HEAVY DEFEAT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23700, 5 July 1940, Page 9

HEAVY DEFEAT

MR. LEE'S AMENDMENT ONLY TWO SUPPORTERS INSISTENCE ON DIVISION [BT TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday One of the heaviest defeats seen in the House of Representatives for a long time was suffered by the amendment to the Budget moved by Mr. J. A. Lee (Democratic Labour —Grey Lynn) when it was put this afternoon. One of the grounds on which Mr. Lee wanted the Budget revised was that it made no provision for the use of the public credit to increase internal production. Some speculation took, place as to whether Mr. Lee would find a seconder for his amendment, so that when he nißiitioned near the end of his speech a belief held by "the member who will second the amendment," considerable interest was aroused, resulting in a general anticipation that the duty was being undertaken by Mr. H. Atmore (Independent —Nelson), who has consistently advocated the use of tho public credit for many years. The expectation was justified, for Mr. Atmore did second the amendment, although he did not speak to it. Mr. Lee demanded a division, and spectators in the galleries were soon treated to the unusual sight of Government and Opposition members filing into the same lobby, amid 110 little iocu.arity. Mr. Lee and Mr. Atmore were nominated as tellers for the noes, and were the only supporters of the amendment, which was defeated by 03 votes to _.

VALUE OF COBALT BUSH SICKNESS CONTROLLED MAMAKU POSSIBILITIES [BY TEJ.EGRArH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday "Experiments at Mamaku have indicated that bush sickness among stock can be controlled by annual top-dressing with small amounts of cobalt," stated tho acting-director of the animal research division, Dr. J. l r . Filmcr, in the annual report of the Department of Agriculture, presented to Parliament. Dr. Filmer said it was hoped to produce this year the third generation of sheep on cobalt-deficient paddocks which had been treated in this way. He drew attention to a statement from the Ruakura animal research station that the Mamaku plateau offered definito possibilities for sheep farming, if the clearing, stumping, ploughing and resowing of grass of the abandoned farms were undertaken.

Dr. Filiner added that the effect of larger dressings of cobalt was being studied, and the results indicated the possibility of these larger dressings being used successfully at longer intervals on hill pasture. Tests had been made to discover the effect of administering large doses of cobalt at monthly intervals, as successful results had been reported by one farmer doing this. The results indicated that; while sheep might be kept alive in this «av and cases of bush sickness cured, optimum growth could not bo induced.

BORROWING OVERSEAS OBJECTION TO SCHEME [llY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Thursday Criticism of the proposed borrowing overseas of £20,000,000 toward the cost of the war was expressed by Mr. .1. A. Lee in concluding his speech in the House of Representatives to-day. "Borrowing that money in Britain to buy British output does not add anything to the sum total of the Empire's war effort," Mr. Lee said. "We can give what we have to give in men and materials, but if we borrow from £20,000,000 to £30.000,000 a year and build up external debts of £.'300.000.000 or £400,000.000 that is not. helping the war effort but is placing New Zealand "in an intolerable bondage in the future. We ought to say to Britain, and there is nothing unpatriotic about it, that it is time for the pooling of our war resources."

NO FORTUNES FROM WAR [BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Thursday "Business men, farmers and workers are all getting it into their heads that this war will make no fortunes for them." said Mr. .1. G. Barclay (Government— Marsden) during the debate in the House to-day. Fortunes had been made in the last war, he continued, but people who thought that economic reactions to the present struggle would be the same as they were 2o years ago, were just as mistaken as those who considered that 25-vear-old military strategy would succeed. Mr. Barclay submitted a table showing how the new direct taxes would affect persons iu different income groups. He said that a family man earning £2OO a year would pay nothing extra in direct taxation, as against the national .security tax could be oflset the higher family benefit.