farmers used up the land. Because of our system, Mr. Langstone remarked, we were cruel to the soil, and New Zealand was being washed out to sea. The- debate was adjourned at 11 p.m ■ _____________