PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18612, 21 July 1922, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

NOTES FROM THE PRESS GALLERY, I (FSOK OUK OWK COBTOSPOSDKHT.) WELLINGTON, July 20. ” RISE WITH THE SPARROWS. ;/■ Mr F. F. Hockly, the member for Roto*.;‘ rua, in his speech last night referred to the land policy of the Labour Party, ; He > said that nothing would more oertaimy coo* ' demn the party in the eyes of the people ’ than would its land policy. The party pi».: : posed in effect that the men who had horde all the hardships of pioneering and vyrestleH with the land till they had grown old ; should be robbed for the benefit of the men who would not dirty their boot* end would nof ' ; leave the pavements. The Labour Party '• had produced such a policy as the . result of not having a practical fanner to taka V part in its deliberations. Then Mr Hockly*' ’ with good-natured humour, suggested "w-v, : interesting experiment. “The Labohh - Patty,” he said, “should get one of ’«■ ... members to make a msrtyr of himteß. ’ They should pick out some hefty," burly. V members. I suggest the member for Aofckland Central, and get him to take up ,a piece of bush country. Let him stay op 16 for five years, work honestly and truly. getting up with the sparrows and going to ;;_ bed with the oats. —(Laughter.) Then' let him come back and formulate a policy., • Such an experience, the member for Roto* rua suggested, would induce the expieri- ■' i menter to sweep away all the planks 'fi£ the present Labour land policy. ’ PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION, , ; Proportional representation received •' knock-out blow in the fine fighting speech delivered by Mr Massey the other day -■ during the progress of the No-confidence ■, debate. The country, if one may forecast 5 from the opinions of the people’s repre-'-sentatives, will turn it down with a bump. Nevertheless, the House has not done witH. r , the question yet. Two Proportional Repre* ■ sentation Bills are now on the Order Paper* one fatheied by Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui). and the other by Mr J. MTJomba : f? (Lyttelton). Neither of them provides for the retention of the country quota, and - : Mr Massey has declared roundly that they could not provide for it, but Mr Wilford F. is a recently declared advocate of “proportional representation with. the oountrjr. ; j ?uota,” and members of his side of thS louse have asserted that they would provide for the country quota. None of them, however, has yet explained how/this could 1 be done.' When Mr Isitt asserted Aat they 'J could have proportional representation with tho country quota a member, interjecting, ! asked him how it could be done, but -Mr Isitt dodged the question and proceeded to discuss other matters. ....... Mr Veitch, who by the way is a member 1 of the Wilford Party Executive, also has * failed to make the necessary provision in >' bis Bill. On the Opposition side of tho ,V House Mr M'Combs is the member .who has made the closest study of proportional ; ,-.i representation, but his _ Bill, like Mr ■ Veitch’s, is likely to die in infancy. OvJ TRIBUTES TO MR MASSEY. - ; . Several members who came into the prosent Parliament as Independents, and eyes . .ri some who came in as Liberals, have: during the past three yearn been » convinced that ■ ;f,5 Mr Massey is the only man in sight cap- !-,v able of administering' the affairs of tho -x* dominion, that they nave decided to give: ,-,iJ him general support. Mr W. D. who was an Independent, while speaking in - the Addiesa-in-Reply debate, paid • i :,| eoy a very high compliment, and yesterday • *. Mr Nash, the member for Palmerston, 1 added his tribute. This is not the tune for - a change of Government,, he declared. Tho ’ average man knows that it is to Mr MasshJv-, v.y and to Mr Massey alone, we have to look to mill the country through. Many •'who ' have been absolute opponents of Mr Massey all through his political career, and are ,-y his opponents to-day for that matt6r, say that for the sake-of the county theymnsp ,| support Mr Massey at the coming election. -j THE BEEF INDUSTRY. ■ | An illustration of the farmer’s troubles was given by Mr E. Dixon (Patea). in,-£he ~ .b House last night. “A Hawera farmer” said Mr Dixon, “sent some cow beef totne r English market. It realised 4d perlb— £746s 8d in all. This was swallowed' up_iu J freights and charges, totalling £lO2 11a. The v farmer had to pay £2B for the privilege of sending his beef Home. That’s a very fine business to bo in.” . .? Reform Members (looking at the Labour _ benches): Tax it, tax it.