ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13940, 25 July 1917, Page 3

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

RESUMPTION OF THE DEBATE. FRIENDLY CRITICISM OF NATIONAL CABINET. •ALLEGED SLIGHTING OF LIBERAL ■ MINISTERS. - (Per Press Association,) WELLINGTON, July 24. At l.lfi in the House this afternoo.y Mr Vernon Reed resumed the debate on the Address-in-licply, lie generally supported the National Government, but j round fault with the effect of the i excess profits tax, operating as it did, I With gneat hardship upon many farmers and quoted -instances to show where farmers who. had given up dairying because their sons had gone to t-lie front, were mulcted in i'orty-fiye per cent, on the proceeds of the sale of their cattle, This, strictly speaking, was capital, yet it was taken as if it were war profits, which was both irritating and unfair. In the same way the dairy farmer had been singled out to make a sacrifice on behalf of the community, through the butter-fat tax. He favoured export and import taxes, which would have been a masterstroke from a revenue point of view. Speaking of settling returned soldiers, he estimated that Hi,ooo men would be prepared to take up laud and he suggested the setting up of local boards for classifying applicants and laud,-to act generally as advisers, lie favoured settling these men on the busn lands of North Auckland anil I'rewera I Country, 'rather than on highly iili- ' proved farms, which were too costly. The operations of (lie.meat trust mint be combated at all costs, He suggested, as a means of countering the I rust, I lie prevention, of the investment of at;y foreign capital in co-operative meat works and tiie freezing on account of producers instead of butchers and State shipping, and finally a mutual arrangement with the ■Dritisli Government. But whatever course was decided upon, they should act promptly and decisively. Mr G. W. Forbes referred to the 'rumours which were abroad regarding the disunion amongst the members oi the National Cabinet. These ruinoius had been referred to by the member for llawke's Bay, and unless allayed, lie thought there was a danger of the National Government becoming wrecked, lie referred to the fact that it was part of the compact, when the National Government was formed, that the cost of living should be effectively dealt with, lie questioned whether the Prime Miisler had given his whole'learted support to Mr Mac Donald in connect ion with he butter-fat tax, Mr Massey: "1 take my full share of the responsibility." Comiiuu!!.;'. Mr Forbes said he thought the Liberal side of the Cabinet was not receiving suftieient cousideraiton, instancing the negle.-t to inform Sir Joseph Ward of the Second Division deputation a few days ago. lie thought Ministers should take • members more fully into their confidence and he suggested a secret session where members could have a round table conference on war matters. Concerning the general policy of the Government he urged a vigorous policy of laud settlement, and advocated the re-enactment of fho power to take land conipulsorily, as since that power had been abrogated, land settlement had not been as vigorous as it ought to have been. He also urged the imposition of a drastic system of taxation, in such a way as to make war profiteers disgorge their ill'gotten gains. Minister Replies to Criticism, On the House resuming in the evening, the Hon. A. L, Ilerdman criticised Mr Forbes' references to discussion in the Cabinet, characterising such references as likely to create dissension, rather than remove it, A secret session was not necessary, Ministers were taking members into their confidence as much as was possible, and were giving the House all the information it was advisable to make public, under the present circumstances. Coming to Imperial mailers, he favoured some systent\ under which Hie Dominions would 'be given a greater voice in matters affecting peace and war, but lie doubled the wisdom of setting up an Imperial Parliament, which would lord itself over all other Parliamentary institutions. Many questions awaited uniform treatment throughout the Emjiin;. The naturalisation of enemy subjects was one. Even now they would be in doubt as to Britain s policy regarding the treatment of alien enemy subjects. Personally, he thought that at the outbreak of the war every alien subject should have been interned or sent back to his own

country. The whole subject was most difficult to deal with, but at-least," if iliev naturalised the enemy, that should carry responsibility with it, but that responsibility yet remained to be determined. Trading with the enemy was Another matter which demonstrated the need of a national organisation, so that New Zealand would always* be prepared'to check aggressions against our trade, ami in this respect the two 'leaders of the pjirties in this Dominion hail done service in England which could never be forgotten. Proceeding, lie detailed the work done by tlu- National Government since

its inception, paying a compliment to the lion. W. 1). S. .Mac Donald for the manner in which he negotiated the purchase of New Zealand produce for the Imperial authorities. A large saving had been made to the people in ihc arrangement the (ioverumeiit had made for the supply of sugar to the public, and a considerable amount of organisation of the country had been done by the Efficiency Board. More could not be done, except by placing all labour in the Dominion under compulsion, and he doubted if the country was prepared to go to that extremity.

