HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18049, 24 September 1920, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr MASSEY moved that the amendnents made in the War Regulations Continuance Bill by the legislative Council be agreed to. He said there, was only one important amendment, which provided that no one but British subjects should .take part in the loading and unloading of a ship, unless ho first obtained a permit from the Superintendent of Police. The police had asked for this provision, as it was necessary to tho efficient control of tho waterfronta. Mr P. FRASER objected to the provision because he did not consider the Prime Minister's explanation as to the need for the clause was sufficiently explicit. lie wanted to know exactly what was in the mind of tho police. What did they fear? Was it the safety of ships? Was it pilfering? "Was it industrial trouble? Mr MASSEY said pilfering was one of tho things behind the clause, but it had nothing to do with industrial trouble. Continuing, Mr FRASER ■ said a large number of foreigners, whose work lay on tho wharves, suffered great hardship during the war. They belonged to neutral countries, but they recognised that in war time special precautions had to be taken, and they were prepared to submit; but now that war was overc*, this sort of thing should not he continued. This clause moant that the mind of the policeman instead of tho mind of tho statesman was ruling the country. Messrs M'COMBS and HOWARD wantod to know precisely what was at tho back of tho clause. , Mr HOLLAND said the clause would not only hit foreigners, but would" hit Now Zealanders, for ho doubted if any man would work under this amendment. Mr WRIGHT said, as a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, he was in a position to say thai foreigners on the waterfront _ had been guilty of creating great mischief, and the clause was necessary to deal with them, and lie hoped iu would be passed. Mr SULLIVAN maintained that the clause made an unfair discrimination between the alien commercial man and the alien worker. It was provided that if an alien enemy business man was in business before the coming into operation of this amendment, he was to bo permitted to carry on, but the alien worker was to be deprived of his living. Ho denied that foreignor9 on the wharves were at the bottom of the industrial unrest. That unrest was world wide, and was duo to economic conditions arising out of the war. His long experience with trades unions in Now Zealand taught- _ him that foreigners had scarcely anything to do with these organisations. Those who wore fighting for social justice in Now Zealand were for the most part British nationals and sons of Now Zealand. Messrs MT.EOP, KEf/LETT. ST A TRAM LYSNAR. and Dr TRACKER supported tho regulation on the ground of national safety. Mr JENNINGS opposed it on the ground that this class legislation was calculated to promote national hatred. _ Tho PJIIME MINISTER, in reply, said it. was not. the intention of the Government to persecute Germans now living in the country, but ho hoped they would never gpfc bark to tho state of peaceful penetration prevailing before the war. Ho wished to make it perfect.lv clear that the clause did not apply to Now Zealanders. or to any British subject. Much of what was included in tho regulation -was tho las- at the

present moment. He denied that tho clause would cause offcnco to our Allies, especially Americans; but many men came from America.. The recent explosion in \Vall street.,- costing many lives, was the kind of thing tjioy had to provide against. •6 * Tlo ' tiio industrial movement in New Zealand was • dominated by foreigners, but there wero undesirablo foreigners in tho ranks of Iwibour, and when they saw what was going on iu other countries thev were going to take tlie necessary precautions. The ckuisolmd not been introduced till tho Government was thoroughly satisfied that it was required, itnd ho therefore moved its adoption. Ihis w-as challenged by tho Labour Party, who called for a division, which resulted in tho amendments being agreed to by 54 votes to 6. An amended division gave the figures as 54 to i. Iho iion. E. P. LEE moved the second Teading of tho Treaties of Peace Amendment Bill. lie explained that at present New Zealand was not administering Samoa under tho League of Nations, but under tho principal Allied and Associated Powers, from whom tho mandato had not yet been received. In tho meantime Samoa was being administered bv Order-in-Council. If when tho mandate was issued it was found I that any of these Ordors-in-Council were not in conformity with that mandate, then they could bo altered, if this Bill wero passod; because under it it was proposed to extend tho time under which Orders-in-Council could be issued to 12 months. At the present t.imo there were many Orders-in-Council in force in Samoa, and he did not anticipate that any of these would havo to bo amended, but power should bo givon to the Government, if occasion and necessity should arise. Mr DOWNIE STEWART raised the question whether New Zealand was not creatine for herself a position of a sovereign Power by accepting tho mftndate over Samoa, not through Great Britain, butdirect from the Allies. lie thought that in all our foreign relations we should act, not independently, but as part of the British Empire and ho thought tho Primo Minister should make a clear and explicit statement on the point. The PRIME MINISTER said he largely agieed with Mr Stewart. ]Mt before ho mado a statement on tho point he would like time to think the matter out becauso no more important subject could be discussed. ll© did not consider New Zealand sovereign power in the ordinary sense of the term, but we wero a self-governing nation within tho British Empire. So far as Samoa was concerned, the position was quite clear. The territory was surrendered • not to tho League of Nations, but to the principal Allied Powers, who in turn transferred it to Great Britain, by whom it was •handed to us. The dominion delegates did not sign the Peaco Treaty as sovereign powers, but as agents for the King cf threat Britain, and representing their various dominions. Mr M'COMBS strongly attacked tho system of indentured labour, which, ho said, was being continued against tho wishes of the Samoan people, the policy of tho Imperial authorities, and the conscience of Ivew Zealanders. Mr ISITT defended indentured labour as the only means of carrying on industry in Samoa. ' Mr M'CALLUM declared tho Bill "was a breach of faith, breaking the promise mado by Sir James Allen that indentured labour would be ended in 12 months. The debate was carried on by Messrs Howard. Lysnar, Mitchell, Fraser, Holland, M'Nicoll, and Hawken, who discussed the problem of indentured labour. A' 1. a : m - 'I'° MINISTER, rose to reply, maintaining that no_ fault could be found with the labour conditions in Samoa, which were superior to those in Fiji. At 1.25 a.m. a. division was taken, and tho second reading was agreed to by 33 ■votes to 12. The House rose at 1.30 a.m.