HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 13 July 1917, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

the: Australian: wheat deal, j The Hon.W. D. S. Ma«DonalS nwdt' a statement regarding the purchase of \ wheat in Australia. He said that in ' October, and. November, 1916, there was a sudden rise in the price of flour from < £12 to = £15'''a", ton, and wheat rose1 &om j 4s 9d;to 6s 4«l per bushel; There was. no I apparent reason for the rises,, and after j the Board of Trade had gone into the matter the Government! decided to> remit the duty on flour-. Later it was fouad necessary for the Government to gefc an ' option over wheat. Mr Hughes^ sard j they.'Kad'decided: to raise the price of j wheat, but would not do so until New j Zealand had completed her purchase of! the wheat required.: The best arrang*-1 ment'. he could make was to purchase a j million ( bushels at 6s 6d. The first lot i was broughtttooD'unedinl and: sold at the I ship's side at 6s 3d, and: he receiver! ' congratulations from all parts of Ofcagjo stating that both' the pricel and quality | were;- highly satisfactory, and asking •' him ■ not to^yieldl tir pressure from; persons who > demanded that the wheat ! should be sold at less than the • Government gave for it. He fuirtlier

announced'that

the Government in-

tended to pay 5s lOd f.o.b. for next

season's wheats

Mr Witty thought the Government had been hasty in- rushing' to> Australia

to purchase wheat when there were ample stocks in New Zealand to> carry us over till nextl 66asom.

Dr.- Thkcker-and: Mi* McConrbs criticised the patriotism of the farmers in demanding 7s ■a- bushel for wheat, and far-refusing■•• too grow the largest possible area of" wheat!;

Messrs Anstey/.Buddoj and Forbes de- \ fended.: the■ farmers; the formed de- , clared that if' the Government" Bad not cut down the • price offered to* farmers to give > it" t& the millers, there' would have been^no'difficulty. ADDRESSJN-REPLY. Sir Ji Kndlay, said: that to his mind ' the National; Government (resembled not soMnueh a. legislative as an executive governenty. iand that wasm i tive government, and that we were governed less by Act of Parliament -, thanibyvOrdeivin-CJouncil. When elect-1 ed, he stated.!frewauld suppoctt tlie Na-' tional. Government. He eulogised the great work done by, the Minister of De- , fence, but censured his blind, and un-j reasoning support, of his subordinates. I Though the faults, of the Ministry were.' as thick as dust in an empty chamber, j he was bqund^ to.'refer to th© magnifi-j cent service.' rendered by SSr Joseph j Ward; in placing the Dominion on a sound financial: basis. He diet not think \ the personnel; of the National Cabinet I •represented' the- ablest 'men in the House. Th'o* principle of selecting Miib.i| isters in eyen: numbers from both, sideswas bad.. The- ablest shouldi be selected, ] even if outside the House. Calling the ablest men- to. tihe councils; «rf the country would' HaTve avoided the necessity to set up all Mnds of* boards, the very existence' ofr which proved the inea-. pacity of • 'the Government. Rumor was ' loud aa>di distinct that tfoe members^ of \ the National! Cabinet were not -acting ', with the,- fine co-operatiisn necessary to \ efficient: w.oirk. The maim fault of the | Gov^rnmemfe was its inability to . grasp, the.- nettfe of its difficulties. Boldness j was greater than prudence in a crisis ' such.- as, we are passing through. He i caa&idered the business of the Govern-' mBWt. w.as to promote (1) equality o£sacrifice; (2) national efficiency and economy; (3) that the best provision ahould. be made for returned soldiers; (4) ample provision, for discharged sol■sljerjs; aad dependent. He criiicised : the tenderness of the Governmeat towards Avealth, which, if ii had been, conscript- ! ed as the soldiers had been, would .have • Ifeft. ho shortage of means with which, to. provide our nten with adequate pay-' and. pensions. The amendment of the* law re taking land oompufcorily, madfc in. the Discharged Soldiess Settlemeafc Act last year., was denounced as ejatirely in the interests of: the land owners, while, though it was known that land valuations had increased enormously since t]»e %yar cosamenced, na. revision of valuations b#d taken place. Scandalous reductions of rent had been given to Grown tenants who applied, when they could get goodwill, for a further leaser the fruit ©f ■: which was that the capital value of fend purchased under the Land for Settlement Act had been written down l\y hundreds of thousands c# pounds. This showed either that tb.«! original £3?ice paid. oa. the landi. was improperly high, bir that the pub/- ; lie piiree had bees improperly relieved.' He favored the six o'clock closing of hotel bars. The- settlement of returned soldiers was not satisfactory, as at til® present rate of settling on the Porangahau estate it wouM cost £93,000,----m> to settle 15,000 soldiers which, was out of all reason. He understood the excess profits, tax was framed hurriedly and did not meet present requirements. He favored the export tax as the best means of getting at war profits. After sowte further debate the House rose.