ADDEESS-LMEPLX.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17067, 27 July 1917, Page 5

ADDEESS-LMEPLX.

DEBATE IN LOWER HOUSE. OPm Dmitbd Pbim Association.) WEIILTNGTON, July 26. in tho House of Representatives to-day the dobato on the Address-in-lieply was resumed by Mr Okey, who adversely criticised the administration regarding tho dairy industry, which, ho considered, liad not received the consideration it deserved. Ho also criticised tho administration of the Minister of Defence, whose method of handling tho reinforcements was not at all satisfactory. The first great mistake was the formation of the liiflo Brigade, and since then the reinforcements had piled up until the position became so complicated that no one could understand what the position was. Tho Houso should bo told tho truth. Hβ did not doubt that New Zealand was prepared to fulfil all her engagements, but tho Houso and the people had a ngnt to know what those engagements were. His grievance against the National Cabinet was that it was afraid to do anything and when it did move it did it in a blundering manner. The butter fat tax was a case in pouit Instead of taking a bold course and buying the output of butter, the Government imposed an unfair and discriminating impost, which taxed every milking cow m the dominion to the extent of 12s to 15s. ITiis money was extracted unlawfully from too dairy farmers, and justice demanded that it ehould bo returned to them. Mr Walker denied that there was any disunion amongst members of the Labour to uu" l denounced the conviction of Webb, based on incomplete notes furnished by a constable. Concerning the early closing of hotel bars, he maintained that the people had set their faces determinedly in the direction of a restriction of hours, and it was the duty of Parliament to respond If however, the restriction was put upon the hotels steps should also be taken to prevent the development of keg parties Oldage pensions should bo raised, and more sympathy should be ehown to soldiers by tho Pensions Board, whose general attitude was su °a as to give the impression that it thought more of conserving the interests of the country than of the applicants. He objected to the session being confined to war matters, as there were many labour problems requiring consideration. Farming questions were over-prominent in the House ■1 e ", orts of tho Board of Trade to deal with tho cost of living wete completely stultified by the fact that the board was cribbed, cabined, and confined. Mr Lee described his experiences at the front as a delegate to the Parliamentary Association. He repudiated the suggestion that the men in the trendies were not being sufhciently fed, and declared, after a thorough inspection of the hospitals, that everything in human power was being done tor the wounded soldiers. What struck him most was the magnificent spirit of the men and as they were doing their duty at the tront it was imperative that we here did our duty by them. He, therefore, advocated tho complete revision and an increase of the .pensions scheme Tho calling up of the becond Division, would raise a set of new problems, and it was the duty of the National Cabinet to find a (solution, it not, chaos must reign, and any reasonable scheme brought down would ioeeive the endorsement of the House. Efficiency Boards had been appointed to assist the Government, but the responsibility could not be shifted on to the board. The Government would have either to adopt the scheme of tho board or carry out another of its own. On the question of taxation, he urged a heavy taxation on large incomes and contended that the Treasurer had relieved tho brewers of £30,400 in taxation by the change in the system of collecting the beer duty. More drastic taxation must be imposed on the brewers, and it the Government did not impose it no one would, be more surprised than the brewers themselves. The six o'clock closing of bars was asked for by a large body of moderate opinion, and he would support it. Ho thought that racing had not been sufficiently reduced. There was not justification for wasting national efficiency to the extent that we were wasting it in this direction, for the struggle was strenuous, and he was not prepared to support any Government which was likely to fail us in the crisis which we were passing through Mr Young dealt first with the Imperial aspects of the war, and then proceeded to argue that the moment had come to organise the people so as to secure equal aacriiice and service to the State. This was" tho duty of the National Cabinet, but, unfortunately, Ministers did not realise that the time had arrived when they should act and he warned them that unless they awoke to the need of the hour tho House would speedily demand a change. Members had not been taken into the confidence of Ministers, for Ministers eeemed to be dividing their whole attention between the possibility of a general election and retaining their seats. Passing on to taxation, he declared that the excess profits tax did not necessarily get war profits, but it got a share of the hard work of many enterprising people. The system was full of anomalies, for which he did not blame the Minister entirely. Every member of the House must take a share of the responsibility. He put in a plea for the ■ small investor, who was now called- on to pay excessively under the income-tax. He blamed the Government for imposing an unconstitutional tax on the farmers in the shape of the butter-fat levy, which woulc never have been levied had Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward been in the country. He hoped they would find some escape from the impossible position into which, the fanners were driven in their absence. The ramifications of the meat trust, enemy aliens at liberty, and the eccentricities of medical examinations were dealt with by the speaker, who _ concluded by expressing the hope that Ministers and members woulc concentrate the whole of their efforts on one purpose—to win the war. Mr Malcolm said ho regretted that more bad not been done to reduce tho cost of. living. Ho thought much might be done by exciting competition. He- was not a Socialist, but he considered that the State could be used to create competition. He described tho operations of the millers to manipulate tho wheat and flour markets, and suggested that the Government should buy a flour mill, which, would regulate the prices of flour and bread just as the State i'iro Department reduced the insurance rates. The same principle might be applied in shipping and other industries. While State industries were not supposed to be efficiently managed, ho was confident that much good would result by tho stimulation, of .competition, which rings could not ignore. He had been urging this course on the Minister, and he hoped that something , would be done next session. On the subject of the early closing of hotel bars, he maintained that the State was the sovereign against which no individual had rights if necessity dictated the cancellation of thoso rights. When tho trado spoke of sacrifice it omitted to mention that last year the ; State gave the traffic an enormous privilege by avoiding a local option poll, which privilege was out of all proportion to anythinggiven to any other section of tho camniunity, but when ffc came to sacrifice ho claimed tho war -warranted tho State claiming any sacrifice from every section of the people. In any case he urged a more vigorous administration of the licensing laws, and commended the promotion of officers who had shown energy in this connection. Post-war conditions in their historical light were considered, and the speaker urged the House not to overlook tho possibility of having to face industrial depression at the closo of the war, but he was not pessimistic believing that a greater application of inventions and a more economic uso of labour would provide us with a way out. He urged pouring in n all the reinforcements possible as soon as possible, such a ' course bein«calculated to shorten the war and save thousands of lives. •- At the conclusion of Mr Malcolm's speech *° A S P£ ake f P"t the amendment moved by Mr M Combs, which was lost on the voiced Speaking m reply on the orignal motion Mr 6m<th fPahiatua) declared that hT££ no sympathy with people who said New Zealand bad done enough in the matter or reinforcements, but he took up tho position that the size of the original be determined by tho Government at once? and we, havmg fixed that on the basis of a proper percentage of our snare of servkjo to the Empire, should send reinforcemrats in. that proportion, and no more The motion that a respectful address "bo presented to tho Governor-general was carTho Houso rose at 9.30 p.m