ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13930, 12 July 1917, Page 4

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

CONTINUATION OF DEBATE. HIGHLY pBITICAL- SPEECHE^ THE QUESTION OF REINFORCE-. MENTS. "').*:

AN AMENDMENT MOVED. (Per Press Association,! WELLINGTON, JnlvdL In the House of Representatives thisevening, the debate on the Address-in- ■ Reply was continued by Mr J, McCombs, who congratulated Sir James Allen on the high liotmiir conferred on Vim by the King. The debate last night was lifted out of Hie common by the statement of the .Minister of the part New Zealand was playing in the great war from his (Mr Allen's) point" 1 of view, Ite therefore proposed to deal with the war position from his own point of view, Speaking of the financial aspect, he said that New Zealand was the most selfish of all the Overseas Dominions, and he deplored the fact

that their Ministers had boasted when they returned that they had bled the Old.Country of the last shilling in in : - :; creased prices for meat and butier. The''' part our men had played in the great struggle was a less sordid theme. He defended the voluntary system, claiming that it fulfilled all the requirements until an ambitious scheme was conceived giving General Godley command of a division composed entirely of New Zealanders. He denounced the methods by ; , which the National Register was ".pe--pared, every promise connected there* ffithji'cing shamelessly broken. Having got conscription passed promises were made to give financial aid to the scripted men, but what was the result? •Orrmf SG,OOO men who had enlisted, only 10SD had been granted aid. Yet there was an even greater claim for assistance to men who had no property obligations to fulfil; men whose only stake was their life. The claims of these men to better pay and higher pensions was dowly being recognised, But recognition was being wrung from the Government, only by the-forcc of public

opinion. If the voluntary system failed it was becau?e adequate provision was not*made for the soldiers' dependants. Men liad held bade, not for fear of death or wounds, but because the pay and pension was insufficient. He defended his actions, in endeavouring to force Parliament to increase the pay of the men, and declared that the floor of the House was (he place where voluntaryism could liave been saved had Parliament chosen to face its duty. Canada had not done as well as New Zealand, and did not propose to do as much, even with conscription. The question for New Zealand to consider was whether it had not sent more limn enough, and concentrate attention upon the production of food. To his mind, the Government had gone mad on this question of over-reinforce-ments, lie- thought the time had arrived when the country should know where Parliament stood on this question, To determine that point he moved an amendment which declared:— "That the people view with alarm, the policy of creating new brigades out of accumulated rein-

forcements." Mr Walker seconded the amendment. i Sir Joseph Ward asked the House to • proceed with the debate, ns though an • amendment had not been moved. Later on a division could be taken on it, Mr A. 11. Ilindinarsh followed. He dealt with the house-rent question in Wellington. Passing on to matters connected with the war, he criticised the manner in which the returned soldiers in search of land were driven from place to place. lie also spoke in strong terms of the treatment meted out to wounded soldiers who had been refused' admission to the Wellington Hospital, on whose be-half he demanded an inquiry,

At the supper adjournment, Mr Payne was speaking, ami was arguing that New Zealand had sent reinfovmenta enough. "The Minister of Defence had declared that we must keep up to o;ir obligations," Mr Payne proceeded, "But," he asked, "who made those obligations, Not the people, i.et Parliament, simply one autocrat by whom the Dominion is governed. With Russia back In the firing line and America in the war,-there was no need to bleed

this country white." After supper, Mr Payne resumed speaking,.urging an increase in .the income tax as the fairest means of rais* ing revenue. He did not press for the retention of the excess profits tax, which lie knew, in many eases, operated most inequitably. ' " The ■■adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr Field (Nelson). . ,: L The House rose at 10.45, ;