PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 27, 16 September 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

house.of representatives. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, September lo The House of Represent iti/es met at 2.30 p.m. FINANCIAL DEBATE. 'The''debate on the Budget \\..s icouniejl by. Mr. Arnold, \\ho pointed out that the main questions had not beoh touched except by the first two speakers. 'He looked upon the Opposition as a body that was as dead as Julius Caesar, and thought the Go\erumont would do better to watch the undercurrents running through the Dominion ;than paying so much attention td the Opposition. Personally ho wou|d always be found with the progressive, : p;uty in the House, irrespective of its title. He considered the Budget the most progressive for many years.past, and would heartily support ; it. . Referring to the Labour problem, he held that what the workers yeqnired was the right to work not /charity and an unemployment insurance scheme did not .fully cover this'in . ■ j Mr. .Alien argued that the Opposition, so far from being dead, would come back from , the country a strengthened reform party. In reference to insurance against unemployment, ,his party would make an nonost endeavour to do something tangible in the matter. He pointed to the necessity of something being done- for Central Otago. Approri.itions made had never been expended and now on the evo of an election the Government proposed to do something. He expressed regret at the waste of money in.railway construction all over the Dominion, maintaining that lighter lines should be built jn nSw country. Extraordinary haste with - which the Budget was framed resulted in inaccuracies and misstatements, and the Premier had misrepresented to the public the amount of the 1 national debt. The Premier had put the debt higher than it actually was, stating'it to bo 81 millions instead ,of 77 millions. It /Was not his duty to show the debt Ip'wer than it was, but these figures 'served lo shoiv'the inaccuracies in/the Budget. He took Exception to Hie statement that Treasury bills had been paid olf inasiliuch as they had been ‘renewed a few weeks before .hieing cleared. Errors usually occurred to make figures appear in favoijr of the Treasurer, and such things, did not tend to give confidence dip the compiler of tlie figures.]-' • / !'C ' Mr. Russell, replying to Mr. Allen, said his speech might Oc characterised as faultrfiuding and nagging upon minor'details. Ho was convinced the country was sound ■ and prosperous, whiclrwould not be; the case with a change •of Government. Opposition xfiombdrs were calling out: l, VVhnt is the land policy?” ‘‘Why,” said Mr. Russell, “its is all in the present law rpbit is tlie| policy.” To point his remark, he mentioned that for . the year binding March, 1911, 1,412,742 , acres had been 1 taken up .by 2267 selectors. ■ EVENING-HITTING.' On the House, resuming this evening, Mr/ Herdmaii traversed the previous speaker’s: statement regarding the land settled, pointing out that 6|4",0U0 of the amount stated were pastoral runs- which had been renewed. Ho declared the whole statement regarding Treasury hills was slippery.;^;, l ' , 4 , • Ruling on a point of order raised by Sir Joseph Ward, the Speaker said the word “Slippery” was only used in a political sense. Mr; Herdman, continuing, declared the cost of railway construction had materially increased between 1906 and 1911ptho / difference being £4BOO a mile. The Budget he described as a deliberatePattempt on the part of the Government to rehabilitate themselves; It showed nothing as to how native lands were to be settled, nor was any reference made to that “expensive''superfluity,” the Legislative Council: He contended the general trendy6f .legislation and the manner of taxation ymk having a disastrous effect on the working man. He would, he said, in reply to an interjection, repeal the Arbitration Act to-mor-row.: ' t.

Mr; Laurenson maintained that the Budget. contained more '.far-reaching and Humanitarian proposals than ever put before the country in any previous Budget. He controverted Mr. Massey’s contention that the Government 'in regard to the increased cost of railway, saying the Government had taken duty oit practically all the main imported foods. As to Mr. Okey’s contention that the leasehold should be the stopping-stone to freehold, he reminded nim that the Government had to legislate for posterity, "not for this decade. In regard to the increased cost of railway construction, it had to be borne in mind that more precipitous country had to be opened up now than formerly. Ho urged the Premier to concentrate his attention on the proper education of ■the young to fit them for the world of usefulness and self-reliance, and also upon a sound .land policy, with increased graduated tax. Mr. Fisher characterised the Budget as an electioneering one pure and simple, and provided for everything except lunatics and collectors of moa bones. Dealing with taxation, he asked if the high rents were not duo to the enormously inflated land values? It had been suggested that the oil and iron industries should be nationalised to prevent them getting into the hands of. monopolists. Why, he asked, was not the Union Steam Ship Company nationalised? The Budget was full of inaccuracies, and was rubbish. ThiS"' Government would find-when matters were straightened out that’ the profit from State industries, would not pay even the defence bill for a year. The House rose at 11.30 p.m. ! ’ n ‘