BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1930, Page 11

BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE,

THE UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM.

GOVERNMENT POLICY CRITICISED.

By Telegraph.—-Proas Association. .

Wellington, Last Night. After a week’s adjournment in consequence of the death of Sir Joseph Ward the House of Representatives met to-day. , Replying to Mr. C. E. MacMillan, the Hon. G. W. Forbes said the Government was prepared to provide advances for the flax-milling industry to . enable it to carry on over the winter months. Owino- to. the present financial situation the Government-was not in a position to make a free gift th the industry. In reply i ■ Mr. W. E. Barnard, the Hon. W. B. Taverner stated there was no ground for the rumours that the hydro-electric works and environs at Waikaremoana were unsafe. With ie<rard to a further point raised by Mr. Barnard he said there was not sufficient power at the works after local requirements were served to enable any to be diverted to supply Auckland. Notice was given of intention to introduce the following Bills! Evidence Amendment Bill (Mr. H. G. R. Mason); Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill (Mr. Mason); Shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill (Mr. Mason); Dunedin Waterworks Extension Bill (Mr; J. W. ■ Munro). Mr. TairHenare was granted ton days leave of absence because of illness. Resuming his speech in the Address--in-Heply debate, Mr. W. E. Barnard said the greatest problem of the day was to balance . production and. distribution'and so get rid of unemployment. It was an international question and ■good work in this direction was being achieved by the Labour conference at Geneva. Mr. F- Lye urged that the whole question of Arapuni should be clear up. He considered that during . the last few months people in the lower reaches of the Waikato had undergone considerable risk as a result of the state of the country, and no stone should be left unturned in searching the whole circumstances. He . had had a communication from a man who had been employed .at Arapuni and who was prepared to give evidence that'the foundations below the weir had been found to be unsuitable. Mr. Lye asked why reports to this effect had net been submitted to the .department before work at the- scheme z was continued.

TELEPHONES AND BOOKMAKERS.

Mr. Lye strongly criticised the action of the postal officiate in his constituency in refusing the right to have a t-ele-phone /to a woman whoso husband had been convicted on one occasion for bookmaking. The .woman had never been in sympathy with her husbands bookmaking operations, and it was not until they had been forced to .do .£>o; “at the point of tho bayonet”.: that the officials had o-ivon way to representations for the installation of a telephone. Mr. Lye alleged that he had in his possession the numbers of certain unlisted telephones to which urgent racing information wUB communicated on race days. He protested against the department “winking” at such a breach of tire law at the same time as it had dismissed six employees of the Auckland telegraph office merely for-discussing the prospects of the Takapuna ruces.jby telephone. He declared it appeared that -MimAters were being dominated, by dim ..departmental heads. .' . • '.£>-<■ \ •' Mr. C. E. MacMillan Congratulated Mr. Lye on his conscientiousness in attacking the administration of his own party. He complained that the Government had not succeeded in promoting a drift back to the land and said that such a step was essential to the solution - of the present economic difficulties. Mr. MacMillan protested against the attack by Mr. G, C. Munns on the 'general manager of railways, and declared that it was unfair and unwarranted, He said he had no confidence in the administration of the present Government. . Mr, F« ■ Langstone said .there was. a pronounced increase in the wealth: oi the country as a result of the exertions of the people, but o wing -to _ the inequitable system of distribution the country was faced with its present .economic problems. There was a golden opportunity for tho Government to undertake comprehensive schemes to. rectify the position, and unless it- did so it should not be allowed to remain in •office. Mr; Langstone contended that wealthy organisations had been paying huge dividends ami had not been called.upon to contribute their fair share in taxation. "FOUND WANTING.” . Mr. A. Harris said the Government had been weighed in the balance and found'wanting. That was the opinion outside the. House, and he was confident that if every member voted as he-wish-ed that' would be found to be the opinion. inside the House/. He condemned the statement by the Minister of Finance ■ that ■ the. country was'-faced- with a substantia] deficit. He was satisfied that although Mr. Forbes had not meant mich a thing his statement had been interpreted in many quarters as meaning there would actually be a deficit. It had created a wrong impression throughout tho country and had damaged New Zealand's credit abroad. The weakness in the present situation was tho Government that was in office.

