PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 29 September 1933, Page 9

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

FRIDAY MORNING SITTING NOTICE OF FURTHER BILLS. ADDRESS-IN-RFiPLY DEBATE OPINIONS ON HIGH EXCHANGE (By Telegraph—Press Association.} WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 this morning. Notice was given of the intention to introduce the Bills • Licensing Amendment (Air F. Langstone), Workers* Compensation Amendment (the Leader of the Opposition), Wellington City Milk Supply Amendment (Air P. Fraser). The Address-in-Rleply debate was resumed. Air Ei. J. Howard (Lab., Christchurch South) continuing, criticised the administration of the unem-1 ployment fund. He said it would be better to pay sustenance without work than to engage men on undertakings such as. the existing relief works, which were demoralising in effect. He objected to the treatment meted out to relief workers and urged the Government to abolish the Unemployment B W. A. Veiteh (Co., Wanganui) ! said he would like to make the position clear regarding Air Wright s amendment. He could honestly say there had been no collusion with the Government and that no one, apait from All* Wright, Air Harris and himself, had known the amendment would be ' moved. He contended "tliat xlie sequence and significance of votes on the amendments would be exactly the same as if Air Wright had waited until Air Holland’s amendment had been disposed of. Those who desired All Holland to be Prime Minister would still vote for the Labour amendment and those who objected to the bigli exchange rate would .still vote foi All ! Wright. , ~ , Mr. Ye itch urged that all .party differences should he forgotten in the endeavour to arrive at a solution of the country's problems. Nothing could be done while petty party squabbles, mostly of personal nature, took place in the House. He referred to the Government’s policy as being of a class conscious nature and said it would be ( no use removing one class conscious Governmlent to replace it with another. He deprecated the possibility of conflict between town and country interests and 6aid that, as a city member, he was convinced city people did not desire to foe in conflict with their country neighbours. . All*. H. T. Armstrong (Lab. Christchurch East) said the adoption of the Leader of the Opposition’s amendment would not mean Mi* Holland would become the Prime Minister. He was too manly to accept the Prime Ministership under those conditions, but he would he the Prime Minister before long and the people of the Dominion would endorse the Labour Party's policy. All*. Armstrong said the supporters of the second amendment wanted an opportunity to “run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. They wished to satisfy a, few businessmen , who had been hit by. the exchange rate. He characterised' the pegging of the exchange as a clumsy way of assisting one section of the primary producers. However, Mr. Wright’s amendment, which ignored currency reform, would not accomplish anything that would benefit the people of‘ the Dominion. Those who control- ' led th© banking system controlled the life blood of the Dominion and if the standard of life was to he raised the hanking system should be taken over by representatives of the people and be conducted in the interests of the i country as a whole. . . Mr. A. Stuart (Co., Rangitikei) said • he agreed with All*. Armstrong that ’ there were some members who desired to "run with the hare and hunt with i the hounds.” He; disagreed with the i contentions that the higher rate of . exchange had not helped the farmers t generally. Did the Labour Party mem- . bers consider that if a man was being [ helped to pay his debts it was not ; worth anything? he asked. He also • disagreed with the contention that the • high exchange rate had been partly re--1 sponsible for the institution of the quota system by Britain. He believed , that when prosperity returned the ■ quota would be a. thing of the past ana ' Britain would require our produce. 1 The House adjourned at I'p.m