PARLIAMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22325, 27 July 1934, Page 10

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (Pe« United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 25. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. SECOND READINGS. The Reciprocal Enforcements Judgments Bill and the Mutual Fire Insurance Amendment Bill were read a second tune and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.' , , The Stock Remedies Bill wag read a second time and referred to the Agricultural Committee. ARMS’ REGISTRATION. ■ The second reading of the Arms Amendment Bill was moved by the Leader of the Council (Mr R- Masters). . Sir Francis Bell said that one of the advantages of the registration of all firearms was that the police knew where every firearm was. The Bill ought to be welcomed by every law-abiding citizen. He considered the Government should consider a further limitation of_ the possession of firearms and ammunition. His sole concern was that the only armed force in the Dominion should be the armed force of the Crown. _ The Bill was read a second time. OPTICIANS’ BILL. The Opticians Amendment Bill was read a second time. The Council rose at 3.30 p.m. until Tuesday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. AN EMPOWERING BILL. Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) gave notice of his intention to introduce the Christchurch City Empowering Bill. LICENSING OF DRAINLAYERS. ‘Mr A. S. Richards (Roskill) asked the Minister of Health (Mr J. A. Young) if he would introduce legislation for the licensing of drainlayers, providing for the license to cover the whole local authorities of the Dominion, Mr Young replied in the negative. He said that to give effect to the member s request would mean that the Government would have to set up examination registration boards for the Dominion, otherwise every local body would have accept the license certificates of every other local authority.

UNEMPLOYMENT AMENDMENT The debate on Mr Sullivan’s motion for leave to introduce the Unemployment Amendment Bill was continued. Mr F. Langs tone (Waimanno) spoke of/ the differentiation between city and country relief workers, and said that the Government was taking advantage of the position. It had one policy for the city where men had an opporutnity to organise and secure the ear of those in authority, and another policy for the backblocks, where no other assistance was available. Mr Clyde Carr (Timaru) said the Government would not accept _ the responsibility for raising money in any other ■ way than a loan or taxation. The Labour ' Party said that was all rubbish. If the Unemployment Board capitalised its fund there would be more than sufficient to do all that Mr Sullivan sought to do. If the Government was not prepared to raise an internal loan, what about taxation! He know some classes were heavily taxed, but there were many people who would rather be taxed a little more than see tne cases of hardship which were existing. Mr Forbes: They can give voluntarily. Mr Carr; Yes, they can, but when it is left to the people to give voluntarily it is found that certain people who really could not afford it gave till it hurts them, while others who could afford it gave nothing. The poor always gave most. People who could afford it should be made to pay. Mr Carr criticised the No. 10 building scheme which, he said, subsidised wealthy companies which installed American labour-saving schemes. He asked the Government why New Zealand could not have unemployment insurance as they had at Home, The present Government was the most extravagant the Dominion had ever had, and it said it would be demoralising if it paid sustenance. Goods were produced to 'be consumed and people should not have to go hungry in the midst of plenty. Mr A. Stuart (Rangitikei) said he thought the chain system adopted in freezing works was all right. It was introduced through the - action of the workers themselves. No suggestion had been made to remedy the position. The only thing wanted was more pay, and that meant more taxation. Reference had been made to the landowners who, it was stated, had had a subsidy from the Unemployment Board, Mr Semple had mentioned the names of Messrs Kiddiford, Cameron, and T. A. Duncan. Mr Stuart said he knew nothing about Messrs Riddiford and Cameron, but he did know the facts about Mr Duncan, who had never employed one unemployed man on his own property. There was a property Of 0000 acres into which Mr Duncan financed a man, but when tunes became bad the man had to get out. Mr Duncan felt he had an obligation to the mortgagee, and. h® took the place over, iiie Unemployment Board was making an appeal to try to get unemployed men into useful work. Mr Duncan employed no fewer than HO men cutting scrub, planting sandgrass, draining, etc. , A Labour member: He got a subsidy Stuart: Of course he got a subsidy, but not a 50 per cent, subsidy. Mr Duncan had heavy overhead charges, he * had to buv fencing material, grass seed, and other things. The land was still in the man’s name, and if things turned out all right it would still belong to. him. Mr Stuart said he thought the Standing Orders of the House should not permit a member to make remarks about anyone who did not have an opDortunity to defend himself. , s P Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch Bast) criticised the sustenance allowance. He said the country could not keep a man in vaol or in the army or navy, for os a dS? yet that was all that the Bill? was asking 'for. If the present pobcy pursued he could see nothing ahead but permanent unemployment. Mr S. Richards (Roskill) said that New Zealand was rapidly developing into a C 3 nation. Children were growing up suffering from preventable diseases because of ill-nourishment. If things were allowed to go on ultimately Oliver CromweU would rise up. Recently he was m the Hawke’s Bay district, and he had learnt of wealthy landowners who were employ in? Indian workers at 10s a week and receiving a subsidy. Some ot tnem came within the circle that received the benefit of the increased exchange Incomes above £3OOO and. £400.should be taxed to extinction during the present depression rather than that dren should be allowed to suffer There was no country in the world better able to have a high standard of living than New Zealand. If war broke out New Zealand could find the money for destructive purposes, and was therefore under a moral obligation to find money for con-