Mr. JI. T. Armstrong said it wan his opinion that if the Reform Party had thought the no-confidence amendment would be carried it would never have been moved. If the Labour Party suddenly decided to support tho motion about two-thirds of the Reform Party would scuttle out of tho House when rt came to a division. Me suggested this view was borne out by tho fact that the Leader'of tho Opposition, in submitting the amendment, had put forward in support only those reasons which ho know would make support from the Labour Party impossible. Mr. Armstrong took exception to the views expressed by Mr. Forbes in his review of the financial situation. He said tho country had never in its history produced A greater abundance of the good things of life than at present; There was no justification for tho draff; tie policy of rettviiehnmnt that had been initiated in the railway sendee, thereby giving ft bad lead to private employerg, Mr. IV. J. Polson said New Zealand Had. reached a critical stage id. its history. , It was, faced with ft vVbrid read■totmont of ralwo'« i: fti'id‘'the , MWi* •?. VL •. j /: !.< I. :CV iVV- ’•» M •

ister was right in warning the- country that it had to face a drop in the value of exports, necessitating a readjustment of expenditure. He believed that unemployment could bo' relieved . and industry - stimulated by cutting down costs. He. did not advocate free trade but he- did object to increasing the tariffs to such an extent that costs were increased. In seeking a solution of tho present -problem New Zealand should study the systems adopted by other -countries, and he recommended a scheme involving a reduction of taxation on necessities and' increasing taxation on luxuries. Among the spheres in which there could bo increased taxation on luxuries he mentioned amusements, liquor, the tothlisatbr and foreign cinematograph films. With regard to the totalisalor, Mr. Polson considered it would be preferable to permit bets to be telegraphed, thereby diverting underground dealings with bookmakers and bo increasing telegraphic revenue. Mr. Polson also recommended increased -tax on foreign motor-cars. He did not claim that this would increase ,the revenue,: for if he had.his way -, the tax on thes-e imports would be made so heavy'.that it would dmou'nt practically to an embargo. Ho suggested’ that an increased petrol tax to meet the maintenance cost of rpads would, be " fair in that it would, place reading costs on the users, and . would tend to' improve the' railway business. Mr. J. Bitchcner said he did -not favour the payment of standard wages on relief works because such a policy was responsible for attracting labour from farms, He defended the retention of tho sliding scale of wheat duties and quoted figures to show that in all the great. wheat producing countries the price of bread was higher than it was in New Zealand. THE POLITICS OF LABOUR. Mr. E. J. Howard vigorously replied to the allegations that there was an alliance or understanding of some sort between the Labour Party and the Gov-, ernment. He insisted that on no occasion since, it had severed connection with the. Liberal-Labour Party in 1938 had the Labour Party ever negotiated in’any way with any other psrt-y. As a solution of the unemployment problem MT* Howard, advocated irrigaatiom work in 'Central -Otago as. well *j.s the utilisation,of labour .in forestry and the gum. industry, and in., other productive directions. He considered the development of the secondary industries would provide the most rapid means of absorbing the unemployed. Mr. J. 8. Fletcher eaid he wanted to know what was going to be done now for men who were unemployed. It must Im anticipated that by the time ihe Government's legislation had ben referred to a-select committee and then put through all stages in the House a considerable period would have elapsed. He complained that the Government v.a.s not giving the secondary industries a chance to demonstrate that they were canaille of absorbing meffi . He asked whether it w-m tho policy of the Government to reduce railwaymen's wages by llj per tent., and if so wars that, policy going to be applied throughout all Government departments? He declared that he was going to give the Government one more week to do something to relieve unemployment in all electorates, and if nothing was done he would take the most extreme measures’ possible to ascertain the reason why, even if he had to move an adverse motion, of which lift wftfi the only supporter. He hoped, however, tiie Government would come forward with some* kriitime. The debate Gvafc- adjouriffid -find the Houiie i-ostf , at ''l.(y < .qO' p?m. ;4-jl!' ;: 2.:JO' -fo-' 2Bor'rA ! w^ : -" , ' u ' V '' ,T <JX ”'