ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 15 July 1925, Page 4

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

DEBATE CONTINUES

(From our Parliamentary Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, This Day The Address-in-Reply debate was continued in the House last right. The Minister of Lands (Air McLeod) said that he held no brief for large holders and lie would nothold for figures being quoted haphazardly without proper analysis. Air McLeod quoted figures in regard to occupied holdings, unimproved lands, etc., and said that every attempt- to very rapidly subdivide Crown leases which was largely held fn the high country of the South Island, had more or less met with failure. He still proposed further subdivision of these areas as the leases expired. The Minister quoted further figures to show how flocks on certain lands had decreased as a result of subdivision. If the flocks weie reduced from SGOO to 1000 or 1200, it would give place to only about 2500 or 3000 more settlers. Dealing with the increase in the rate of interest on mortgages, the Minister showed that while the rate of four of the biggn?t insurance companies had increased between 1912 and 1924 from £4 10s to £5 9s per cent (19 per cent) it had increased in New Zealand in the same period from £5 13s 4d to £6 7s 4d (14 per cent). He remarked that he had been unable to find figures which showed that the mortgage rate had been better kept in hand in any other country. In regard to what had been said about the forcing up of land values, he said he thought that investigation would show that not more than 15 to 20 per cent of the land of the Dominion had changed hands, even at the time of the boom. There was no doubt that the changes in certain districts had dispelled the false impression as to values. The Government was hopeful of doing something to prevent aggregation of land. Dealing with soldier settlement, the Minister said he had endeavoured to see that- soldiers were given a chance. Air Moßvrido spoke of the deterioration of tlie manhood of the nation and declared that accounted for the decline *n production. He devoted the major por lion of Ill’s speech to a criticism of the British Conservative Government for having undone the work done by the Labour Government.

Air Sykes referred to the emphatic vote of no-confidence passed on the Labour party and its policy in the Franklin by-election, and then dealt with tlie increase in the volume of production. Why dij not the Labour party admit that its continual demands were made for political purposed only. He n«ked why labour was always making complaints about housing. The State Advances Department had put up a good record in that respect. At tlie same time he appealed to the Government to do still more. Do-pite what 'he Labour party said, the worker realised that the freehold was the best tenure for him so far as the worker’s cottage was concerned. It would he hard to convince the worker that the leasehold tenure wa*s the best-. Immigrants were badly needed here hut the- difficulties in regard to housing should he pointed out to them before they left tha Old Country. He was afraid that the picture had been painted too vividly in the past. The House adjourned at 10.30 on the motion of Ah- Savage.