IN RETROSPECT

Southland Times, Issue 18975, 23 June 1923, Page 4

IN RETROSPECT

SPEECH BY MR PERRELLE (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, June 22. Mr P. A. de la Perrelle (Liberal-Labour, Awarua) said that the Premier appealed to human nature for sympathy for the Government candidate at Taurangn, yet on the occasion of the Oamaru election he said that sympathy had won the seat for the Liberals. The real reason for the Liberals success there wm that the people deeired a change. The Legislative Council was a waste of public money. The Act of 1914 provided for elective councillors, yet five new members were appointed only a fort night ago at an annual expenditure of £1,500 a year. It was like Mahomed’s coffin, somewhere suspended between heaven and earth, the Minister who urged it then still went the other way. Soldiers and Sisters were unable to get adequate medical aid because there was no record on their files of the complaints they suffered from as a result of their war service. Referring to the administration of lands settlement he said £15,000 more was paid for the Clifton settlement than it was worth and seven of the original settlers had left it. He produced the balance sheet of one soldier settler that showed that he had made only £4O 13s profit during the year. Appealing for equal consideration for the South Island Mr Perrelle quoted a district where the school attendance had gone back and where instead of a large number of families getting a livelihood on from 200 to 250 acres of land, houses had been closed up and gardens were now rabbit warrens. The land, he said, had been mopped up and New Zealand was fast becoming a land grabber’s paradise. The South Island had gone in for dairying and now rivalled Taranaki in butter production, yet owing to irregular shipments, the producers were unable to get their produce to the market. He commended the action of the Australian Government in purchasing a line of steamers at a time when the high rates of freight ruling enabled them to pay off the capital cost quickly. Education was another subject dealt with by the member. In the Hawke’s Bay district he said £7OOO had been paid for a girls hostel to accommodate five girls and a hostel was erected in the South Island at Gore at a cost of £lO,OOO, when farmers could not get a shilling for deserving primary schools. He appealed for allowances for children riding to school, commended the State Bank, and asked for a reduction of railway rates. He agreed to the Prime Minister going to the Conference provide the necessary legislation was passed.