FIRST SPEECH IN HOUSE

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1935, Page 7

FIRST SPEECH IN HOUSE

MR. McCOMBS HAS FLOOR EDUCATION SYSTEM CRITICISED. ACCESS TO THE UNIVERSITIES. DEBATE ON ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. The Address-in-Reply debate was resumed in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr. H. T. McCombs, making his maiden speech in the House. Mr. McCombs criticised the education system and said it was now but a shadow of what it was and did not meet the requirements of the country. He said the exclusion of iive-year-old children from the schools placed a severe handicap on the children. He contended that many positions in the schools occupied by rationed teachers should have been occupied by fully-paid teachers. Free university training also was a jT, thing of the past, said Mr. McCombs. ' A number of brilliant scholars were unable to proceed with university training because they could not afford it. He referred to the lack of opportunity for qualified New Zealanders to give New Zealand the benefit, of their special knowledge. He claimed that much of the ' time of secondary school pupils was wasted on Latin and French and some branches of mathematics when they could be taught,more useful subjects. The New Zealand system was, failing to turn out youths who were useful to manufacturers, he contended. That was why manufacturers were asking that the school age be ‘raised.’ Malnutrition and poorly clothed children were referred to, and Mr. McCombs urged that greater attention should be paid these subjects. GUARANTEED PRICES. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Lab., Avon) .said it was obviously impossible to answer Mr. Wilkinson’s question regarding guaranteed prices until they were actually handling the situation and knew the circumstances obtaining at the time, but the principle laid down was that the basis of guaranteed prices would be first and foremost something that would give a decent living wage to the fanner. He went on to deal at length with unemployment matters and the malnutrition of children of relief workers. Mr. J. Hargest (Co., Invercargill) referred to the 12 points made by the Leader of the Opposition in his speech at Auckland and said eight of the points were included in the Governor-Generals speech. The other four were unworkable. He referred to Mr. Savage’s speech and said he thought Mr. Seddon would 1 be very surprised, if he thought he wai? an ancestor of the present Labour Party Mr. Hargest’also considered Mr. Seddon, if he were alive to-day, would stand in admiration of what the Government had done to meet the depression. Dealing with Mr. Savage’s charge of extravagance on the part of the Government in recent years Mr. Hargest mentioned that the war accounted for a large part of the increase in the national debt. ■ Public works such as hydro-elec-tric schemes also absorbed a great deal of money. Reverting to Mr. Savage’s Auckland speech Mr. Hargest said one point was the restoration of the cuts in pensions and Civil Service salaries. The present Government was doing that gradually. Regarding the safeguarding of civil servants’ superannuation rights, had any civil' servant’s rights ever been in. danger? He defended the Government’s handling of the unemployment problem. While there were undoubtedly cases of hardship he had never come across any of starvation such as the Opposition alleged existed The Opposition criticise! the Government all round and gaw »• no credit for what it had done. He contended that high exchange benefited several industries which could not exist if the exchange were lowered He claimed, too, that the returning prosperity of th° .farmers was due to the Governments actions. He urged greater assistance for / the secondary industries. ' “STARVATION IN NEW ZEALAND.” Mr. R. Semple (Lab., Wellington East) said he had ample evidence from all parts of New Zealand, some from religious organisations, that there was destitution and starvation in New Zealand. He instanced the case of a woman and six children living in a rat-infested shed which received considerable publicity some months ago. Mr. Semple produced a blanket which he said was a sample of those issued to the unemployed. “You could shoot peas through it,” he said. The Hon. S. G. Smith asked Mr. Semple if he could have the blanket to have the matter investigated. Mr. Semple agreed to hand it over.

Mr. Semple concluded that the Government had failed to take advantage of its opportunities, and his opinion was that a number of those sitting on the Government side of the House were going to get a shock when the election results were known.

Mr. R. A. Wright (Ind., Wellington Suburbs) criticised followers of the Lri?our Party for interrupting non-Labour speakers at meetings. He said he per-' sonally had been refused a hearing when there was no call for it. He opposed high exchange and considered it was against the • interests of the country. He also opposed- the Labour Party’s guaranteed price plan and said both Labour and the Government were bidding for the farmer’s vote. The farmer was on velvet. Regarding guaranteed prices it was the taxpayer who had to make up the difference between the market price and the guaranteed price, just as it was the taxpayer who had to pay high exchange. He hoped the Government would go to the country with a definite policy, oecause he felt if it went with another blank cheque there would ' be only one answer from the electors. • Mr. W. E. Barnard (Lab., Napier) said the fault for interruptions at meetings usually lay with the chairman, but it must be remembered that the people had suffered sorely in the last four years and it could not be expected a meeting at which a Government candidate was speaking would be like a prayer meeting. He outlined Labour’s policy and defended it. He referred to the Hawkes Bay earthquake borrowers and thanked the Government for the relief given. He hoped that relief would be extended. He also asked’the Government to reconsider its previous decision not to grant further assistance to the Hawkes Bay Hospital Board in restoring the hospital buildings and equipment. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 10.30 p.m. INGLE WOOD CYCLE CLUB

HANDICAPS FOR TO-MORROW. The Inglewood Cycle Club will hold a road race to Stratford and back to-mor-row afternoon. Handicaps are as follows: R. Greenless and B. Old 2m. J. Blews,- N. Bennett'and G. Candy 3m, L. Drinkwater, A. Low, D. Purdie, E. Standing 41m, L. Standing, L. Crowe, W. Crowe, W. Candy 7m, D. Candy 9m. Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure First aid for Coughs, Colds, Influenza.