HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17936, 1 November 1918, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thursday, Octobkr 31

AFTERNOON SITTING The House met nt 2.30 p.m. ' , QUESTIONS.

Mr Isitt gave notice to ask whether, when a vessel en route for New Zealand, called at an English port, legitimate cargo jvbich had been waiting for a month had lieen left aside while whisky, which had • just arrived, was shipped. Mr Luke asked the Minister of Trado and Commerce whether he would agree, to set up a committee with a riqsy to strengthening the position of secondary industries, especially a:; such policy would help in providing suitable employment for returned soldiers. Replying to Mr Veiteh, the Hon T. M. Wilford said the rocommondations of tho Waterfront Appliances Commission had been agreed to by but an they involved amendments of tho Harbours Act and Shipping and Seamen Act, ho had forwarded the whole of. the iccommendation to tho Solicitor-General and law draftsman for the purpose of having the necessary legislation prepared At the close of the formal, business, the Prime Minister announced that as Cabinet work had fallen greatly into arrears owing to the number of deputations waiting on 2v.fmisters, he proposed to ask Mr Speaker to leave the chair till 7.30, to enable Ministers, to hold a Cabinet meeting during tho afternoon. This course was agreed to, and the House rose at 3.5 p.'m.

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30.p.m. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. .

The debate on the Address-in-Ueply was continued by Mr Wilkinson, who devoted himself to criticism of the Labour Party's ideals, claiming that they represented deserters, shirkers and cold-footers who refused to. fight for their country. Their opposition \o the Military- .'Service Act would not be endorsed by the people of this Dominion now or in fifty years' time. Discussing aftcr-the-war problems he asked if the Government had framed any comprehensive scheme of repatriation nnd won id that scheme be submitted to Parliament? Mn Massey: Yes. Mr Brown : When ? Mr Massey: This session.

Mr Wilkinson, continuing, said he hopod there would be no attempt made to keep the men under military control a dny'longer than was necessary, and that business firms whose employees had gone to the front should be compelled to take every one of those employees back into thoir employ on their return to the Dominion. On th? subject, of the liquor question he favouroil a. referendum, but thought groat caution was necessary to safeguard ygainst licenses being restored in the event of prohibition with compensation being carried.

Iho Hon I). Buddo exp-ossed the opinion that the education r stem required remodelling.-, More diiect control was needed and to gain this object lie did not care what was abolished. With reference to railways he criticised details of the administration which irritated settlers. Some one acquainted with local conditions should he appointed to manage the railways. Ho defended the w oducers against charges (if demanding excessive: prices. He advocated a vigorous scheme of afforestation as part of tho Dominion's after-the-war policy. In the same connection, he expressed a- hope that nothing in the nature of a communal system would be adopted in settling soldiers. They should be distributed amongst tho general public as much as possible. For this purpose local committees should bo set up, and a grateful country should see that every man who came back received some permanent benefit for the sacrifices he had mods. Mr Anstey complained that the leaders of the country wore absent fr.om tho .Dominion for so long Ho attributed much of the present unpopularity of the National Government to the fact that there had been no leadership to cheek the exploitation which was going pit everywhere. Huge profits,were being mado, and these profits wore being put into war loans which were going free of taxation- -On the other hand., industries were being subjected to, imposts which they were unable to boar, and which threatened to crush them out. He deplored the abolition of tho mortgage tax because it freed from taxation altogether thousands of people who previously paid. In the name way the shareholders of big companies were being exempted; Ho contended that much of our land taxation.tended to increase aggregation, and that was also the case with nearly all the legislation that had been aimed against aggregation. Every graduated land tax was futile as a weapon-against aggregation. An amendment of the law was also required in regard to taxation of co-operative companies. The pr6sei:t system of taxation was compelling them to adopt the same exploiting methods as limited liability companies. They must adopt these methods or go out of business. On the subject of the liquor question, he favoured a 'referendum, but emphatically was against payment of compensation. Now that the war wai drawing to.a close, he doubted the wisdom of holding a general election; but he did want to see reconstruction of the Ministry, even if that meant going back to party government. His view, was that there were some members of the Government who would serve their country better in , a less responsible position. What the Dominion etood in need of at this juncture was a statesman with a policy which: would repair the ravages of this wicked war. Mr Rhodes (Thames) advocated a vigorous public works policy to develop resources and increase production. This was the only way to recoup tho waste of war.

On the motion of Mr Jennings, the debate was adjourned and the House rose at 11.85 p-m. , < '