DELAYING LEGISLATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17730, 15 March 1921, Page 6

DELAYING LEGISLATION.

. MR. WILFORD'S OBJECTIONS. CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT. ' MR. DOWNIE STEWART REPLIES. [BT TELEGBAPH.—PBES3 ASSOCIATioW.] WELLINGTON, Monday. Supporting his protest against the pros posed postponement of the ordinary eess sion of Parliament until the return of the i Prime Minister from the Imperial Confert ence, the Leader of the Opposition criti- > oised the Government's policy and admin- > istration on many grounds in his speech • on the Address-in-Reply debate. Mr. : Wilford declared that the Prime Minister • did not understand public finance, or even ; the phraseology of his own Bills. He also charged the Government with having > bought land for soldiers at exorbitant I prices, which might result in loss to the ' soldiers and the country, j Mr. Massey :We will not lose a penny: Continuing, Mr. Wilford said the mistake was that no land had been taken for soldiers compulsorily. The' Government ' obtained power to do so, but never had | the courage to enforce it. High prices had been paid by the Government, with I the result that the prices of land had been "-boosted " to the permanent hurt of the ' country and the people of the country. | He blamed the Government for not en- . forcing the compulsory clause in conneci tion with the last loan, with the result i that one class of the community had been "squeezed," while others who had not ( contributed to the loan were going free. It , was absurd for the Prime Minister to ■ claim he might be able to reduce taxation • next year. Mr. Massey : I say it now. Mr. Wilford proceeded to argue that if j the value of our .produce fell, then customs [ duties, land and income tax, and estate and succession duties must likewise fall, ' so that the revenue on which the Prime 1 Minister depended would not exist, and taxation could not be reduced. The profession of economy in the Pubi lie Service was only so much political "eye . wash," beexuse as fast as one set of officers retired another set was appointed. He severely criticised the administration of the Railway Department, and, continuing, observed that there would be no need for retrenchment if the Public Ser- | vice were properly organised. What was wantsd was greater co-ordination and simplicity of method. The Prime Minister was responsible for the appointment of the . PubK Service Commissioners, yet he now < proposed to appoint a commission to inquire into the methods of the Public Ser- ■ vice Commissioners. Mr. Wilford reiterated his desire to see the Dominion represented at the Imperial Conference by the Prime Minister, but he objected to the postponement of the ordm ary session for so long. There was much important legislation urgently needed— dealing with pensions, customs, housing, rates of interest, bank overdrafts, arbitration, land taxation, public health, education, the Pubilc Service, the railways, and timber royalties. These matters called for immediate attention, snd therefore ho moved his amendment, which was mainly directed against the delay that must ensue in effecting those reforms if Par'iament did not sit at the usual time. i'he Minister for Customs, the Hon- WDownie Stewart, contended that much of the legislation suggested by Mr. Wilford conld not be undertaken in the absence of the Prime Minister. Customs had been mentioned. That came under his d*»>artment. but, as a young Minister, he could not possibly vndertake it. and it must wait till the Prime Minister came back. '■■ In all self-governing countries, the tendency was to place more and more power , in the hands of the Prime Minister, and , though his absence might cause some inconvenience, it would be better to suffer that brief inconvenience than to attempt lescislation which could not be successfully passed in his absence.