HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7868, 2 August 1911, Page 8

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE OPENS LIBERAL -MEMBERS’ SPEECHES. Tho House of Representatives met at 7.30 p.m. FIRST BEADING. The Seeds Control BUI (Hon. T. Mackenzie) was read a first time, and set

down for second reading on the next sitting' day. .MOVING THE ILEPLY. Mr W. T. Jennings (Taumaruruii), in moving the Address-iii-iteply, extended congratulations to Air Speaker on tho knighthood conferred on him by tho King, and expressed tho hope that he would be long spared to enjoy his honour, and to continue his usefulness as controller of the House. Mr .Jennings went on to say that the House spent too much time in talk arid too little in perfecting the statutes of tho country. Ho commended the promise of local government reform. He paid a high tribute to tho land policy of the Eiberul administration, especially in the King Country, whero the settled population had grown from IOtJU to Jls'jO in eight years. The. ily in tho ointment, however, was the exce.s----siv-o value of land, in Taranaki the total area of Crown land.remaining was 241.000 acres, and tho Maori lands acres, but: excepting land reserved or about to bo opened very little of the land was bettor than second class, and tho land available was down to vanishing point. Ho was therefore amazed to hear the utterances of the Opposition on land settlement, and he held that the liberal policy had led to a large measure of success and prosperity. (Applause.) MUST BE TACKLE!) ” The limitation of tho area of land had to lie tackled by the House—(hear, hear) — and ho would support any party that promised reform. Air Jennings went on to quote "The Dairyman” to the effect that twenty-four million acres of laud held by Europeans were lying idle. Air Massey: Not belonging to Europeans! There aro only sixteen millions of freehold in New Zealand.

Mr Jennings went on to condemn the holding of land for speculative purposes, and twitted Mr Massey with hi;y failure to take stops to effect reform- The success of intense culture on restricted areas was assured, and more attention should bo paid to it. Mr Jennings expressed regret that tho Speech had not referred to quicker communication with tho Old Country. Ho challenged the Opposition to name any Act of the last eighteen years that they would repeal if placed in power. On the other hand, a strong Liberal party was prepared to go even further than had been travelled already. Tho Dominion was prosperous to-day, and everything was moving upwards and "forward” should I)C tho watchword.

ANOTHER LIMITATION ADVOCATE. Mr G. Witty (Riecarton), who seconded tho Addrass-in-K eply, congratulated tho Speaker and Acting-Prime Minister upon their knighthood, remarking that in both cases the honour was well deserved, an,d all the greater because of the compliment in the latter case to the Maori people, A Local Government Bill was badly needed and would bo needed tor many years. (Opposition laughter.) If the Opposition was in power the process would bo oven longer. Limitation of area was urgently required for if things went on without interference, the position of the Old Country would bo reached, eight per cent, of the people owning 90 per cent, of the land. Care would have to lie taken to prevent tho creation o£ ( slums. Tho Prime Minister was to bo congratulated on the "ood work ho had don© at tho Imperial Conference. Mr Witty condemned tho active efforts of Oppositionists to cry down tho Government's loan transactions and their allegations that population was leaving New Zealand. This was not fair. Tho average percentage of increase shown in Australia by tho last census was 9.8 per cent., whereas New Zealand's increase was II per cent. In connection with the loans, ho admitted they were big. but the important point was tho method of spending. The money had been used to make money and to benefit tho people. Ho maintained that tho Government hail done far better with its borrowed money than tho Conservative party when it was in power. HYPOCRISY.

It savoured of hypocrisy on the Opposition's part to urge the reduction of the ago at which women should obtain the pension. The country should remember that it was the Opposition which opposed the old ago‘pension when it was 7s fid a week at the age of sixjy-fivo. That party favoured the expediting of the settlement. of native lands. This process was going on fast enough. They complained of the weed-covered Maori lands. »It was not necessary to go to Maori lands to see weeds. Land worth ,£IOO an acre, owned by Europeans, was to be seen wasting through weeds in Canterbury. THE OPPOSITION ELATFOBM. Referring to Mr Massey's policy of giving the freehold to Id-p- tenants, he said that Mr Massey was to give away what did not belong to him; but the Opposition's non-aggregation plank was merely stolen from the Government policy. The proposal to sell the national endowments and purchase lands in the cities would result in the loss of all endowments. The elective Executive had been stolen from Sir William Steward and worthy men before Mm. finance was already enjoyed by all local' bodies. MB MASSEY SPEAKS. Mr W. F. Massey, leader of the Opposition, also congratulated Mr Speaker on the honour of knighthood conferred ocn him, and said that in Sir Arthur Guinn ese the House had a man. worthy of the honour. The Governor's speech was not worthy of discussion, and Mr Witty had chosen to.discuss the Reform party's policy, showing that he considered' it more worthy of inclusion than.the references to pure seeds and mental defectives. It was quite possible that that policy would soon be incorporated in the Governor's speech. (Laughter.) Hr Witty had been utterly wrong in saying that only one of the Dine charges h*>d been proved. It was also necessary to say that any proposal made by the Opposition to deal with national ©ndfwvments referred only to those set aside before 1907.

