PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 195, 16 July 1930, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE.

VARIETY OF SUBJECTS.

Many subjects were discussed in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon and evening when the Address-in-Reply debate was continued. Ho Ministers were included amongst the speakers, and the debate was adjourned at 10.30 p.m.

ARAPUNI WORKS.

DEMAND FOR INQUIRY.

Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 15. Resuming his speech in the House of Representatives this afternoon in the [Address-in-Renly debate, Mr W. E. Jlarnard said that the greatest probem of the day was to balance production and distribution and so get rid of unemployment. It was an international question and good work in this direction waa being achieved by the Labour Conference at Geneva.

Mr F. Lye urged that the whole question of Arapnni should be cleared up. He considered that during the last few months the people in the lower reaches of the A\ aikato had undergone no inconsiderable risk as a result of the state of the country, and no stone should be left unturned in searching the whole circumstances. He had had a communication from a man who had been employed at Arapuni and who was prepared to give evidence that the foundations below the weir had been found to be unsuitable. Mr Lye asked why reports to this effect had not been submitted to the department before the work at the scheme was continued. UNLISTED TELEPHONES.

Mr Lye strongly criticised the action of the postal officials in his constituency in refusing the right to have a telephone to a woman whose husband had been convicted on one occasion for bookmaking. The woman had never been in sympathy with her husband’s bookmaking operations and it was not until they iiad been forced to do so “at the point of the bayonet” that the officials had given way to representations for the installation of this telephone. Mr Lye alleged that he had in his possession numbers of certain unlisted telephones to which urgent racing information was communicated on race days. He protested against the department “winking” at such a breach of the law at the same time as it had dismissed six employees of the Auckland telegraph office merely for discussing the prospects at the Takapuna races by telephone and declared that it appeared that Ministers were being dominated by departmental heads. LAND POLICY.

Mr C. E. Macmillan congratulated Mr Lye on his conscientiousness in attacking the administration of his own party. He complained that the Government had not succeeded in promoting the drift back to the land and said that such a step would be essential to the solution of the present economic difficulties. Mr Macmillan protested against the attack by Mr Munns on the General Manager of Railways and declared that it was unfair and unwarranted. In conclusion, he stated that he had no confidence in the administration of the present Government. Mr F. Langstone said that there was a pronounced increase in the wealth of the country as a result of the exertions of the people, buv uwmg to the inequitable system of distriDUtion the country was faced with the present economic problems. There was a golden opportunity for the Government to undertake comprehensive schemes to rectify the position and unless it did so it should not be allowed to remain in office. Mr Langstone contended that wealthy organisations had been paying huge dividends and had not been called upon to contribute their fair share in taxation. AMENDMENT OPPOSED.

Mr C. A. "Wilkinson, after criticising the rearrangement of portfolios, said lie wished the Government well and unless its. policy conflicted with any principles on which he had strong views he would be pleased to give it his support. He expressed disapproval of the amendment before the House (proposed by the Leader of the Opposition). He did not think it reasonable that it should have been moved before the new Government had been given an opportunity to place any of its legislation before the House. Mr Wilkinson complained strongly of the failure last session to reduce the duty on wheat, stating that this heavy tax on the people’s food was a very serious matter indeed and added that

the operations of the wheat pool were effective in maintaining high prices in this country.

Mr J. A. Macpherson defended the retention of the sliding scale of wheat duties, stating that, after hearing the views of men who had spent their lives in the wheat industry, the select committee of last session had come to the decision that it was necessary that protection should be continued. He trusted that the question of distribu-