Mr Yoitch: "What you want to do is to organise the idle rich. Mr Herdmau agreed, and he thought something more might have io be doij'o in that .direction when the Second Division was called up., Then New Zealand woiild be.in a more difficult position, . for whatever' reinforcements were re- ' quired must bq font. There could. b ; c 'no doubt about that, ; Diseussing.de-

mobilisation, Mr Ilerdman described' the operations of the Discharged Sol: diers Department, iHo /justified' the war regulations by contending that any man who prevented any maiu getting into camp or to the front 'was art enemy of the Slate.- Likewise, any. interfered with shipping was an enemy of the State, and an ally of Potsdam, and ought, to bo treated as such.

! Mr Payne: There is such a thing as liberty of speech in the British Empire. Mr Ilerdman: Yes, but when you get a speech that stirs up men to strike and to interfere with shipping .which is necessary to succour'men at the ,front, and people of the Empire, is that liberty of speech? It was certainly not the kind of speech that ought to lie encouraged or permitted during a grave crisis. The speaker concluded by paving a tribute to the spirit of the people of New Zealand, and of the young men sailing for the front,

who went out with a song on their lips, to fight for the glorious principles ofliberty. More Criticism. Dr, Thaeked urged that the men of the Maiu Body should have a furlough to come home. The men were tired and needed a rest. He contended that New Zealand had sufficient men to supply all requirements, and still let the

remainder of the Main Body come home. The 'only reason he could conceive why the Minister and his officers would not agree to this course was that if the men came home they would let the country know what humbugs were at the head of affairs, lie feared for the efficiency of the country when the Second Division was called up. This would be exhausted in eighteen months, and it was time New Zealand had a stock-taking Zealand had a ■ stock-taking, He criticised the management of the railways in not taking earlier steps to find out eligible men in the service, and said the decision of the Minister/ of Defence not to lake the next ballot for two months was the lirst 'symptom of a "climb-down" oil the question of reinforcements, Local camps were advocated, and the National Cabinet was satirically compared to a military "tank" floundering in the crater of the cost of living, from which it endeavoured to escape by appointing j\ j-orts of boards, lint the fact remaii/bd that the "tank'' was still wallowrtig in the crater, which was growing deeper and wider every week, The cost of living was as much a live question as ever. The speaker concluded by making an appeal that the people should see the graves of their soldiers kep' sacred aud hallowed.

Mr T. W. Rhodes complained that our arrangement with the Old Country regarding reinforcements had never •been made clear to the House, He analysed the figures quoted by be Minister of Defence, and declared that any examination of tlieiu showed fifteen thousand men unaccounted for. He asked where were, those men? , The House had a right to know. He deprecated taking the last son of any family, or the calling out of the Ijjccond Division a day.earlier than was necessary, otherwise we would destroy the productivity of the country, and be unable to keep the home fires burning. More generous provision must bo made for the dependants of the Second Division, ami most liberal conditions observed in regard to the. soldier settlers to enable them to get back into the, routine of civil- life as soon as possible. He favoured an increased graduated income tax, an amusements tax, and a tax' on luxuries to check the extravagancies of the people, and enable the country to provide more liberal pensions for elderly people, who had borne the heat and burden of the day. At the closo of Mr Rhodes speech, Mr Massey rose, and in reply to a remark made by Mr Forbes during the afternoon said that the reason Sir Joseph Ward was not present at the deputation of the Second Division which waited on him (Mr Massey), was that his private secretary had confused the dales of the Iwo deputations from the same body, He deprecated the suggestion made that he purposely left Sir Joseph Ward out of the deputation, Mr Forbes explained that he had been informed of the deputation from the Second Division League, He immediately saw Sir Joseph Ward, who said lie knew nothing of the matter.

Sir Joseph Ward said lie was glad of the opportunity to reply to the matter, as he was afraid the impression had got. abroad that he had been invited to the deputation and had not attended, lie had not been invited, but lie was quite sure that if the Prime Minister had known he was expected to be there lie (Mr Massey) would have been very glad to have him there. He hoped the matter would now drop, Mr Massey said he was pleased to know that Sir Joseph Ward was satisfied that no discourtesy had been intended. , Tho adjournment of the debate wa9 moved by Mr Nosworthy, The House rose-at eleven o 'clock.