PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 62, 18 July 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

THURSDAY, JULY J. 7

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, July 17 ROUTINE BUSINESS.

The House met at 2.30

Replying to Mr Atmore, Mr Herdman said that he knew of no dissatisfaction existing in the police force. Ho was convinced that before officers were promoted they should display some elementary knowledge of education. That was necessary for the proper carrying out of an officer's duties, especially in country districts.

Mr Allen moved to set up a committee vith power to confer with a similar committee, set up by the Legislative Council, to consider matters in connection with military custody, punishment, and alternative service, consisting of Messrs Bradney, Coates, Davey, Escott, Isitt, Myers, E. Newman, Statham, Veitch and the mover. The motion was agreed to.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed by Mr J. A. Young, who urged that the future of the country depends upon small holdings and scientific agriculture. Light railways were necessary to open up the back country, and feed many lines. The wrong class of people were getting hold of native lands. The Government was not getting the land but speculators were. In the interests of.public health he urged that compulsory registration of the deaths of Maoris and the limitation of tangis to two days, and where death was due to contagious disease, the tangi should be prohibited. He advocated the establishment of dental surgeries in connection with schools in the four large centres at a cost of £2780 for the first year and an annual cost of £2160.

Mr J. V. Brown, followed, quoting

from Hansard to show the Prime Minister was inconsistent in condemning the humanitarian legislation introduced by Sir Joseph Ward, and now embodied in the Speech from the Throne. He condemned the series of appointments as spoils to the victors and the establishment of an emigration department as a farce. Customs duties had: not been reduced, but tho Minister declared that he couid not dislocate the business of merchants. This was : roformf The only solution for a 'settlement of the problem was an increase of the graduated tax* He challenged oha Government to go through the pigeon holes or ;apologise for ■ the statements made concerning the Ward Government'. ' •

Mr Scott <!ealt at lenglh with land settlement, advocating the close settlement of a,rr>as on the West Coast of the South Island for dairy farms. He put in a pica for the Otago central railway, which, he said, should be continued from Clyde onward. He favored reform of the Upper House, whether on a proportional basis or not. Ho welcomed the Public Service Board.

Mr Hainan criticised the action of the Government in putting into effect what they had condemned while in opposition. The raising of iho late three million loan by Mr Allen was a complete vindication of the Liberal Party's policy. The Government when in opposition had always said that surpluses were non-existent, yet he allowed those surpluses to go into the prospectus of the recent loan, and so, according to his criticism, deluded English investors. In 1898 Mr Massey had said that the "surplus was derived by the manipulation of figures .for revenue and expenditure." He was in this position: Either his statements then were misrepresentations, or else he had obtained the three million lo:m under false pretences. Ho could not understand Mr Hinu saying that "things were put into the prospectus of the loan which were calculated to deceive." The Prime Minister even stated that what Mr Hine said was quite true. He said he had been informed that a Civil Service Commissioner had had the audacity and impertinence to throw a file of papers in the face of one of the heads of a Department. In reply to the Prime Minister, Mr Hanan named Mr Triggs as the Commisisoner and Mr Campbell as the departmental head. Mr Massey, informing him that the information was incorrect, Mr Hanan said he was glad to hear it, for if anything was going to kill the'civil service it would be the arrogant conduct of the Commissioners. Mr Hine, in the course or a personal explanation, said the statement attributed to him in connection with the composition of tho loan prospectuses had no reference to Mr Allen or any other treasurer, but referred to a little coterie of gold-mining company promoters. Mr G. J. Anderson said the graduated tax had been so severe that it had already had the effect of breaking up largo estates. Light lines were urgently required in certain parts of the Dominion. Settlers should have tho right to build them if they desired to do so. He strongly urged that tho interests of the public in the Bank of New Zealand should be protected, and that the Bank should never be allowed to go back to what it was before the country came to the rescue. What was wanted was a further turn in the screw of the graduated lanrl tax as soon as possible. Mr Wilkinson replied to ihe address, and tin- House roso ni 11.15. I