SMALLER HOUSE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1932, Page 9

SMALLER HOUSE

PROPOSAL’ IN PARLIAMENT ADDRESS-IN-REPLY PASSED WASTE OE] TIME DEPLORED EXCHANGE AND INFLATION ALLEVIATION OF MISERY The Address-in-Reply debate was terminated in the House of Representatives at 10.30 o’clock last night. Members again deplored the waste of time and some suggested it was clue to the unreadiness of the Government for the session. It was urged that Parliament should be reduced to 40 members. Inflation was again mentioned but was opposed by Mr. H. G. Dickie, who added that raising the exchange rate was a-form of inflation.. Mr. A. M. Samuel suggested a commission toalleviate the misery he anticipated in the winter. He advocated internal loans for land settlement and relief of unemployment.. The interdependence of farmers and the remainder of the .community was remarked. By Telegraph.—-Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed in. the House. of Representatives this afternoon by Mr. D. S. Reid (Co., Raglan)’, who-advocated an increase in the petrol tax sufficient to enable rural lands to 1 be derated, at least to the-extent of twothirds. He considered this was justified on the ground that the users should be made to pay for the roads. ’ 'Mr. Reid suggested as a-means of effecting economies that local body elections should.be postponed for a year and\that the Inumber of members of the-House' of Representatives should be reduced • by. half. He-Believed forty members ' could .do the country’s business just as well and perhaps a good deal better than eighty members. He .recommended no fresh appointments should be made to the Legislative' Council until its personnel had dwindled ,to about twelve. ’ i Mr. E. J. Howard (Lab'.,' Christchurch Soqth) referred to the length of time, that had been occupied by the debate but ex* ■pressed theiopinion that: the Government•was not troubling about, that because.it had not been ready for its job . when it had called the House together. It. appeared that whatever ideas - the .members of < the Government.- might have • had they became chilled once they, were appointed; to Cabinet. • ’ . I GOVERNMENT’S-UNREADINESS. ; Remarking that the third week of the session had been commenced,' Mr. H. McL. Campbell (Co.,"Hawke’s Bay) said he was surprised 'at the time that had been wasted. He failed to see why .any Government should not have had legislation ready before calling the members together. He agreed with Mr. Reid that a reduction of the personnel would be a good plan as he believed a smaller number of energetic members could adequately deal with an in-, creased number of ’constituents.

, Mr. H. G. R. Mason .('Lab., Auckland Suburbs) /supported the' 'arguments in favour of increasing the volume of currency. He added that he understood there would be adeficit of about £11,090,000 next year; if that were, so the Minister of Finance had failed.’' A : deficit of £11,000,000, however, would be better than one of £3,000,000 because it was apparent that without some such indication, the country would not learn its lesson and adjust itself to altered conditions. ' '" '

’ Mr.'Ti Makitanara (Co., Southern Maori) recommended members to adhere to the prayers when legislating for the good of the country. Instead of that they were tearing at each other’s throats. What was required was wise and cool judgment in those who were ■ sent to the House to carve out the destiny of the country.

“HIGH EXCHANGE IS INFLATION.”

■ There was no - more ■ iniquitous form of taxation than inflation of currency, said Mr. H. G. Dickie (Co., Patea), because it taxed the working man to the same extent as the wealthy man. -- • In Germany during the inflation period the whole of the people’s savings had been 1 wiped otit and the only individuals with anything left had been those who had property. Mr. Dickie declared the exchange rate should be allowed to find its natural level and should not be pegged at a high rate because this amounted to inflation.

Mr. R. McKeen (Lab., Wellington South) urged those members who were emphasising the farmers’ difficulties to remember that people in the cities also had difficulties. Farmers were at least able to provide food for their families but there was evidence of malnutrition-in the cities. The Hon. J.- A. Young (Minister of Health) deprecated Opposition statements that the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) was a tool of the Reform Party and said Mr. Forbes had the respect of hiS colleagues and was well worthy to occupy his high office. It was an old game to attack the leader instead of the policy in the hope of destroying a political party. REPLY TO MR. ATMORE. Replying io Mr. H. Atmore’s description of the Government as procrastinating, Mr. < Young recalled that after entering the Ward Ministry in December, 1928, Mr. Atmore had promised a deputation he would produce an education policy in three weeks, but that undertaking had not been fulfilled. As late as November the following year a committee was set up to investigate the whole question of education with a view to discovering a policy and it was not Imtil August, 1930, that a report was presented to Parliament. When Mr. Atmore accused a Government which had not been in office six months of shilly-shallying he must remember that by comparison he was not in a position to criticise. Mr. Young claimed the Government had implemented many important items of policy since assuming office. Referring to the exchange rate the Minister said the farmers were at least entitled to free exchange. Any action tending to keep the rate below its natural figure would be definitely unfair to the farming industry. Mr. J. McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton) charged the Government with making frantic efforts to keep the Address-in-Reply debate going because it did not have its legislation ready. He asserted the debate would have ended at 5.30 this evening had the Government not rushed in the Minister of Health to fill the breach. Mr. McCombs went on to review the events leading up to the Coalition and added that from the day is -was formed the Liberal Party had ceased to exist. ' “CIVILISATION IN DANGER.” Mr. A. M. Samuel (Co., Thames) expressed the opinion that there was definite necessity for a complete overhaul of the systems of credit, currency and exchange, together with the problems associated with war debts and reparations. The question .of the method of exchange was one requir-

ing settlement in the form of an interna" tionai agreement. The whole fabric of civilisation was in danger and the necessary alteration could not be brought about by penalising one section of the community. Any reduction of wages should be accompanied by a reduction of the cost of living. All fixed charges should come down. i Mr. Samuel suggested that with the sanction of the Government a commission should be appointed, representative of all sections of the community including every social and religious organisation,, for the purpose of alleviating the suffering and misery that would be encountered in New Zealand during the winter. He believed thousands were waiting for a lead and would flock to the banner of an organisation such as this. There were many who could give a thousand or two to the cause without missing the money. Mr. Samuel recommended the Government to raise internal loans for land settlement and a scheme for the relief of unem ployed FARMER’S DEPENDENCE. He believed many of New Zealand’s troubles were due to the Governments waiting for the position abroad to improve, said Mr. W. E. Parry (Lab., Auckland Central). A great deal had been said about the position of the farmers, but to be fair in relation to the rest of the community it should also be stated that the farmer could not get along without the rest of the community. He could not grow his clothing- he could not carry his produce to market on his back. The rest of the community was just as necessary to the farmers as the farmers were to the rest of the community. Cabinet was waiting for the Governments of other countries to do something Mr. Parry said, but the trouble was that all the other Governments were, doing the same and consequently nothing was being Mr Parry urged that men employed in breaking in the land should be rewarded in accordance with the . value of the work they were doing, but instead of this others would ultimately benefit when the depression passed. . Air D McDougall (Co., Mat aura) ex* pressed the opinion that the farmers’ problems were not so much a question of interest rates as of the amount on which they had to pay interest. He did not think the cost of living had come down as much as it should have. A division on the Labour amendment was taken at the conclusion of Mr. McDougall s speech at 10.30 p.m. The amendment was defeated by 48 votes to 26, the ’ Independents (Messrs. Atmore, G. C. C. Black and C A Wilkinson) voting with Labour, ihe formal Addrcss-in-Reply motion wm then adopted. .