COMPULSORY CONTROL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 August 1926, Page 5

COMPULSORY CONTROL

OPPOSITION IN THE HOUSE

ANOTHER LONG DEBATE

BILL IN COMMITTEE

(by TELEGRAPH-PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 4. The House of Representatives went into committee on the Dairy Produce Export Control Amendment Bill. Mr AV. A. \ r eiteh (Wanganui) opened the discussion by stating that the present Prime Minister had started his career by stating that he proposed l to follow up the policy of his predecessor, -Mr Massey. Ini this connection the speaker quoted a, speech made by Air Massey when the previous Bill was before Parliament, to the effect that the Government would be responsible for control until it was fairly under way, because Mr Massey held the view that it would be a disaster if control was not ai success. That, contended Air Veitch, was a complete answer to - the Hon. J. A. Young, who had maintained that the

Government was in no way responsible for control. One effect of control was

to estrange the British public and merchants. The principle of control could not stop with dairy produce, but would have to be applied to all other classes of merchandise, with the result the whole British Empire would in arms.

Air G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) pleaded for a more simple form of election. Why could they not have a. straight out “one man' one vote” instead of this complicated franchise, which had been evolved by a weird brain? The request of the opponents of the Bill was reasonable. and in other circumstances its reasonableness would have been recognised, but not as the matter stood. Air Veitch maintained that the producers were by no means agreed as to the mode of election proposed in the Bill. A large section of co-operative producers favoured one man one vote without any qualification whatsoever, and their views were deserving of consideration, which they had not received from the Minister.

_ Air J. AlcConibs (Lyttelton) criticised the system of voting, -dieclaring that the Alinister had got into a hopelessl mess by departing from the simple and sound principle of one man one vote. There never had been submitted to any Parliament such a curious and unsatisfactory system of election as that- contained in the Bill. It looked as_ if the Governmen t was trying to “rig” an election in order to obtain a certain- result. The Alinister of Landis (Hon. A. D. AlcLeod) twitted All* Veitch that three years ago, when the Bill was first before Parliament, he was not opposed to control. Now he pretended to be a friend of the co-operative producers. Three years ago he was tender to the proprietary concerns, but- there was then no word in favour of the' cooperative producers. Air A r eitc-h replied that three years ago they were assured that there would be no compulsory control, and that was why he did not vigorously oppose- it. He, however, called for a division against the compulsory clauses, and his name was recorded on the division list. AVhat more could he do ?

Air H. L. Tapiey (Dunedin North) denounced the compulsory clauses as being detrimental to the dairy industry as a whole. It would thrust the factories, into financial difficulties and destroy initiative. Tf it was a- cave of emergency it might be very well, but in the present cireum stances he favoured a postponement for 12 months to enable the Prime Alinister personally to inquire into the conditions in London. If. on his return. Air Coates favoured control, he would be prepared to follow him.

Air. J. Horn (AYakatipw) said that if the House carried compulsion it would lend colour /to the propaganda that New Zealand was going to establish a corner in butter, and would do us infinite harm. AYe should at all costs avoid creating that impression. The Hon. O. J. Hawken (Alinister for Agriculture) said there were many reasons why control should be enforced, but not all these reasons could be disclosed. Broadly, however, he could say that the reason why the board had decided to enforce control was to benefit the dairy farmers of New Zealand.

Air. H. Atrnoie (Nelson) said that at the last election the Government, went to the country opposed to Socialism, and it was the chief plank in their platform To-day, 'instead of leading their party, they we re being led by the Labour Party, and the~ Labour Party was sitting' back and smiling, because compulsory control was one. or their own proposals. The Hon. A. D. AlcLeod said it was unfair to ask the primary producers to face all the forms of competition which might come against them without some assistance from the Governdent, just as every other industry expected help when it got into difficulties. He fav-, cured control because it was the best answer to Socialism. If the primary producers did not get control they would simply become hewers of wood and drawers of water for the rest of the community, and that he would not stand for.

Air. H. G Dickie (Patea) said the postponement of control for twelve months only meant another year of agitation, and that they did not want. The London board was composed of shrewd men, who would do the best thing possible for the producers of New Zealand. If the system of election in the Bill was not perfect it was better than one man one vote, and he would support it. Air. AY. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) declared that so long as the ward system

was retained in the Bill he would accept the measure, which, on that account, lie welcomed. Sir Joseph Ward (Invercargill) said he was in favour of control, but was against compulsion. He was convinced that the hoard" in London would do great work, hut those who consigned would hold in hope of getting prices. No one could prevent them doing that. Air. E. A. Ransom (Pahiatua) thought compulsory control would antagonise the British merchants, who had other sources of supply and might use the pi to our detriment. All - . J. A. Lee (Auckland East) said he did not. expect the consumers of New Zealand butter would pay more under control than they were doing now, but the producer would receive more. * Air. J. R. Hamilton (Awarua) proceeded to address the House in favour of control, amidst a chorus of inters jections, and at 11.5 p.m. the Leader of the Opposition moved to report progress because it was quite evident that a, wrangle had developed between the members of the Government Party, and it was also quite evident that they were not going to get much further. They had had some late nights, and before the Government placed such a Bill at the head of the order paper