struct!ve purposes. .. Mr E T Tirikatene (Southern Maori) said that the relief difference in relief allocations between the Native and the pakeha races was most conspicuous, and the matter called for close investigation. He quoted cases in support of his statement and submitted that the Maori was entitled to a fair deal. Mr P. C. Webb (Buffer) agreed that the Maori should not receive less than the pakeha. If discrimination were made the Maori should receive the advantage. The Government should change the whole unemployment policy and should insist that every person employed should be paid at standard rates of pay for the class of work performed. The Government should take a leaf out of the book of every Government in Australia regarding relief work. . , ~ Mr F. Jones (Dunedin South) said the Government should dictate a policy to the Unemployment Board which seemed to have been set up to act as a buffer. Although the cost of administration might he small in a percentage basis it cost £95.000 in 1933 and £ll2 000 in 1934 and that was not the whole cost as it did not include unemployed men who were working in employment offices at relief rates He thought that not enough attention was paid to the opinion of the family doctor when the question arose whether a man was fit or not to go to camp. Physically unfit men were being

sent to camps in Central Otago where an exceptionally hard winter was experienced. He urged that a tax should he placed on absentees who derived income from investments in New Zealand. A boy under 20 did not have to pay a shilling in the £ on his income, but a girl under 20 did. "Mr A. J. Stallworthy (Eden) said that the Unemployment Board’s expenditure had departed too far from the control of the House, which should have absolute control of the fund. He was satisfied that there was plenty of useful work available for all unemployed throughout the Dominion, work that was needed to be done, and they had the men to do it. He thought if the Government co-operated with local authorities the problem could be ended within a year. Mr J. Connolly (Mid-Canterbury) advocated better treatment for unemployed men and women in the country. He thought that country people had. taken

things too easily. Mr W. J. Jordan (Manukau) said it was not enough to say that the Government was giving sustenance to the unemployed. The question was whether the people were able to live on the amount, and based on the Family Allowances Act the rate of sustenance was most inadequate. Mr D. W. Coleman (Gisborne) said that the unemployed in the country were infinitely worse off than in the city. The country people had been too law abiding. EVENING SESSION The House resumed at 7.30 p.ra. THE FINANCE BILL. Urgency was accorded the passage of the Finance Bill. The Minister of Finance (Mr J. O. Coates) moved the second reading, and after he had explained in detail the provisions of the Bill a lengthy debate (a full report of which appeal's under a separate heading) followed, the measure being subjected to much adverse criticism by the Opposition. The Bill was read a second time. The House then went into committee on the Biff. Mr Savage gave notice of his intention to move an amendment providing that in future the governor and deputy-governor of the Reserve Bank shall be appointed by the Governor-General-in-Council. The present Act provides that they shall be appointed by the GovernorGeneral on the recommendation of the directors of the hank. Mr Stallworthy moved an amendment to have the rent and mortgage interest reduction provision extended for one year only. (Left sitting.)