ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13935, 18 July 1917, Page 2

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE.

NATIONAL CABINET'S ADMINIS- : TRATION. ' ; COMMENT, AND CEITICpi. > \ ' * (Per Press Association;) , WELLINGTON, July 17. , The debate on the Address-in-Reply >v.is resiiiiied this afternoon by Mr J,' Cralgic (Timaru).,. lie d'ealt-with t)ie licw problems which were certain, to arise after the war,' niul, urged the Government.to jiinke adequate .and inline.diate preparation against the' day \vlie\i our-soldiers would be returning. The difficulty in the way of securing fufficicnt small farms was the excessive price of land.; To remedy thin he advocated a drastic land fax, which would

unmistakably burst-up the big estates. The lion In the path of national efficiency in this Dominion was the drink traffic. After the way we had trifled with that traffic, we did not, deservivictory. Ife strongly favoured six o'clock dosing, Ho fdt the veal reformers in New Zealand were the people and not the Government, T.ho executive had not given the lead they should have given either on the restriction of liquor traffic or on conscription,. What

tlic country'expected from the Ministers who had been Home and hod seen the hpgrt of things, was strong leadership, He urged a greater self-reliance in our finance, and a most generous treatment for returned soldiers. To do this a direct levy should be made on wealth iji preference to taxation, which meaiit that the workers, who supplied eighty per cent of the fighting men would have to bear eight per cent, of the taxation. He detailed particulars of his proposed levy on wealth, ranging from one per cent on capital of £2500j to 20 per cent on capital of £200,000, This would produce £30,000,000, mid was distinctly preferable to patriotic loans, which only made the rich richer, and about which there was really no patriotism. Mr J. S. Anderson (Mntaurn), ur*ed Ilie Government, when bringing down taxation proposals this year, to either amend 'the anomalies in the excess profits lax, or repeal it, and substitute a'.i increased incomes lax, and a graduated land tax. To put the Dominion in a position to meet; after-war problems, lie favoured the extensive development of our infant industries, and the reclamation of thousands of acres of first-class , land now lying in non-productive 3ivam]is in Southland, There should be . no relaxation in the sending of reinforcements, and all properly of all shirkers should be confiscated, Xo'one who would not defend his country sliould have any share in its rights. In large matters the Minister of Defence had done remarkably well, but in small mattern he had trusted too much to officers who had put him in all sorts of undignified positions. Why did he not we?d ' out the inefficient men. , Mr Wilford: This is the only counI try that does not change. The speaker continuing complained that medical officers passed men as fit, and after they had fold their property or closed businesses in order to go into i camp they were turned down when they I reached Trentham, with consequent los 3 and annoyance. He lavonred six o'clock closing and an amusements tax, ille condemned the butter-fat levy as nil unfair ■, class-tax. " Mr 1. M. Isitt (Christchurc'a North) deplored the movement which resulted in a clamour for the reduction of reinforcements. Avt could not afford to weaken our forces and back-down, This was the hour for intensor determination, for greater sacrifice

and our first duty was to so arrange [our affairs that the men and women who wore anxious to do any sort of service would he able to take up work and relievo the younger men for the front, 'lie recognised the difficulty of cheeking -profiteering, ami the National Cabinet was entitled to some sympathy because tlioy failed, But there was no excuse for the failure to check waste, Economy was preached by Ministers, but nothing was done. The most prolific source of waste in the Dominion was the liquor traffic, whie.li Inst session was butressed by members Of the ■National,Cnbinot. The speaker spent a considerable portion of his time deiioun;ing the efforts of the trade to capture' the Labour movement and then proceeded to criticise the Minister of Railways for carrying lieer on the railways when lie had refused to carry building material. Mr Isitt also censured the Go- | vornment for refusing to place before (lie House the reports of the Efficiency Board for no other reason than- that the board included the trade as an almost non-essential industry, and the Government hesitated to acknowledge the fact. Dealing w|lh six o'clock closing, he urged the .Government lo give the House a free hand and let the House dispose of it as the House thought lit, The House adjourned at 5,30 p.m. When the House resumed at 7,1)0 p.m., Mr F, Marnier (Marsden) continued the debate, commending the work of the National Cabinet generally, and in particular Sir Joseph Ward, who, since he joined the Cabinet, had acted like a statesman, patriot, and gentleman. He favoured six o'clock ■ closing, and strongly opposed Wet canteens in camps, Thoiign not an extremist) he was convinced there was a strong and widespread desire on the part of the public for the restriction of the liquor, traffic, not only in the interests of soldiers, but in aid of national efficiency. Concerning taxation, lie defended the farmers against the accusation o! a desire to escape their fair share of the burden. That was not their desire. They wanted an understandable form of taxation, The excess profits tax wris too complicated, and the butter-fat .levy was a class-tax, But to say that farmers \vero unpatriotic was. evidence of a biased mind, The fairest method of taxation was by increases in the land and income tax, beer duty, ami an ninußeineuts tax ■should be also imposed. , Mv Glover advocated a scheme by which the Government eould aid. local bodies to make roads in the winterless north, where'.soldiers might lie settled, arfd . where 'struggling farmers might : reap; a rich reward of a life-time's toil.

lie objected to Wellington being re- | guV(U*il--as' tin? hub of tlie.: ; . Dominion. oil J .'everything' else' was.concentrated in Wellington, There was-such a place as Auckland, famed hi'the days of oldfor its shipbuilding, "where, transports could be fitted up, He begged the.Pfime Miiiistenio remember that fact,. He'urged the Pt'eniier to "remember also the shipping.merger,.. The eojit of. living, the returned soldiers, and pensions for XJaori -JVnr, veterans were all dealt witli in a d|seoursi r vc.fasliibn by the speaker, who concluded by making a special appeal to' the National Cabinet on behalf of old age pensioners. ; Mr C. A, Wilkinson (Egmont) re-

ferred to the problems likely to arise in HiOi Pacific after the war. The vacant space;) in Australia would be a constant menace, offering inducement to other peoples to come and occupy them." Naval defence, .shipping lines to carry produce, fast jiiail services, and better cable facilities would be urgently required, and provision would have to be made for tlieni. Actional stocktaking

of men was requisite so that we could know how'we stand iii the matter of reinforcements, The time had arrived when the House should be told plainly and definitely what otu' position was. If necessary we would send the last man and the last shilling; but we must know what our liabilities in men are, Straight answers on,'this point were needed from the Government. If this information was withheld, Parliament would have to take stepfc to compel Miuisters to give the House the particulars. He believed in the excess profits tax as a principle,'but the whole system of taxation was too complicated for farmers. ■ He I favoured simplification by means of a sulfttnntial increase in the income tax. He favoured the restriction of the liquor traffic, and thought the Government would be well advised if they bend to the public demand for six o'clock closing, Discussing the excess profits tax, he declared the Government had extracted from the people thousands of pouiuVthey were not entitled to owing to the way in which the assessment was made.

Sir Joseph Ward interjected: Even so, the Treasury estimate had not been realised by a long way. ilr Wilkinson, continuing, said lie was opposed to an export tax, because it taxed the gross and not the net product of a man's labour,

Sir Joseph Ward stated the lion, member could make his mind easy. There would be no export tax this year.

The remainder of the speech was occupied in quoting statistics to show that the dairy farmers, though as patriotic as any other section of the community, were not. making money, and could not afford to pay the butter-fat lew.

The adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr Jennings, nud the House rose at 10.33 p.m.