The Day in Parliament

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 213, 6 September 1934, Page 8

The Day in Parliament

Members Introduce Diverse Subjects Financial Debate Continued.

Per Press Association,

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Tho House of Representatives met at 2.30. AH- .T. llargcst was granted three days’ leave of absence on account, ot illness and Mr A. S. Richards two days’ leave for the same reason. The Public Petitions Committee, m recommending the petition of an in jured relief worker for favourable consideration, recommended that an alteration should be made to the Wothers’ Compensation Act in the direction of basing compensation on standard rates of pay, instead of relief rates. Mr F. Jones, in expressing satisfaction with the committee's recommendation, suggested that the Government should follow tho Canadian Act, under which an injured man received a minimum of £2 10s a week where the injury entailed more than 10 pci eon disability. Ho hoped the Minister would soon bring down tho proposed amendments to the "VS orkers' Compensation Act, as they would make the Act more satisfactory than it was at present. Mr R. A. Wright said su6h cases were frequently coming up. He urged that the Act should be amended. Mr E. J. Howard said it was not necessary to amend the Act. The Government had power in the Act m the direction recommended if it desired to do so. The report was tabled. financial Debate The financial debato was resumed. Mr H. G. Ib Mason criticised the Government for keeping up interest rates. Ho did not see in anything the Government had done to give . cause for thanks. Ho hoped conflicting interests would be kept out of tho Mort gage Corporation. He contended the corporation should bo for tho benefit of tho borrower to keep interest, rates ns low as possible. He did not want the Public Trustee, whose aim was to secure the highest possible rate of interest,*" included in it. Mr Mason thought the corporation should have come, into existence forty year's ago. He urged the adoption of the decimal system of coinage and said . the present system was the only thing that was not”"dccimfiT. Ho' expressed' regret 'that the" road vote had been reduced and spoke of the hardships of backblock settlers through lack of means of communication. He wondered why work on the North Auckland main trunk railway had ceased when such a vast amount, had been expended on it and when it was on the verge of completion. He welcomed the provision of £90,000 for mental hospitals, and said it. was desirable that the people in those places should be suitably housed. He suggested the full •> per cent, cut should be restored to civil servants and that the restoration should not be based on the rcducca salary, , Suggestions from Eangitikei ■ Mr A. Stuart said the people should take their hats off to the Police Force. It was suggested that the Commissioner of Police should bo given a revolver and club and sent out of the country, but Mr Stuart thought the Commissioner could do much good with a revolver and club in the country. He knew taxation was excessive, but that was duo to the depression, and it was gratifying to know that taxation was being reduced and civil servants woic receiving a restoration of the wage cut. At the same time, other sections of the country were as deserving of an increase as civil servants. He thought, the taxation on motorists was out of comparison with other sections of the community, and urged that they should be given relief when money was available. He was pleased to sec money being spent on backblock roads, and suggested the Government should spend money on building houses for its own employees. Me congratulated tho Government on tho proposal' to introduce the Mortgage Corporation, and said'Sonic persons were charging a higher interest than they were entitled to charge. He said he knew of two branches of the Bank of New Zealand which, up to the end of June, were charging 5} per cent, -on giltedged securities. He said the wages paid locomotive engine-drivers were

inadequate and urged that they should be paid in accordance with the responsibility they carried. Unemployed anti Taxation Mr W. Nash said that although Mr Stuart said the wages of engine-driv-ers were inadequate, he had voted in favour of a reduction of their wages. He thought, the unemployment tax was wrong and it was evident that a flat rate was not equitable. The position should be remedied as soon as possible. Ho asked the Minister of Finance to consider again the complete abolition of subsidies and said that if they continued the use of the unemployment fund as it was now being used, they would have it exploited to the maximum. The unemployment fund was being used to carry out public works and was saving the Consolidated Fund, which meant the poorer people were paying for works which should be paid for out of ordinary funds. The. subsidies tended to increase unemployment rather than reduce it. He suggested that tho Government should make the old ago pen* sion retrospective, instead of gianting a rebate in beer duty. The Go\eminent would still be better off by £lO,000. He advocated the adoption of a token scheme ■ which would assure everybody in the country receiving a adequate amount of goods produced in the country. Nobody would then go short of the necessities of life. He referred to the Deserve Bank, and asked why the Government should pay interest" on Treasury notes which were issued with credit given it by the country. An Optimistic Speaker Mr A. Harris said the cheery tone of the Budget undoubtedly had a psychological effect throughout tho country. The outlook now was very much brighter than it was a short time ago. Secondary industries were doing better than they had done for a tong time past. The same applied to retailers and wholesalers and but for the exchange would be doing a great deal more. The people were feeling much more hopeful and there was justification for that optimistic feeling. They could approach, the future with confidence. He felt it was up to private employers to follow' the example of the Government and restore part of the wage cut. It was satisfactory to know that over £OOO,OOO wjould be removed from The shoulders of the taxpayer. It was to be hoped there would be".further reductions in taxation next year. He said doubt existed if the Mortgage Corporation would be able to charge interest as low as the existing rate. The Slate Advances Department had probably made an aggregate loss of £5,000,000, and would the corporation take over mortgages at the original value or at the present value? He suggested the losses should be written off. Did tho Government propose to guarantee interest? If so, it would be possible to raise money at a lower rate of interest than otherwise. He thought considerable difficulty would be found in raising tho necessary amount of money to provide cheap money unless the State guaranteed interest. Complaint About Meat Mr 11. Semple criticised the quality of the meat that came from Masterton abattoirs for consumption by Wellington people, and said old rams were, sold as wethers and that bobby calves under forty pounds were killed there nnd sold in 'Wellington for human consumption.

The debate was interrupted after flie supper adjournment to enable lion. .J. Cl. Coates to present the second interim report of the commissioners’ inquiring into company promotion methods, etc. Mr. Semple criticised the payments made .from the Unemployment Fund to land-owners and also tho Government s action in refusing to give workers the right to go to tho Arbitration Court. Mr. C. H. Clinkard said the opposition was always ready to 'criticise the Government, but was not willing 1o accept any responsibility. Had it done so it would have joined the National Government. The House rose at, midnight.