Lively Budget Debate; Mr. Semple’s Outburst; Vigorous Retort

Northern Advocate, 29 July 1938, Page 6

Lively Budget Debate; Mr. Semple’s Outburst; Vigorous Retort

\Spechii to ‘'Northern AdvOi/tle:'} WELLINGTON, This Day. TTARD HITTING CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY BY 11 THE RIGHT HON. G. W. FOKB ES; AN ATTACK BY THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS ON REMARKS ALLEGEDLY MADE BY A LADY OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, AND AN E QUALLY SCATHING REPLY BY MR W. A. BODKIN, WERE FEATURES OF THE BUDGET DEBATE.

Continuing the debate in the Ho noon. Mr E. P. Meachen (Government getting little if any credit for the road access for backblock settlers, \v had been done for them. He also the defence point of view, an aspect .alive. He thought the whole country the money whiSh was being spent on proceeded to deal with the Govern A lot had been heard, ho said, in -scheme. If there were no housing po pecting young people to marry and ,a great deal about increased costs, of different companies, one saw in

use of Representatives yesterday after—W.oirau) said the Government was great work it was doing in improving ho were extremely grateful for what stressed the importance of roads from to which the Government was fully would congratulate the Minister on the ■ development of aerodromes, and ment’s housing policy. criticism of tiro present housing licy. what use would there be in exsettle down? They had also heard but, on looking at the balance sheets creased profits all along the line.

Mr Forbes Hits Hard. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Oppsn.. Hurunui) stated that Government members did nothing in their speeches but abuse the Opposition. The Government had a large majority in Parliament to-day, and its supporters did not exercise 4 their privileges, as members, by criticising any measure introduced by the Government. That was not carrying 1 out their functions as members of the House. Even if a policy were of perfect type, there must be something in it to criticise. It appeared that members of the Labour Party were afraid to being considered disloyal if they gave expression to any intelligent criticism, and that was to be regretted. Ministers themselves must really feel in need of some criticism in order to permit them to gauge public opinion outside Parliament. They could not interpret public opinion by sitting in the House listening to members of the Government. He added that they could not realise what was the feeling of the country in respect to their measures. Mr Forbes said he had travelled round the country and had a fair idea of public opinion^ Staggering Expenditure. He admitted that the expenditure of public money had some effect on the people in election years, and a Government that curtailed expenditure did not receive any bouquets, but the staggering expenditure that was being provided for this year was unparalleled in the history of the Dominion. He had talked to many people, and the general opinion was that the day would come when the country would pay dearly for what was being done. Referring to the Government’s expenditure last year, and proposals for the current year, Mr Forbes said the Budget was composed of staggering figures. Last year, the expenditure was approximately £50,000,000, and another £10,000,000 was being asked for this year. He had no doubt that there were some members of the Government who had a feeling of responsibility, and they must feel in their minds some degree of doubt and anxiety concerning the Government’s programme. The Public Stirred. Mr Forbes added that he had never before known the people of this coun-i try to be so stirred up concerning a general election as they were to-day. The Government said it was satisfied of coming back with a large majority. “Well,” he added, “it may. But one of the amazing things to me is the organisation being set up throughout the country by the National Party.” In his own electorate, he said, there were 18 active branches. In the past there had been only a “scratch” committee. Depressions. Referring to the subject of depressions, Mr Forbes stated that there would be slumps in the future, no matter who was Prime Minister. He quoted a recent cable from Geneva predicting another depression. He expressed the hope that it would not prove correct, but he added that any Government that goes on like an ostrich hiding i?s head in the sand will land itself and the country in greater difficulty than ever yet experienced. The present Government. said Mr Forbes, had embarked upon an entirely new method of finance, and he urged that a plain statement of af-, fairs which could be understood by the plain man in the street should be made to the people concerning the Dominion's finances.

