POLICY ATTACKED

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1935, Page 5

POLICY ATTACKED

DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT REPLY TO MR. A. D. McLEOD UNEMPLOYMENT PUZZLE “ONLY WAR INCREASING” By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. An attack upon Mr. A. D. McLeod for saying there were some among the unemployed who did not want work was made by Mr. W. E. Parry (Lab., Auckland Central) when he resumed the Ad-dress-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-day. If that were so, he said, if it were true that the unemployed had become demoralised, it was due to the way Mr. McLeod's Government had treated the unemployed. Some persohs were saying Britain and New Zealand were on the verge of a boom, continued Mr. Parry, but that was •. ■; not justified. He quoted figures of unemployment in Britain in 1929 and in 1935 and contended that unemployment was greater now than in 1929. The only industry that showed an increase was the war industry, and the statement that New Zealand was on the upward move to prosperity was based on a rotten foundation. The reason for the increase in the price of butter to-day was that there was a shortage of butter in Britain. The Government was not responsible for it. Tfie Labour Party was not the only one dissatisfied with the acts of the Government, Church leaders had expressed dissatisfaction with the way the country was being administered. Arguments that if Labour came into power the people’s deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank would be endangered was a poor argument, especially when it was remembered that if the people rushed the bank to get deposits to-day they could not get them. MR. McDOUGALL’S CRITICISM. Mr. D. McDougall (Ind., Mataura) said the Minister of. Lands had given, them some very interesting information about the help given the farmer. He did not know of any farmer in the southern province who had been helped by the Minister. In fact the Minister had put them off the land. He did not think it was f in the Minister’s nature to help any man who was down and out. The National Government was a Reform Government with a few half-baked Liberals in it. It would be better if they threw them overboard- Another Minister had gone down south and had quoted a lot of figures to a meeting. He was sure those present after hearing the Minister did not know the way in or the way out. Mr. McDougall quoted at length from a speech made by the Hon. R. Masters before the 1928 election until he was asked by the Speaker to make his own speech instead of quoting that of somebody else. He criticised the. Government for the way it dealt with applications for pensions and said if he had his choice of following either of the ■ leaders he would choose the Minister of ’ Finance. Mr. A. E. Ansell (Co,, Chalmers) congratulated the Government, especially the' Minister of Public Works, for undertaking to eliminate a. number of ■ dangerous leveb- crossings. That would give useful work to a large number of men for a considerable time. He congratulated the Minister of Lands for Inaugurating the small farm scheme on the Otago Peninsula. He contended that greater attention should be given to reducing the number of road accidents. He advocated the adoption of a plan un- 1 dei* which every motor vehicle operating on the roads should be inspected every • six months, the brakes, lights and general equipment to be tested by a special plant. That would force ramshackle vehicles off the road or else compel the owners to put them in proper order. GOVERNMENT COMPLIMENTED. Mr. Ansell complimented the Government op obtaining such a l° w rate pi interest for the conversion loan. He dealt with the guaranteed price proposal and said he considered the scheme was not practicable. If money for that scheme were to be taken from those who had it it would mean the already high taxation would be increased, and fie thought the term that would be applied to it would be confiscation- . Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Lab., Christchurch East) defended Mr. Savage's statement that the raising of the exchange had put the brake on New Zealand's imports from Britain. He said the bargaining of the Government had injured New Zealand manufactures, Since the debate had opened the Government members had only criticised Labour’s proposals, They had put nothing forward from the Government. He contended that during the depression the purchasing power of the people should have been expanded, not reduced, so that they could have purchased the large increase in production. When the cut in wages was restored unemployment decreased, and if wages had not been reduced there would have been no unemployment problem. . Mr. Armstrong said the cost of living had increased since wages were reduced. The sooner they woke up and reversed the policy the better it would be for everybody. It was an economic impossibility for the farmer to get better prices for his product until wages and pensions were increased. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 10.30 p.m. DEBATE IN UPPER HOUSE. THE AD DRESS-IN-REPLY MOVED. Wellington, Last Night The Address-in-Reply motion was moved in the Legislative Council to-day by the Hon. James McLeod, who reviewed the economic position of New , Zealand and contended that the Government’s efforts in the last four years had . contributed largely to the country s recovery. Mr. McLeod dealt at length with the position of racing and trotting clubs in New Zealand to-day and indicated the probability of the introduction this session of an amendment to the gaming laws. He said the Government was seriously considering the proposals. He said the position of racing clubs as outlined . by the Hon. E. R. Davis last session, when his Bill was introduced, was now much worse as many more clubs had gone out of existence, Mr. McLeod also urged the adoption of a more progressive policy for the Maoris. The motion was seconded by the Hon. W. Hayward, who in reviewing the King’s jubilee celebrations struck an Im-* perial note. He dealt with the export trade position and said the country ' should be pleased with the successful issue of the meat negotiations. The Council adjourned at 4.5 pan. ' * •. ?