PARLIAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 August 1925, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

FINANCIAL DEBATE.

CONTINUED IN THE HOUSE

(BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Aug. 4. The debate on the Budget, which commenced last Tuesday, again occupied the House this afternoon and tonight. Mr. P. A. de la Perrelle (Awarua) discussed the management of State Advances Department, contending that the department was far in arrears with the demands made upon it, and that it was not meeting the growing requirements of the people. He urged the borrowing of more money lor loans to settlers, which would be reproductive. On no condition would he agree to further borrowing unless it was to be reproductive. Tailing the Government’s ability to borrow for purposes of advances, he advocated the setting up of ail agricultural hank, such as had been suggested, with _ a State guarantee. The Earmers’ Union had obtained expert advice on this subject, and he urged that the Government should do the same, with a view to probing the matter to the bottom and seeing what it was worth. On the subject of naval defence he urged the Government to be as liberal as possible in its subsidy to the British Navy, and so remove the reproach which had been hurled against us that we were not contributing our fair share towards the nayy’s upkeep. Mr. J. A. Macpherson (Oamaru) regretted that no attempt was being made to take advantage of the land legislation already on the Statute Book ()]■ to put into effect a proper land policy. A'hat amazed him was that the Government, which pretended to be out to promote land settlement, should not have taken hold of the offer of the Imperial Government to provide money for settling people on the land. Land aggregation was going on in every province in New Zealand. The remedy proposed by the Minister would be ineffective, and was merely a license for people to go on aggregating. Some big effort to achieve subdivision must be made again, as large areas were a menace to the welfare of the country. Sentiment would have to be set aside and lands taken compulsorily if the owners would not subdivide them voluntarily. Dealing with the question of wheatgrowing, Mr. Macpherson said that at the present time th© farmers wanted encouragement to induce them to grow wheat. He regretted the Minister had shown so little sympathy with the wheat grower, because this industry was calculated to produce more money than any other. We were sending huge sums of money to Australia while we had unemployed. What was wanted was a Government guarantee of a stable price. This would keep our engineering shops making agricultural implements. Our grain stores were empty and our railways were running idle. While there was plenty of wheat, in Australia the position might be easy, but lot there be a shortage there and then the pinch would he felt here, and we would have to pay through the nose for any wheat that came into the country. He asked the Minister, to give immediate consideration to offering a Government guaranteed price for three or four years, and so put the wheat growing industry upon a sound footing. Sir John Luke (.Wellington North) advocated inter-imperial trade, hut lie did not think th c Empire should be locked un in water-tight compartments, each country devoting itself to one particular line of production or industry. Ho thought the High Commissioner should he endowed with greatci powers, so that Neff- Zealand would be more directly represented in Empire policy. He did not think we should interfere too much in Britain’s foreign affairs, hut we should devote our attention to the development of Imperial trade and we should have a skilled man in London to co-operate with the High Commissioner in that connection. This, with frequent visits by the Prime Minister to London, would give us those close and intimate relations with the Mother Country which were so necessary to the maintenance of the Imperial spirit. The debate was continued till 10. do p.m., when the House rose till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.