hold tenure, he said, but no Government had interfered less with freehold. tenures than the present Government. Even if the farmer had the freehold of his land, he continued, there was still an obligation upon him to see that the land was looked after. Stating that the wealth of the country was produced largely by primary industry, Mr Burnett advocated a vigorous subdivision policy, development of farm lands by reading and higher cultivation. There were many areas in New Zealand capable of being brought into more intense production, he said. The farm labour shortage was a serious problem, but if young men were to be induced to take up farm work, they must have the possibility of securing an area of land later. He suggested an apprenticeship scheme to train young men, who would later be drafted on to areas of Crown lands. In suggesting the need for financial assistance for farmers in constructing farm buildings, Mr Burnett said assistance could be granted by loans to mortgagees, where a farm was mortgaged, by the mortgagee releasing the land occupied, so that the State Advances. Corporation would have security, or by an irrevocable order on dairy factory cheques. The debate was interruped by the adjournment at 5.30. Man-Made Depressions. Depressions were man-made, said Mr H. E. Herring (Govt., Mid-Canter-bury), continuing the Budget debate when the House of Representatives resumed at 7.30 last evening, and he was of the opinion that by proper management of our internal affairs and economics, there was no reason why depressions should not be avoided.

Associated Chambers of Commerce, he said, were always complaining of the burden of taxation, but he considered that the word “burden” was an unfortunate term. Some very strong adjectives, all in the superlative, had also been used by the Government’s opponents to describe the Government’s taxation, but not one of these superlatives was justified. Mr Herring produced a large graph to illustrate his argument that the ratio of taxation paid to the total income of the country had not increased, but rather had decreased, since Labour came into office. Mr Herring suggested that something should be done towards the introduction of a system of rural intermediate credit in Mid-Canter-bury. It had been very successful in other districts, and should be attempted in his electorate, which provided 25 per cent, of the wheat produced in New Zealand. The Maori Position.

Sir Apirana Ngata.said the population of the Maori race had increased in 43 years from below 40,000 to 84.000 to-day. The chief feature in the arrest of the decline was education in the laws of health. The speaker went on to pay a tribute to the work of the Minister of Health, the Hon. Peter Fraser, but said much remained to be done. Typhoid was still prevalent among the Maoris in places where inpeculation had not reached. The prevalence of typhoid and tuberculosis among Maoris was due to the number of carriers, and he advocated that steps should be taken to manufacture suitable vaccines in the Dominion to immunise Maori children from the ravages of these dread diseases. ’Referring to the development of Native lands. Sir Apirana Ngata contended that there was a danger of the State, as developer or financier, thinking it owned the land, instead of the actual Maori owner.

Criticising the Government’s failure to lift the sales tax, Mr Forbes said the imposition of the tax had cost the country many votes at the last election.

The Hon. F. Langstone (Minister of Lands); That is not in tiro minds of the department. Sir A. Ngata: I’m glad to hear it, but it is in the minds of a good many of the supervisors in the department. It is one of the things wo fear to-day; in fact, there is a Land Department complex in the Native Department, and this should bo avoided. Sir A. Ngata said that something should be done to educate the Maoris, so that in future they will be able to lake their place in the industrial life of the country, llqiiling Policy Defended.

Mr S. G. Osborne (Govt., Manukau): Will the people vote for the old gang at the next election? Mr Forbes: Wo have often been referred to as “the old gang." but I would reply that members of the interjector’s party might well bo termed the “now gangsters.” Intensive Settlement of Land. Mr C. H. Burnett (Govt., Tauranga) advocated more intensive settlement, apprenticeship in farming, and more financial assistance for farmers requiring farm buildings. He stated that ho would bo amazed if the working farmers let go the guaranteed price plan for the will-o'-the-wisp scheme called “compensated price." Scarelines had appeared in the press of New Zealand about the way the Government’s policy was menacing the free-

