IN FIGHTING MOOD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 531, 7 December 1928, Page 7

IN FIGHTING MOOD

Sir Joseph Ward’s Challenge

READY TO GO TO COUNTRY (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, “To-day. {F this House won’t help me, the country will. You won t find me skirmishing around and getting under the lee of anyone to protect me.”

These remarks, made by the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition, in one of his many brushes with the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, during the Address in Reply debate late yesterday afternoon, showed that the leader of the United Party will not hesittae to go to the country should he deem such a procedure necessary. Several times in his speech he hinted at such a course. The battle royal between theOpposition and the Government lias begun with an exchange of political pleasantries. After some ordinary business had been transacted, and after the first division of the new House had taken place, the Address-in-Reply was moved by Mr. A. E. Ansell, the new member for Chalmers, and seconded by Mr. A. W. Hall, Hauraki. Mr. Ansell first voiced the fervent hope of all parties and classes that better news would be heard as to the King’s health. On the question of industrial peace Mr. Ansell said the feeling that Capital and Labour had nothing in common was disappearing. The recent industrial conference had been well worth while. By calling it the Government had served all classes well. Mr. Ansell reviewed what the Government had done in the field of motor taxation and roads improvement. i Mr. Hall said no GoverYiment: in the past had experienced the difficulties encountered by the present Government, which had legislated fairly and for the good of the people. The prosperity of New Zealand depended on primary production, and the farmers had been “up against it,” but with the improving trade balance there should be a return of reasonable prosperity, lie reviewed the splendid record of the Government in its efforts to assist the man on the land. SIR JOSEPH WARD OPENS FIRE After concurring in the expressions of loyalty and the hopes for the speedy recovery of the King, Sir Joseph Ward complimented the two previous speakers on their addresses, remarking ironically that he was born p.t the time of the battleNof Culloden and therefore was 170 years old. This would answer the many anxious requests about his age. Then he started in earnest prefacing his remarks with the statement that his criticism of the Government would be quite impersonal, as it had been during the whole of the election campaign. He twitted the Prime Minister on his remarks, during the election, that the United Party did not count. Taking as his first criticism the seven-month statement of finance laid on the table, Sir Joseph Ward said that already, from the statement, the country could he said, at first glance, to be £2,000,000 down, the expenditure being £12,664,379. Mr. Stewart: That’s nothing. Sir Joseph Ward: Anyone reading this statement would say that the country was down two million in seven months. Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) : You’ve got the land and income tax to come in yet. Sir Joseph continued that the House had before it the financial figures of the i couutry which had not certified by the Auditor-General. There should be a 12-months’ record duly certified so that comparisons could be made with preceding years and future ones. The Minister of Finance had an ingenious way of turning anything serious off by being comical. By what he had don*; at Dunedin, at Invercargill, and in the House that day, he gave the impression that he could go two ways at once, and | both were right. During the election ; Mr. Stewart had made an extraordinary ! statement in answer to Sir Joseph’s own that in three years the Coates Government had borrowed in round figuies £30,000,000. Mr. Stewart had replied that it was only £29,650,000, but that the Government had spent £6,070,000 in, paying war debts, etc., reducing the j borrowings to £23,000,000. I Mr. Stewart: The war debts weren t , paid out of loan moneys. Sir Joseph: You corrected your statement after I had replied to you. 1 Mr. Stewart: The money was paid out of revenue. Sir Joseph said that the amount still remained at £29,000,000. Discussing his loan proposal of £70,000,000 in ight to ten years, Sir Joseph said that during the election Mr. Coates had not played cricket, misrepresenting him by saying that the money would be borrowed in one year. This was also how the “New Zealand Herald” had reported bis speech. Other papers had corrected the statement, but still Mr. Coates went on misquoting him. , , Hero there was a wordy war between the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister claiming that he had got his information from a South Island paper. The skirmish ended in Reform groans and laughter. Sir Joseph continued that Mr. Coates had misrepresented him when he said that five United candidates had withdrawn on hearing of the £70,000,000 loan. , Mr. Coates: I said that two took fright. Sir Joseph: And 1 know where and how one did it: The candidates did not withdraw from the party because j of the loan. I Sir Joseph then went on to speak | of the urgency of advancing money for i settlers and workers, saying that lie I had scores of letters from men saying I that they were practically starving for money. He would advance money to ! a people. If he could not g t ■ authority from the House, he would ! get it from the country. GETTING WORKED UP •Sir Joseph, by this time, was getting i worked up, and was addressing Mr. Coates in the second person, instead of in the prescribed form, and had to be called to order three times. Pie asked if the Government thought ho was so green as to carry out his programme on the shreds of the commitments of the Government, as Mr, Stewart had said that there was plenty of money available. The vehemence of Sir Joseph’s attack did not abate as time drew on f He started on the Prime Ministei j again, and said that Mr. Coates hac said during the election that he (Sii Joseph) was not known in Wellington Mr. Coates: I challenge the hon. gentleman to prove one word of that statement. ; Sir Joseph: All right; I accept the challenge. We’ll get a ling outside. There were roars of laughter, and I shouts of ‘Keeney and Tunney.” The Leader of the Opposition stii I spoke on happenings during the eleetion campaign, until Mr. Lysnar told I him not to mind about the nestings.