tion would be investigated. He felt that, when it was realised that it cost as much to deliver bread as the farmer received for his wheat when he delivered it to the miller, it would be seen that it would be advisable to look in a new direction to secure cheaper bread. GOVERNMENT FOUND WANTING. The House adjourned at 5.30 and resumed at 7.30 when Mr A. Harris said that the Government had been weighed in the balance and found wanting. That was the opinion outside the House and he was confident that if every member voted as he wished that would be found to be the opinion inside the House. Mr Harris condemned the statement by the Minister of Finance that the country was faced with a substantial deficit. He was statisfied that, although Mr Forbes had not meant such a thing, his statement had been interpreted in many quarters as meaning that there would actually be a deficit. It had created a wrong impression throughout the whole of the country and had damaged New Zealand’s credit abroad. He contended that the only weakness in the present situation in New Zealand was the Government that was in office. Mr H. T. Armstrong said it was his opinion that if the Reform Party had thought the no-confidence amendment would be carried it would never have been moved. If the Labour Party suddenly decided to support the motion about two-thirds of the Reform Party would scuttle out of the House when it came to a division. He suggested that this view was borne out by the fact that the Leader of the Opposition in submitting the amendment had put forward in support only those reasons which he knew would make support from the Labour Party impossible. Mr Armstrong took exception to the views expressed by Mr Forbes in his recent review of the financial position. He said that the country had never in its history produced a greater abundance of the good things of life than at present. There was no justification for the drastic policy of retrenchment that had been initiated in the railway service, thereby giving a bad lead to private employers.

CRITICAL STAGE IN HISTORY. Mr W. J. Poison said that New Zealand had reached a critical stage in its history. It was faced with a world readjustment of values and the Prime Minister was quite right in warning the country that it had to

face a. drop in the value of exports, necessitating a readjustment of expenditure, He believed that unemployment could be relieved and industry stimulated by cutting down costs. He did not advocate free trade, but ho did object to increasing tariffs to such an extent that costs were increased. In seeking a solution of the present problem New Zealand should study the systems adopted by other countries, and he recommended a scheme involving a reduction of taxation on necessities and increasing taxation on luxuries. Among the spheres in which there could be increased taxation on luxuries he mentioned amusements, liquor, the totalisator and foreign cinematograph films. In regard to the

totalisator lie considered it would he preferable to permit bets to be telegraphed, thereby diverting underground dealings with bookmakers and also increasing the telegraphic revenue. Mr Poison also recommended an increased tax on foreign motor cars. He did not claim that this would increase the revenue for if he had his way the tax on these imports would be made so heavy that it would amount practically to an embargo. He suggested further that an increased petrol tax to pieet the maintenance cost of roads would be fair in that it would place the roading costs on the users and would tend to improve the railway business. WAGES ON RELIEF WORKS. Mr J. Bitchener said he did not favour the payment of standard wages on relief works because such a policy was responsible for attracting labour from the farms. He defended the retention of the sliding scale of wheat duties and quoted figures to show that in all the great -wheat-producing countries the price of bread was higher than it was in New Zealand. Mr E. J. Howard vigorously replied to the allegations that there was an alliance or understanding of some sort between the Labour Party and the Government. He insisted that on no occasion since it had severed its connection with the Liberal-Labour Party in 1908 had the Labour Party ever negotiated in any way with any other party. As a solution of the unemployment problem Mr Howard advocated irrigation work in Central Otago as well as the utilisation of labour in forestry and the gum industry and in other productive directions, tie considered that the development of secondary industries would provide the most rapid means of absorbing the unemployment. THE UNEMPLOYED.

Mr J. S. Fletcher said he wanted to know what was going to be done now for the men who were unemployed. It must be anticipated that by the time the Government’s legislation had been referred to a select committee, and then put through all its stages in the

House, a considerable period of time would have elapsed. He complained that the Government was not giving secondary industries a chance to demonstrate that they were capable of absorbing men. He asked whether it was the policy of the Government to reduce raihvaymen’s wages by 11J per cent, and, if so, was that policy going to be applied throughout all Government departments. He declared that he was going to give the Government one more week to do something to relieve unemployment in all the electorates, and if nothing was done lie would take the most extreme measures possible to ascertain the reason why, even if he had to move an adverse motion of which he was the only supporter. He hoped, however, that the Government would come forward with some scheme. The debate was adjourned on the motion of Mr W. P. Endean, and the House rose at 10.30 till 2.30 to-morrow.