Mr Witty: There are nine million acres, anyhow. ENDOWMENTS ON TRIAL.

Mr Massey, continuing, said that the endowments since 1907 were on their trial, and nobody suggested any interference -with them. He with Mr Jennings-that excessive valuations wero Common. Band had gone up in value, and the reason, often was that land changed hands without any cash payments, and the transaction was used, to tho TalTratkm, although it penalised. the man who did not want to sell his land. The only way to prevent excessive valuation was to revert to -the clause by which ah owner, dissatisfied with his valuation, could call on the Government to purchase. The Hon. B. McKenzie: That's how we got Cheviot Mr Massey went on to say that for lack of land good settlers were leaving the country week after week. Mr Jennings: Because the land is held by big landholders. After referring to the Mofcau lands as reported oksjwhero, Mr Massey complained that though the census had been taken on April Ist, the new electoral boundaries had .not yet been announced. When this was'done, members would b© anxious to see their constituents, and the country’s business would be scamped. The date of the election ought to be announced at once. Mr Massey condemned the second ballot system, and urged the preferential system. Ho also criticised the postponement of the session, and said that tho House could have been well occupied pending the Prime Minister's return in dealing with a Bocal Government Bill. Extra payments to judges of the Supreme Court should bo don© away with, and the magistrates* salaries should b© fixed by Act. He did not wish to deal with the Imperial Conference, but he was anxious to have an explanation regarding the coronation invitations. Tli© House might well consider the German, system of compulsory insurance against sickness and ■unemployment, which ho strongly supported. He desired to sc© an amendment of the I "Death Duties Act, which had gone much further than had been intended, particularly iu taxing small estates where