The Minister of Public Works, the Hon. 11. Semple, congratulated the Minister of Finance on what ho said was one of the most progressive Budgets that had over been introduced in the House. He went on to deal with the development of transport in the Dominion during the last few years, staling that in 1927-28 capital invested

in motor transport, including roads, totalled £89,000,000, whereas in 193738 the total was £148,000,000, an increase of £59,000,000 in ten years. In 1935, he said, the number of licensed motor vehicles was 214,000, and in December, 1937, the number of 216,000. Petrol consumption in 1935 was 63.000. gallons, and in 1937 it was 82.000. gallons. The amount spent on operating motor vehicles in 1927-28 was £22,000,000, and in 1937-38 it was £38,000,000. The number of miles travelled in motor vehicles in 1927-28 was 800 per head of population, and in 1937-38 1600 miles per head. Expenditure on roads in 1933-34 was over £7,000,000, and in 1936-37 it was over £9,000,000. There had been constant criticism, he said, of the Government’s expenditure on roads, but he had frequently stressed the necessity for such development, on account of the rapid increase in motor transport. Development of modern high-power transport had rendered a great percentage of the existing reading system obsolete and dangerous, and we must follow the example of overseas countries in remedying the position. It was useless, he added, to try to reduce the number of highways’ fatalities if roads were faulty and inadequate for modern requirements. P.W. Expenditure Reviewed. Speaking of Public Works expenditure, Mr Semple said that in the Public Works Estimates presented with the Budget there appeared a sum of £16,712,230 for Public, Works, and in the Budget there was a sum of £20,719,700 for Public Works. The difference between these amounts was £4,007,500. This comprised additional money available for Public Works from the Consolidated Fund, Employment Promotion Fund, and special receipts. The following amounts for purposes outside the Public Works Fund appeared in the main estimates presented with the Budget: Lands for Settlement, £345,000; State Coal Mines, £90,000; State Forests, £640,000; total: £1,075,000. Of a total of £20,719,700, an amount of £12,757,000 was under the control of the Minister of Public Works. Dealing with the Government’s reading activity, he stressed the necessity for the present policy of the elimination of one-way traffic bridges, which, he said, were death-traps. Regarding the Governments five-year plan on backblock roads, Mr Semple said tins would be completed in three and a-half years, and then there would not be a single unmelalled road in the backblocks.

Speaking of irrigation, the Minister said the sum of £514,000 had been spent on this important aspect of development in the last three years, and the area irrigated in that period had increased from 50,C00 to 75,000 acres. Mr Semple went on to deal briefly with propaganda, which, he said, was being used against the Labour Government 400 Maoris Own 10 Acres! Continuing the Budget debate today. Mr E. L. Cullen (Govt., Hawke’s Bay), referring to the question of dispossession of Native lands referred to by Sir Apirana Ngata the previous evening, said that no member of the House had any idea of dispossessing Maoris of their land. However, ho added. there was a creeping form of dispossession occasioned by the fact that small areas of land wore owned by large numbers of Maoris. In one instance. in Motaka, he said, an area of 10 acres was owned by 350 Maoris, of whom 11 wore elders over 80 years of ago, with large families, to whom their share would eventually go. When they passed away, the owners would, number some 40C.

Speaking on Defence. Mr Cullen said the greatest danger to Now Zealand in future would be from the air. and il was this branch of lhe service on which we would have to concentrate.

Minister’s Attack on Lady. Mr W. A. Bodkin (Oppsn., Central Otago), referring to Mr Semple’s attack the previous evening on opposition propaganda, said he had been utterly amazed to hear the Minister, in the course of his statement, make an attack csn a lady. Mr Bodkin added that he knew the lady and stated that everyone who knew her respected her, and it was all the more amazing that she should be attacked in the manner she had been by a Minister of the Crown. Mr Bodkin contended that the Minister had not quoted any newspaper report of her address, but had just placed his own interpretation on hearsay evidence. "Labour’s Idea of Free Speech.” Actually, he said, the lady had been addressing a ladies’ meeting on the philosophy of Communism, and the attack was particularly interesting in its demonstration of the Government’s idea of free speech. The Minister belonged to one school of thought, and because a lady of a different school of thought dared to attack the philosophy of thought to which Hie Minister belonged. she was subjected to attack from a sheltered position in the House. The suggestion of it. said Mr Bodkin, made his blood boil, but having said what he had, he was prepared to let the matter rest at that.