but to tell the Plouse what he was going to do in the future. Sir Joseph then went on to say that it had to be realised that there were going to be more unemployed men next winter than last. Members dissented from this view. COMPLETION OF MAIN LINES To provide work for unemployed men, continued Sir Joseph, he would advocate the completion of the South Island main trunk railway, the West-land-Nelson railway, the TaranakiAuckland railway and the Gisborne line. Why should these not be put into operation? This would absorb every lit man of the unemployed and when the works were completed they would not cost the people one penny of additional taxation. His policy was to finish the railways at a cost of £10,000,000. What did the hon, gentleman say to that? Mr. Lysnar: We back you up in that. You’re talking sense. Sir Joseph went on to speak of the suggestions in Reform journals that there should be a coalition. He did not favour this. Oil and water did not mix. He denied strongly ever having any communication on the subject of a coalition with Mr. IT. E. Holland. “We’re not afraid of anything,” he said. “We won’t go down on our hands and knees to stay in office.” Sir Joseph was allowed an extension of time and, after the dinner adjournment, continued with his attack, quoting from the Government statistician’s figures that during the five years of 1923 to 1927 there were 13,500 people fewer on the land. Mr. D. Jones (Mid-Canterbury): You said they walked off. Sir Joseph: No matter whether they walked off or rolled off, there were 13,500 people fewer on the land. He went on to quote from newspapers that Mr. Coates had said five or six of the United Party had been frightened away by the £70,000,000 loan. Parliament could not go on sitting, he said, should a certain

| event happen in the Old Country. | There would have to be an adjourn- ) ment, for reasons that he need not ; give. The Government of the mo- ; ment was a defeated Government; ; Reform had won two seats only out i of 13 - in straight-out contests with the i United Party, and the United Party vote for those seats had been over 10.000 greater than that for Reform. Three Ministers of the Crown had been defeated. Sir Joseph next dealt with the Press of New Zealand, saying that it was misleading to compare the figures for Reform with those for the United Party, as the latter had had less candidates. He spoke for an hour. FINANCE MINISTER’S REPLY The Hon. W. Downie Stewart said that it was interesting to note that the Leader of the Opposition admitted, for the first time that it was for the House to decide on the question of whether the Government should continue. The Dominion as a whole had rejected the United Party policy, and he quoted the “Australasian” to this effect. New Zealand had reached a position which many other countries had. It was a position of whether to put in a Government without power for six or twelve months, a “careraker” Government. Sir Joseph Ward had not given any real reasons why his party should occupy the Treasury benches, tie had spoken of the past election instead. Mr. Stewart admitted that Sir Joseph had quoted the figures mentioned correctly, but he had assumed wrongly that war debts had been put out of borrowed money. The New Zealand sinking fund system was the best in the view of financial experts. The Right Hon. gentleman had spoken of duties being taken off tea, sugar, and the necessities of life, but lie had forgotten to say that the speaker had taken off the duty on tea. Mr. Stewart referred to the Budget surplus left by Sir Joseph Ward and taxation, on the lines of the previous speeches. Speaking of the excess of £2,000,000 of expenditure over revenue. Mr. Stewart said that it was well known that heavy revenue was always received late in the year. Sir Joseph Ward liad carried out a similar policy. Should Sir Joseph wish to borrow money to carry out his work he would be able to do so up to April next to the tune of £14,000,000.