[ tho beneficiaries were not blood relations I of the testator. A MINISTERIAL REPLY. CRITICISM OF THE OPPOSITION LEADER. A PARTY IN' DESPAIR. The Hon. G. Fowhis (Minister for Education) said that during late months speeches by the loader of tho Opposition and ins colleagues had been reverberating .through tho press, and altogether the circumstances had reminded him very forcibly of the • position of tho House of Lords in tho Old Country. They had been, going around New' Zealand almost in despair, but ho did not think tho result of all their labour would bring them much nearer to the hoped-for position “in by the lire." It would probably bo .similar to that of their compatriots in the Old Land who also had attempted to put a drag on tho wheels of pi ogress. (Hear, hoar.) The claims put forward on behalf of tho wonderful platform recently announced in Wellington had been quite pathetic, but-ho thought they would have to put a little more ginger into their platform before it was likely to have much effect upon tho people of the country. (Hoar, hear.) Referring to Mr Massey's disbelief of the figures quoted by tho member for Taujnarnmri in connection with rural lands owned by Europeans, tho Minister s;dd that they were quite correct. Tho total acreage was 18,591,563 acres, in addition to which there were 3,000,000 acres of Maori land leased to Europeans, and 45,000 acres in cultivation by Maoris. There were at least eight and a half million acres of land hold by Europeans and not cultivated or grassed in any way. When .they deducted tho reasonable reservations for native occupation and -also tho mountain tops they found that the total amount of native land unsettled but fit for settlement was under two million acres. Tho position was that there was live times as much freehold land held by Europeans without any cultivation as tho whole of tho native land held without cultivation. Tho amount of land reserved for the use of the natives was not too much to provide thorn with decent living. As a matter of fact tho work done in connection with the settlement of native land had been quit© .phenomenal. It was only now that the benefit of tho operations of tho Maori Land Board was becoming apparent. This year very great progress would ibo made. THOSE HXNE CHARGES. It .was quite pathetic to hear the references made by Mr Massey and his supporters to tho Hino Charges. Why did they not lot .them go now? Mr Hino had made his charges as a proof of Tammanyism on .the part of tho Government, but when they came before the committee of investigation no attempt was made ,to connect the Government with them at all. A more finding that a commission was paid to someone was no reflection upon the Government as a proof of Tammanyism. (Hear, hear.) There was therefore no meaning in the chargee apart from the charge of Tatnmanyism made against the Government. (Hear, hear.) ADVANCES TO WORKERS. Then it was necessary to correct Mr Massey’s inaccurate statements as to the Advances to Workers Act. For years Mr Massey had boon trying to make the people of the country believe that it was ho who had made the Act applicable to workers. He had also said that he opposed tho Bill when it first came down only because he had pledged himself to oppose any borrowing. As a matter of ■fact, when a Land _ Improvement and Native Land Acquisition Bill came down the same year Mr Massey voted for it on the , second reading and lot it go through its third reading without a division, even though it contained borrowing powers up to hal a million. What did they .think of his pledge after that? Probably the electors of Franklin did not knew of. their representative's action or his career would • surely have been cut short there and then. “Not Franklin,” corrected ‘Mr Massey. "It was W'aitemata.” "Ah! now We have the reason,” said tho Minister. "Ho evidently did not have courage enough to go back to Waitemata. so ho went along to Pnkekohe and got returned as member .for Franklin." (Laughter.) “You got him that time,” remarked Mr Jennings amid renewed laughter. LAND VALUATION. Referring to Mr Massey’s remarks on the subject of land valuation, the Minister drew attention to tho fact that one of the Opposition loader’s lieutenants, ir declaring the party’s platform, had paid that one of the planks was repeal of ,the Valuation Act. , Air Massey: X .never said so. That is net one of onr plants. ■The Minister: Then what about the harmony that is supposed to prevail in tho ranks of the. Opposition? One of Mr Massey’s lieutenants made this definite statement that if the Opposition was returned to power it would repeal tho Valuation Act I hope the Settlers of the country will bear this statement in mind when tho elections come round. Mr Massey had complained of the valuations, but a very complete reply was found in figures he had previously quoted to show that the margin between tho selling price and the valuation averaged ,29 per cent. Mr Massey’s allegation tliat the figures were five years old was false, as tho figures were for last year. Mr Massey's figures regarding tho loss- of population were based on a few months of the year, and dealt .with-tour-ists and shearers, and after tho census returns which showed such a handsome increase in Now Zealand one would have thought that Mr Massey would have abandoned such unfounded criticisms. It was tho same with finance, and all Mr Massey’s efforts' were calculated to injure the interests of the Dominion. His idea ■ was that if money could he made dear the Government would he disinclined to borrow, and tbe country districts discontented with tho lack of development of roads and bridges would turn in desperation to the Opposition. BE REASONABLE. Mr Massey had said much of the slavedriving tactics of the Government, but it must be made quite plain that tho Opposition party, quite a small minority, could not be allowed to dictate to the House as to the ■ business it was to do. If Mr Massey and his following would only be reasonable this session there would be no necessity at all for either slave-driving, late sittings or a lengthy session. Complaint had also been made of the lateness of the period when tho Representation Commissioners had been called together, but the Government had expedited the business as much as possible. The Commissioners had been assembled within three days of the compilation of the figures, and the figures had been completed in a week’s less time than on the last occasion, when tho population was much smaller. The Government was just as anxious as tho leader of tho Opposition to have expedition in preparing tho figures for tho Boundary Commissioners, and every effort had been made to get tho figures promptly and correctly compiled. He wondered how tho leader of the Opposition had voted in regard to preferential voting? Mr Massey: How did you vote on the amendment to the Second Ballot Bill? Mr Fpwlds declared it was ridiculous to suggest that a member of the Minis-. try should walk out of tho Government just because he favoured proportional representation instead of second ballot. Responsible government would not be possible if it was necessary to have a Cabinet which agreed upon every question. It- would be impossible for Mr Massey to find five of bis followers Who would” be able to agree on every important question. He congratulated Mr Massev that he had converted his followers to proportional representation, at

any rate, as far as the Upper House was concerned. THE INVITATIONS. As for tho Coronation invitations, the first actual invitation which came to members of the,House was immediately sent around by 'telegram, and only one member intimated that ho was inclined to go, and then only in a qualified way. Tho Home people were advised, find some time later came tbe invitation .which practically applied specially to the members of the tipper Mouse, and. the' Government felt that as it was just at tho last minute and because there had been no response. at first the offer was made to pay the fares, it would be hardly a dignified position to accept. (Hear, hear.) - Regarding tho work of Sir John Findlay at Home, it would ho found that tho Webster case had reached a satisfactory conclusion to New Zealand, and the important Te Akau case had been forwarded as much as was possible without delaying while lengthy legal processes went on. The adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr IV. D. S. Macdonald, and it will be resumed at 2.30 p.m. to-day. The House rose at 13.20 ana.