COUNCIL OF ACTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15303, 26 August 1920, Page 8

COUNCIL OF ACTION.

1 (tiOifa Oiir, ParllarhettUr^ ' Reporter.) I , WELLINGTON, last night. / Labor members created a. small babol of interruption when, the Premier said that, a counter motion to their expression of Approval of the English Council of Action would m duo course be placed before Parliament. Ho had, he said, consulted the leader of the Opposition, and would submit a motion .expressing the continued loyalty of tile Dominion and Us sympathy with Uie Imperial ddvemmeivt m the ditlU'.nltlc. with which llley have. W deal, and expressing; .th©-- ebmulent hope that "tlie Umpire will emerge from troubles which, judging by past history) ar& '■ ijiafeparable front a period •Of reboUstrUetjbii, indie st)li'd ilUd more, ydwerf lil. tilalt befbre; "Nothing tb do witli tiife proposal,',' bonir monted .. Mi* MclGomus, while Other Labor: itcs remarked '•simply shirking— side tracking/ • Mr Fraser. asked if tlie. Premier woiild face tlie position by submitting a mOtioit condemning the propriety' «j_.'tn_ r i-a_br party cable. "He was proceeding to commeiifc bit the •Premier's prbpbsal 'wlieii M_ Speaker deOiared that a Minister's' statement was not -open for discussion. Mr; Parry: A. double shufnfc. Mr Massey j replying tb Mr Fraser, said ho had iiO intention of. doiiig anything of the sort. (Hear, hear.) - "-, Several Labor . members tried to express llibir feeling simultaneously, but it was impossible to comprehend what. they were saying. Mr . Holland wanted to ask a question, and was told that the time for questions was .past unless, the ; question was put with the indulgence: o£ the _ouso. Mr Holland: I do that. Members: No, no. Mr Parry : Cowardly ' — absolutely cowardly. > Mr T. W. Rhodes asked if aiiy hiembel* had ft fight to attvbiute cowardice to another. Ml* .Spoakci* replied that if the word was used it must bo withdrawn. --,-. Mr Parry: t did not • Use the' word "cowardice;, . 7 ; Members: _ott did; PUMICE LANDS,* POSSIBILITIES OF -- DEVELOPMENT., An interesting- reference to the. possibilities of the development of pumice lands of the Dominion- was niade. when the Minister 'of Agriculture presented liis Departmental annual report. Mi* Mac Donald suggested that' the Minister ought to be gratified at the amount of interest shown ju'his Department. -There was certainly ti fine' staff of; experts at his disposal. Very great credit was due tb the people who had carried 1 on' experimental areas oirtheirY own 'lands. ''As tho supply of native land' arid "Crown land was almost finished, special attention ought to be paid to, laud oh pumice areas and m the West? Coast' of' the. South Island. The Minister of Lands had, by taking over the Rcparda /estate", ..com-

nienced what would ,be a great development m a large pumice area.' Thousands of acres could be brought' into use" for sheep farming, . possibly also dairying. Experiments must be carried.. but," even.. if they were costly, "because they would enable two million acres'... of. .mncLTto- be eventually utilised.— Jfr' Kgata '. strongly supported the suggestion that . experiments be undertaken on pumice country. , It would be money well spent if the Agricultural Stock Committee of . the House was empowered to continue its work during the recess so as' to investigate the possibilities of Taupo and the Bay of Plenty country.— Mr Newman announced that he once believed ' pumice country absolutely tvorthless, but ho Mad* changed his \ mind. ; Experimental plots m grasping would havo to bo provided; Ho re-, commended the development ' of lands north- of AucklandT^Mr" Hockley, as rer presentativc of the "constituency m- whichthe pumice areas wero, expressed gratifica-j lion -at ihe interest shown by '"disinterest-.' cd members. There was no question of its future potentialities, though 'a railway connecting Rotorua and Taupo was an; essential factor m -' exoedjthig Y develop-ment.—-The Minister' of Agriculture had so little' time m whichYto ' '..reply... that hesuggested leaving it .'."to discussion .upon,' the Department's estimates. 7 7 i ' '"- ■. -' ';■■