PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2451, 8 July 1922, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

ADDRESS -IN- REP LY. The debate on Mr Wilford’s amendment was continued in the House on Thursday. An attack by Dr. Thacker on Government extravagance drew a reply from Hon. Mr Lee, Minister for Justice, who contrasted the. heavy financial obligations due to the war with the small permanent expenditure in 1913, the pensions bill having increased to six times the former amount. He suggested that there were signs of a Liberal alliance with extreme Labour, this being evident in the recent by-elec-tion, and he would like to know if Mr Wilford would consent to hold office with the Labour Party. Mr Wilford: Most decidedly I would not hold office with the Labour Party. Mr Atmore declared that the Reformers coquetted With the Red Feds in the 1914 election, advising their followers to support extreme Jnbour where no Reform candidate was left- in the second ballot. MR NEWMAN SPEAKS. Wellington, Last. Night. Mr E. Newman (Manawatu) was a contributor to the Address-in - Reply debate to-night. He commented on the abstention of Labour members from speaking, suggesting they were awaiting their leader’s return from Auckland with a new edition of policy. ’Mr Newman opposed the proposal to re-value soldiers’ lands until the values became -stabilised, at it would be unfair to the tenants. There had been sales in his electorate showing a rediiction of from 15 to 20 per cent. In 18 months he had had a larger number of soldier settlers in bis district than in most electorates, and they bad never had their representations received unsympathetically. The Government took every care to get land at a fair market valne, and the prices paid in the Manawatu were not excessive at the time:

The debate then adjourned till Tuesday.