THE SESSION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12101, 9 July 1920, Page 6

THE SESSION.

(By Telegraph.—" Times” Special.' WELLINGTON, Last Night WHERE THE INDEPENDENTS STAND. The week’s debate on the No-con-fidence amendment by the Leader of the Opposition ended this afternoon with a Government majority of 22, compared with a majority of 23, when Labour tried conclusions upon the. first business day of the session. The Minister for Education had the right to resume the debate, but he remarked that he gathered there was a general wish to come to a division. The House seemed ready for this course, but Mr Craigie interposed with a brief explanation of his reason for opposing the motion. He was, he said, an Independent, and hoped to see more brotherhood and less party feeling in the House. The motion was only a continuation of the party, quarrel. A laughable incident of the division was that Mr Parr wandered into the "Ayes” lobby among the supporters of the amendment, but their loud jocularity soon caused the Minister to seek the opposite lobby in time to record his vote on the correct card. The' division resulted: —Ayes 23, Noes 45. The Labour party voted for the amendment but the Independent Labourites, Messrs Veitch, Smith, Kellett, also Statham. preferred to keep but of the contest, while Mr Craigie and another Independent followed the Government. This division paved tlx-, way for Mr Statham’s amendment in favour of an election of Cabinet by tlx- members of the House, or at least by the members of the dominant party in Parliament. The mover, who spoke from behind the Leader of the Opposition, said he was among tin- Liberals, but not of them. It had not been easy for him to break away from party ties and personal friendships, but he believed the time had come when he must sacrifice old connections and strike out for himself if he wished to do any good. THE DIVISION LIST

The division list on Mr MacDonald’s No-confidcnce motion: —For the amendment 23 —Messrs Atmore, Barf:iv;ir., Edie, Forbes, Hanan, Holland, i Horn, Howard Isitt, Jennings, McCal--1 I Iniii, McCombs, MacDonald, Masters, } ;Vgala, Parry, Poland, Savage, Sedil'don, Sidey, Sullivan, Thacker, and j Witty. Against the amendment, 45 ! Messrs Anderson Bitchener Bollard, { Burnett, Campbell, Coates, Craigie, , P, h ,>n (two), Field, Glenn, Guthrie, 1 Hamilton (two), Harris, Hawker, iI t ‘iui c, Herries, Hockley, Hudson, Ti enter Jones, Lee, Luke, Lysnar, McLeod, McNicol, Malcolm, Mander, Massey, Nash Newman, Nosworthy, Parr, Pomare, Potter, Powdrell, Reed, Rhodes (Hon. R. H.), Rhodes (T. W.), Stewart, Sykes, Uru, Wright, and Young. i THE SUGAR DEAL. [ "(’he Government has been tardy ' in disclosing details of its agreement I with the Colonial Sugar Company, ' but under pressure of members’ ques- ! lions, Mr Massey gave a good deal of ; iiformation to the House, promising ; still more details when the Addressi in-Reply debate had ended. ; "Mr Witty opened up the question ! by stating that when the Parliamen- ! tary party were at Fiji they saw ’ cO.OOO tons of sugar waiting to be ■ shipped. He wanted to know if this ; was coming to New Zealand, and if \ so, would it be available at the old ! price. He saw 16,000 tons at one S mill Avaiting for shipment. The \ 'Premier replied that New Zealand j had secured a quantity of sugar, for ' which the Government had contracted ’ r rom the Sugar Company prior to | doth June, and it was not a question 1 I of purchasing the whole crop, but a ; ccrtaci number of tons When the 1 Sugar Company offered the Governi mr-m 6 5 000 tons early in the year, he I i::i< 1 hesitated to pay the price at ; which it was afterwards purchased, ; lii’J iim advice and information the Govern merit-had obtained was to the effect that sugar was likely to rise, and ibat there was a world shortage. A representative of the Colonial Sugar Company had come from Aus-, t rulia to conduct negotiations, and Cabinet had decided to purchase 6 5,000 tons at a price which had been made public. The Sugar Company was not anxious to sell, and soon aftm-Avards the price had risen. Mr Witty: “They could have got more." Mr Massey: “Yes, £lO more. Australia has imported sugar at £BO a ton.’’ Mr Holland: “Millions of profit for the Sugar Company!” Mr Massey: “There’s no question about it; but Ncav Zealand has no cause to complain of the Sugar Company’s treatment. New Zealand has the cheapest sugar in the world.” Mr Holland: “And robbed you at the same time!” Mr Massey replied that all through I the war the Sugar Company had only ‘ increased its price proportionately to ( the higher taxation. They had made high profits, but it Avas an outside company, which could not be controlled.

Mr Witty: “Will the extra charge be put on to the sugar you bought prior to the new crop?” Mr Massey: “Irrespective, of the old or new crop, we bought a certain quantity to be delivered before June SOth. After that we will pay the inMr Malcolm asked what steps would be taken to prevent an increase in the price of sugar in store before June SOth Mr Massey replied that the Government was informed that there was hardly any sugar held in store, except a few pounds here- and there. THE MOTION REJECTED. Mr Statham’s amendment was rejected by 41 votes to SO. The .Labour Party twitted Mr Statham , with a breach of his declaration that he would vote with the “Reds.” They intended to go with him into the lobby and wondered how he would get rid of the “Red stain.”