ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 175, 25 June 1926, Page 2

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

CONTINUATION OF. DEBATE, MR HOLLAND’S AMENDMENT, Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 24. After the formal business was disposed of in the House of Representatives this afternoon, Mr Holland, Leader of the Opposition, resumed the debate on the Address-in-Iteply. He first intimated that he intended to move an amendment to the motion moved by Mr Tapley last night. He said the Governor-General’s speech was remarkable not so much for what it contained as for what it did not contain. There was no satisfactory information regarding public works that was long overdue, and the assurance once given that legislation would be introduced assisting' the family man was now reduced to the hope* that such legislation would be brought down. It had been claimed by Mr Tapley that the Government had a signal victory at the last election but he quoted figures to show that if the Reform Party had representation in the House in proportion to the votes recorded for its candidates it would only have 35 supporters and not 51, Labour Would have 20, and the Nationalists 15. However, ho thought the end of the Reform Party was in sight for ho thought lie heard rumblings of discontent in its ranks. Hon. members: Nonsense. Mr Holland, continuing, said he took part in the Eden by-election and referring to the fact that the election had resulted in the elevation of the Labour Party to the position of His Majesty’s Opposition he said that was only the logical result of political evolution all over the world under which the middle party disappeared and the party lines were consequently better defined to-day than they had been for years. As Leader of the Opposition, he accused the Government of pretending to be friends of the farmers, but no sooner did they secure their big majority in the House than they raised the rate of interest to settlers, thereby putting an additional burden of £375 on every man who raised £IOOO to build up his farm. If there was need to raise the rate of interest, there was certainly no need to raise it by li per cCnt., but with care and prudence there was no need "to raise it at all. Land aggregation prevailed in the Dominion: everyone admitted that and everyone knew that while the capital value of our lands had increased by 60 per cent, the mortgage value had increased by 175 per cent, during the past 14 years. Ho repeated his protest against the censorship on literature, and said books dealing with history, politics, economics and science should never be banned, but if there was to be censorship it should bo equal all round and literature published in New Zealand denouncing the King and ridiculing Christianity should be stopped and prosecutions should have followed for offences more grave than that for which a Labour paper was prosecuted. He denounced the Government for its treatment of the public servants who contested seats in Parliament and said those men should have the opportunity of returning to their old positions at their old salaries. The Prime Minister: We have all that arranged. Mr Holland expressed gratification that this was so and proceeded to protest. against members’ of the House who had been useful in saving the Government from defeat being elevated to the Legislative Council within two days of the general election. The Prime Minister: They were Government appointments. Mr .Holland said that whatever lie thought on that point the principle was bad. Air Holland adversely criticised the action of the Government in not giving New Zealand representation on the International Labour Conference at Geneva and for not letting Parliament # or the country know the Government’s views on the subject of an international protocol and pact. TEXT OF AMENDMENT. Mr Holland concluded by moving the following amendment: “That the following words bo added to the motion of the lion, member for Dunedin North: ‘But wo deem it our duty to represent to Your Excellency that Your Excellency’s advices do not possess the confidence of the jieople of the country for the following reasons: (1) The Government’s action in heavily increasing the rate of interest charged by the State Advances Department to the farmers and homo builders and their failure to mako provision for adequate financial accommodation for the producers of the Dominion; (2) their failure to make provision for increasing pensions in order that recipients shall bo provided with a reasonable human standard of comfort; and (3) their refusal to give effect to the terms of the peace treaty relating to the industrial representation of New Zealand at the International Labour Conference.” ‘ REPLY TO CRITICISM. , The Leader of the Opposition was followed by Hon. W. Downie Stewart, who defended the censorship of literature, which he said had existed in New. Zealand for 60 years and no objection had been taken to it until Mr Hollapd wanted to flood the country with Russian literature. It was wrong to assert that working -class literature was being banned.” All they wanted to stop was books advocating violence and propaganda dangerous to the publio interest, but there was always the right of appeal to the board.. A similar class censorship existed in many other countries, all of which could set up their own standard. As to the charge that New Zealand Labour was not represented at International Labour Conferences, he found that we were entitled to send four delegates, each of whom could take two experts and it would become a very expensive matter. The Government was giving the League of Nations every support, but it ,was now costing us some £IO,OOO annually and we might well hesitate to increase that x 6um. We were represented at present hy the British delegates.

APPOINTMENTS DEFENDED. The Minister defended the recent appointments to the Legislative Council on the ground that tne men sent up had rendered . great services to the country and were richly deserving of the honour conferred upon them. Party services had nothing to do with their elevation. Hon. D. Buddo stressed the importance of scientific research in connection with the agricultural industry. Hon. O. J. Hawken said the House had the Usual, motion of no-confidence in the Government, and it was quite evident that the Leader of the Opposition was hard put to it to find reasons for assailing the Government. He had accused them of not increasing pensions, but evidently he did not know that the Minister of Pensions had in

hand a bill which would do much to solve this problem, which he admitted was now one of the recognised functions of Government. Farmers’ finnnee had been referred to by Mr Holland, but it was well known that the Government had sent a commission abroad to inquire into this question, and he advised members to wait for the return of that commission before they attacked the Government. Longdated loans were what the farmers wanted, and they could not be expected to progress without them. Therefore, while the Government might not be able to say this session what measure of relief they would be able to give, there was no doubt that relief would be given and that in the best possible way and on the best possible terms. The Minister continued his speech in the evening and said he welcomed tho work which tho afforestation companies would do. That work, he felt confident, would be valuable. At the same timo the State must not curtail its operations and no money it could expend would be more usefully spent than in planting trees. The debate was continued by Mr Savage and Mr Lysnar and was adjourned on the motion of Mr J. S. Dickson.