RADIO DEBATE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22412, 7 May 1936, Page 13

RADIO DEBATE

NEW AKKANGEMENT MR. FORBES AND MR. NASH STUDIO FIXTURE TO-NIGHT [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] "WELLINGTON, Wednesday Although the tactics adopted by the Opposition in the House of Representatives last night and again to-day nullified the plans of the Government to have speeches on the Primary Products Marketing Bill broadcast from the House to-night, arguments for and against the measure will definitely go over the air to-morrow night, when the Leader of the Opposition, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, and the Minister cf Finance, Hon. W. Nash, will speak from the 2YA broadcasting studio. An announcement to this effect was made to-night by the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage. The previous arrangement was that the speeches of Mr. Forbes and Mr. Nash in the second reading debate should be broadcast from the House, Mr. Forbes summing up for the Opposition and Mr. Nash replying to the debate in the usual fashion. Howthe introduction of an amendment to the second reading early this morning led the Prime Minister to apply the closure in the House this afternoon. His action automatically ended the debate, and not even the Minister of Finance had a right of reply Mr. Savage said to-night that the Government wished to give full publicity to its proposals, but would not block criticism. Accordingly he had made arrangements for Mr. Forbes and Mr. Nash to speak from the broadcasting studio to-morrow night. Both speeches would bo of an hour's duration and would not be so restricted in scope as in Parliamentary debate. Mr. Forbes would be free to develop any lines of criticism, while Mr. Nash would reply to points raised against the bill, both inside and outside the House.

LOSSES IN SPECULATION POSITION OF SOME FARMERS MR. WRIGHT'S CONTENTIONS [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Wednesday A suggestion that some of the dairy farmers of the Dominion had brought on themselves the serious plight about I which they were complaining was made m the House of Representatives this afternoon by Mr. R. A. Wright (Independent—Wellington Suburbs), when supporting the amendment proposed by the Opposition to the Primary Products Marketing Bill. "Some dairy farmers have themselves to blame for their present impoverished condition," Mr. Wright said. "'When times were good they did not take advantage of the opportunity to pay off their mortgages, but speculated in the purchase of more land at high prices, or in some other way, apparently in the belief that the good times were to last for ever. Now, from many of those farmers who lost so heavily in this way, we are getting the cry of poverty, and the public is being asked to assist. "I would not say that all of them have done this, but thefe are certainly some who are in that very situation. They are asking the non-farming section" of the community to pay, but surely non-farmers are not to blame for their plight. If a man in business in the city mortgages his property, speculates and loses everything, nobody sheds any tears over him." Mr Wright said that he would not condemn the dairy farmer who was in trouble from no fault of his own. He ought to be assisted, but it was unfair to call on the public through legislation and ask for assistance for a farmer who had brought trouble on himself. The bill before the House aimed at extricating those farmers from difficulties for which they were to blame.

DISMISSAL OF WORKERS ALLEGATION IN HOUSE JUNIORS IN PLACE OF SENIORS [BY TELEGBAPH —SPECIAL REPOBTER] WELLINGTON, Wednesday An allegation that many employers were dismissing workers and replacing them by cheap junior labour was made by Mr. A. S. Richards (Government —Roskill) when asking an urgent question in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Richards asked if the Minister would have immediate inquiries made into the many dismissals of trained employees earning from £2 to £3 10s weekly and their replacement by juniors at salaries from 10s to 15s weekly. He stated he was reliably informed that this was becoming very widespread in Auckland in the hope that it would overcome the new conditions likely to come about with the operation of awards in the future. The Minister stated that he would be glad to arrange for his departmental officers in Auckland to inquire into the position there. The inquiries would be facilitated if the member would furnish him with the names of any firms which were known to be adopting the practice complained of. Mr. Armstrong added that awards at present in force usually fixed a proportion of juniors to seniors and this provided a safeguard against the wholesale dismissal of senior workers and their replacement by junior?