CRITICISM IN THE HOUSE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13428, 9 July 1914, Page 6

CRITICISM IN THE HOUSE.

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.)

\yELLINGTON. last night. In the- course" of x the Address-iii-l-ii-ply debate, .Mr C. Thomson said th,eie was hot one. ioto <4f constructive policy m tho Governor's Speech. He said Mr Massey opposed. cJoser settlement legislation and tlie provision of cheap money. It was useless to deny this, because of his utterances recorded m Hansard. The Government had preached economy. The Governor's Speech showed a large increased expenditure and there had been no reduction m" taxation. Instead of decreasing boniwving, Mr Massey was borrowing more than the Liberals. In the past the Government had backed down on the laud question. The only freehold granted was.. of l.i.p. .renewable leases of acquired land. High land values -were responsible for increased rents and not the cost of houses. A conference of land valuers should be called"- U> provide a scientific system of valuation. Great care should bo taken with regard, to reform of the .Council.

Mr Hanan said the Ministers' were showing .remarkable reluctance to de-ff-nd their administration. Only tho Minister, of Public Works had spoken and his Ent.-eeh was weak nnd colorless, "it had been claimed ihat the Government 'had carried, out its jik-d^os, but "•> one. r^nld seriously make such a. pretence. The repeal of the -second ballot without a substitute, was not electoral reform, and tho Government showed th-at- on the question of electoral reform they were not worthy of the confidence i)i the people. The Minister for Fihanep "as starving the Advances to Settlers' Department so that he might come down with a great credit balance. The Government's claim for great financial reforms would not .stand investigation. If evidences of Tammany and corruption had been found m tho pigeon holes, would r.ot the Government papers have declared tho fact from one end of the to the other? He- defended the Librrnl administration of the public service. He warned the House flgainstwasteful -expenditure on defence,' and declared that it was imnossible to obtiin information as to the expenditure now beinc: indulged m. He traversed the decisions of some of the committee "'"*• ut> by the Government to whitewash ?.liriisters." . '

'Mr '"Wilkinson jqptificd the extra. e<neuditure of the Government by the <r-owth Qf demands nnon • State, which could" not be declined unless they were Jfoing to check progress. He f i-vored a lornl navy .arid condemned the Japanese Alliance .-..as -a rotten r^ed to append upon for the defence*, of the Pacific. N ,