PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12059, 14 July 1917, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

(Abridged from Press Association.) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Friday, Jci/t 13. AFTER-NOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. BILLS. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time :—Thames Haibour Board Amendment (Mr Rhodes), Wellington City Empowering (Mr Hawkc's Bay Rivers Amendment (Sir John Findlay), Dunedm "Waterworks Extension (Mr Stntham) and Napier Harbour Board Empowering and Vesting (Sir John Findlay). SOLDIER SETTLEMENT. A lengthy debate took place o n _the subject of settling soloiers on the Land following noon the laying on the taelo cf a- paper~by tbo Prime Minister. Mr Massey, in reply, said that ho approved of tho idea of settling soloiers .in groups tinder some such system as provided by tho Land Settlement Finance Act. Kg could practically promise that legislation for this purpose wcalu b 0 introduced this session. Tho fact was that the Government was receiving offers of more land for soldiers than it could disposo of. For this land there was not the dieman d many people supposed. Ho referred to criticism that it would cost nearly a hundred millions to settle soldiers at tbo present rate, but it was unfair to take one or two instances and calculate all cases on that basis. They must take the average, and that would bo about a thousand pounds per man. This, however, would not be lost to the country, as the State still had the land as security. Tho House rose at 5.30 p.m. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at|7.3o p.m. A DDRE3 S -I N-REPLY. Tlie debat? on tbo A ddress-in-Reply was continued by the Hon G. W. Russell. He traced tho evolution and history of Imperial Conferences and said that in view of tho feet that tlio white population of the overseas dominions soon would exceed that of Britain it was not difficult to foresee tho time when there must bo home rulo all round. This opened up tho possibility of one of two things. Either the_ High Commissioner must represent us in the Imperial Cabinet or there must be a resident Minister representing Now Zealand in London. Personally, ho favoured the latter idea, because it would not be fitting that a. paid officer should perform ?uch fateful duties. This representation meant responsibility. Ho did not believe w© should ever permit an outsido body to impose taxation on us, but wo must recognise that we must do our share towards tho upkeep of the military and naval defence of the Empire. For tho development of our resources State socialism must be utilised. To enable us faithfully to fulfil the part destined for us in the Empire the new conditions would require readjustment of our taxation. Wealth must be made to shoulder its responsibilities as it. never had done before. Our land values had been mounting steadily and rapidly. In view of these great increases and the rise in the price of products there should be no difficulty in adjusting our fiscal and taxation policy, and we could look forward with confidence to any proposals brought down to meet not only our war expenditure, but to make provision for our soldiers and. their dependents. and when tho time arrived for the Minister of Finance to present to the House the Cabinet's proposals to those ends he harboured no doubt that they would provo most acceptable to all sides.

(Mr Russell's reply to th 0 speech delivered by Sir John Findlay 011 tho pre. vious evening is reported in another column. 1 )

Mr Anstey, discussing tho question of reinforcements, considered tho time had arrived when tho House should carefully consider what the country should do in this connection. Mr Hudson discussed the fruit industry and farmers' income tax, which, ho said, worked smoothly only because of tho tact displayed by the Commissioner. The Minister of Agriculture was justified in keeping down the price of butter, but the method of doing so was bad. Tho butter-fat levy meant that the poor man was taxed in order to give tho rich man cheap butter. He favoured a general increase of tho income tax as the fairest means of raising the necessary war revenue. Ho criticised the administration of tho railways and advocated a loan for public works. He complained that sons of aliens wcro allowed to remain at home and help their parents to work farms while the sons of 'British parents were taken away and sent into tho firing 1 line. Surely the sons of aliens could be, put to some profitable- work for tho State. Tho adjournment of "the debate was moved bv Mr Craigio. and the House rose nt 10.42 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.