PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17257, 5 September 1919, Page 9

PARLIAMENT.

'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SETTLEMENT OF SOLDIERS.

LOAN BILL TASSED UNALTERED.

[BY TKI.EGIIA.rH. — PRESS ASSOCIATION".

WELLINGTON. Thursday. After «he telegraph office closed at an early hour this morning, the debate on the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Loans Bill was continued by Mr. J. Anstey (Waitaki) *ho complained of what he described as the unseemly haste with which such an important measure was being rushed throush. He severely criticised many of the laud purchases and general administration of land* so far as soldiers were concerned, and strongly opposed the raising ef loans free of income tax. Mr H. E. Holland (Grev) followed with 5 protest against the "insane practice of ho.dmc a late sitting, with the result that the House was half empty, members being neither physically nor mentally fit to transact the business before the House. _ Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) fol(owed on the lines of Mr. Holland's epf ech. Conditions of Loan. At 3.30 a.m.. Sir .James Allen (Minister for Finance) rose to reply. The Ministci denied that the Government was short r-i money. There was p'eutv of money, but they were short of authority to .-.pend money. The urgency of the Bill was that every source from which money could be obtained for soldier settlements was exhausted, and there were applications amounting to £900.000 waiting to be satisfied. Therefore, the Bill must be passed at once. He was not bound by the provision that the loan should be raised free of income tax. a<? that provision was optional. He was -railing for a report on the loans already raised free of income tax. but his impression was that no great number of taxpayers profited by that fvjtem. and he asked the House to leave the matter in the hands of the Government by accepting the Bill as it stood. The Bill was read a second time on ' (he voices. |

In the committee stage, Mr. J. Mc*'ombs (LyHelton) moved an amendment to clause five, which, if tarried, would prevent the loan being raised free of income tax.

The Prime Minister. Mr. Massey, appealed to the committee to reject the amendment, as the money market was in an unsatisfactory condition, and the Government must have means of raising money on the best terms possible. It •vas not advisable to raise money free of taxation, bat the money mast be At 5.15 a.m. a division was taken, when the amendment was lost by 21 votes to 17.

The Bill was reported without amendment, and was read a third time and passed. The House rose at 5.22 a.m. Address-in-Reply Moved. When the' House resumed at 7.30 p.m., Mr. J. 4. Nash (Palmerston) moved trat a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor-General in ieply to the speech delivered to the House at the opening of Parliaments In doing so, he referred to the spirit of relief which followed upon the declaration oi pea«.», out, of which the world was to have bequeathed to it a League of Nations. He referred to the great work done at the Peace Conference by Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. He expressed the hope that party strife would not result to the detriment of the Dominion. Speaking of the conduct of the war, he paid a tribute to Sir James Allen- He favoured the nationalisation of the coal mines.

-Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata), in seconding the motion, said the abilities of x.ew Zealand had been lately gi-eatly increased by the acceptance of the mandate over Samoa. He suggested that after '.he next election the Government should arrange for members to visit that new territory and so gain a first-hand knowledge of how the natives live and their legislative requirements. He criticised the action of the coal miners in restricting supplies, their idea being evidently to restrict progress in the Dominion. If the miners in privately-owned mines were going slow, the State coal miners were going slower. The Railway Department was perhap not altogether free from blame in not foreseeing the coal shortage, but the real blame must rest upon the u>al miners in failing to produce supplies. There were more coal miners in New i-ealand this -year than last, but what was the result ? For the first seven months of last year the production was 1.102,166 tons; for a similar period fchia }e,»r the production was 946,091 tons, the difference being sufficient to run our railways > without the least necessity for any cut " He appealed to the Government t' push on with all the great electric schemes, both in the North and South Ifiande. He complimented this Government upon the manner in which it was carrying out the repatriation of soldiers. Me coi.cluded by asking the Government to remember that its first duty was to the nen who fought for the Dominion, and to the dependants of the men who had fallen.

On the motion of the Hon. W. D. S. McDonald the debate was adjourned til' 2.30 to-morro»v, and the House rose at 10.12 p.m.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE ADDRESS IN REPLY.

The Legislative Council met this afternoon.

The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed by Sir John Sinclair (Dunedin I. who advocated assiduous attention on the part of the Government to the wants of returned men. flip Hon. G. J. Carland (Auckland) dealt with the hydro.electric schemes, the pushing or of which he urged. The Hon. K. Michel (Hokitika) discussed the question of profiteering. Of the motion of the Hon. J. T. Paul (Dnnerlin) the debate war adjourned. Th.- Council then put through all its stages the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Loan Bill after protests by the. Ron. J. T. Paul and the Hon. J. Barr against the methods of raising the monev, »-id a general discussion regarding alleged profiteering. The Council adjourned at 5.55 p.m. until to morrow.