PARLIAMENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 191, 2 August 1930, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES financial debate. a QUIET AFTERNOON. WMllngton, August 1. Continuing the financial debate this afternoon iu the House of Representatives, Mr W. J. Jordan (Lab,, Manukau) said he considered better service by * the railways could be ensured if a committee of railway workers were set up to consider the position. The time had arrived when the Government could abolish firstclass carriages on suburban lines. No one ever used them and, futhermore, there were no first-class carriages on irams and ferry services. It seemed that the department was not out to make the service popular. The Government was doing its best in setting up committees, but he disagreed with the personnel of the Railway Commission. Committees of the House were overlooked. The chairman of the Railways Committee of the House (Mr Hogan) was just as experienced as the chairman of the committee set up. He complained that the various select committees of the House were not consulted often enough on matters that came within their scope. It appeared that the House, and even Ministers themselves, did not have as much say in the Government services as departmental heads. Mr Jordan expressed himself strongly in favour of a voluntary defence force. He stated that the voluntary systein had never been giv»n a fair trial in New Zealand. When it had been in existence before it had been starved, but he believed it should be encouraged. Mr-H. G> Diokie (Ref., Patea) cited the fact tliat' New Zealand cheese had to.be exported in crates madfj of imported timber as evidence that the timber industry in thi s country required overhauling. Referring to State advances, he said he had been looking forward to tapering off in loans to workers. The housing shortage had largely been overcome, and a loan to a settler was of far more advantage to the country than one to a wqrker, though he confessed he wanted to see all workers housed. BONUS TAKEN FROM PRODUCERS. Dealing with the Budget economies, he said that the Government had not mentioned the big bonus it had taken from producers. Provision had been made in last year’s estimates for money for a pork bonus, but just after the close of the session it. hud been announced that it was being withdrawn. It was useless for a Government spending millions on railway lines to talk of economy. A tremendous saving in interest alone could bo made by effecting curtailments in that direction.

llr.l). G. Sullivan (Lab., Avon) denied that housing requirements had been met. While there were empty houses in some places, they were too large and expensive for workers. The need for State advances for this purpose had not passed. De defended the completion of the South Island main trunk railway on tho ground that the province of Marlborough had not yet been fully developed, and would not be until it was served by a railway. The railways had tendered enormous development service to the Dominion. When a line was put through it was not merely a question of whether it was going to pay. inteiest on the capital expenditure and operating costs. If that view bad been hold by the pioneers, New Zealand would still have been a backblocks country. Mr Sullivan opposed the imposition of the new tax on amusements and other taxes that would reach a section of the community that could ill afford to bear them. He asserted that as soon as a time of depression arrived the worker was asked to become a shareholder and bear part of the burden, but when prosperous times came he was never invited to share in increased prices and dividends. INDEPENDENTS CRITICISED. Mr C H. Clinkard (United, Rotorua) criticised the action of the Independents in voting against the Government the previous evening. He asked whether they would have voted the same way had they thought the Government would have been defeated and the Reform party returned to the Treasury benches. He particularly took exception to the attitude of Mr Fletcher, and insisted that the fahest course, for the member for Grey Lynn to have taken would have been to follow the lead of Mr Jenkins. Mr Fletcher had been elected to the House as a member of the United party, and if he intended to vote against the party on a no-con-lidence issue he should first have sought the endorsement of his electors foi his changed attitude. Referring to Arapuiii, Mr Clinkard said he had always been of the opinion that the work should never have been undertaken, because of the nature of the country. The speech was interrupted by the adjournment of the House, which rose at 5.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. bn Tuesday.