HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17110, 11 October 1917, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m.

THE COST OF LIVING.

Replying to Dr. Newman, the Premier said the report of the Cost of Living Committee would be brought down on Monday and would be discuss-' ed on Monday night. THE SHIPPING STRIKE. Replying to Mr Forbes, the Premier said lie was not able to, disclose ' the details regarding the shipping strike, but he was able to say that the indications were better to-day than they had been for some time. ; BUTTER PRODUCERS' CONFER. ..". :.: . ENCE. Replying to Mr Anderson, the Premier said arrangements were being made to. hold a conference of representatives of the butter producers next week, to consider an o%r to purchase the output by the Imperial authorities: ANGLICAN ARMY CHAPLAINS. Replying to Mr. McCallum, Sir Jas. Allen / said he knew nothing of any scheme by which the Anglican Church would control the appointment of army chaplains. The ( policy laid down at the ' outset was being continued, and, so far as he knew, would be continued to the end. There was no proposal to appoint a well-known Anglican Bishop as OhaplainiGeneral. ■ ■• ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES ACTV Mr Hornsby gave notice of his intention to intrduce an Electoral Boundaries Act Amendment Bill. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. • .:■■■■■■. ■. ': ■■ .: . ;. '. iThe balance of the afternoon sitting was occupied in discussing reports of select committees; and Ministers' replies to questions. V The following answers to questions were given by Ministers:— \ That the allocation of wool and skins to wool-scourers and fellmongers, for treatment on behalf of- the Government, had been controlled by local committees specially appointed for the purpose. It was regretted that owing to a general shortage of scouring wool and sheepskins throughout the Dominion, it had not been possible to keep all the woojscouring and fellmongering works fully employed throughput the season. A scheme under which sheepskins were purchased and fellmongerea was instituted, and was being continued at the special request of the Imperial Government. '

That the Union Steam Ship Company is paid a subsidy of £20,000 per annum for the service between Auckland and Vancouver. The contract had . just been extended for twelve months,, Provision is made therein for the company, if it considers it experient to do so, to extend any voyage to a port or porthi Australia. The contract does not oblige the vessels employed to victual in Auckland.

That there are very elaborate arrangements at the. front to ensure that the men have frequent .changes and renewals of clothing. It is quite jpipossible to arrange for ideal conditions whilst the division is actually taking a turn in the trenches, but as soon as the men come out everything possible is done to ensure their cleanliness and comfort. This winter similar'arrangements to those of last winter will be made for the issue of warm clothing. That every assistance is given to the two existing Flying Schools to enable candidates to qualify for the Royal Flying-Corps, v'it is not considered advisable to enter upon a large expenditure on aviation until expert advisers; who have had experience in the present war, are available to advise the Government as to the best policy to be adopted. .

That District .Medical Boards have been instructed, on the recommendation of the Director-General of Medical Services, to classify as C 2 all men who have attained their 44th birthday, when drawn in the baliot, as experience has shown that men of this age are not able to stand the strain of active service. These reservists are therefore granted indefinite leave with-

Buenos Ayres, ,ahd French vesseis Charles Gounod Antoine, Rochefoucauld, and Duplex, all between January and March, in the neighbourhood of Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands. The crew of the Seeadler numbered 64, and in addition to her mines she had an immense stock of munitions aboard.

In August the end of the raider Was erroneously announced. . It was then stated by the "New York and Evening World" that the British steamship Harrington Head reported that a British warship,sank the German raider Seeadler in the .Atlantic, a thousand miles from New York. It was also stated, that the Seeadler went down fighting, and part of the crew were lost at their posts. The warship summoned the Harrington Head, and also the British steamer Edith Oavell to take aboard the rescued Germans.

The A. B. Johnson, which the Seeadler's crew is reported to have captured, is a modern four-masted schooner of 529 tons, built in 1900 for Wilson Bros and Co., of San Francisco. The Manila, also a four-masted schooner, is of 731 tons, and was built in 1899 for J. A. Hooper, of San Francisco.

out pay, and are free to continue iM their civil employment. That whilst recognising the gooj ," work done by Territorial ofhcers belong. ing to the Second Division, it is regret. '.' ted that no guarantee can be given! »" that all such officers will be appointed - to the Expeditionary Forces with com-* ~ missioned rank. That all holiday and other railway; '•"■■ excursion fares have been cancelled until the conclusion of the war, and it is ~ not intended to make any concession on * the existing rates for' Christmas on -'' other holidays. AVAR PENSIONS AMENDMENT Bllj * i The House resumed at 7.30. On the third reading of the War Pen* 1 sions Amendment Bill Mr Hornsby commented upon the-changed attitude ~ of members upon the subject of soldiers 1 -'- pensions, after the joint caucus the v day previously. He admitted that the ' ' responsibility of finding the money to ' provide increased pensions rested with : the Government, but he contended that k the people were willing to find the mo. 1 '**' ney necessary to give a wife whose husband was killed at the front a pension "■ r ot £2 25., as againsc 30s. a week, as ''-, proposed by the Bill. If the country - was not prepared to pay the men and - keep their dependents in decency, it '^ had no right to ask the men to so fa -% J the front. - Mr Witty reminded Mr Hornsby thai 'd he had attended the caucus and he had \. learned facts which had shown him" 1 that much as members would hav# > & liked to havefrmade the position more »J satisfactory for the Second Division. *- there was a limit. The Bill as it stood *i was a generous measure, but the House- % nad a duty to those who remained be- - *• bind, as well as those who went to te /<v* tront. He agreed that we were send- -'>■ mg too many reinforcements, as w« '-1 were running a great risk of curtail. ing the production of the country, but "^ justice must be done to the mes whg °J g°, and that, he thought; the Bill did. '^ Mr Forbes contended there was no 3j need to vote in a futile division on Mr " >4 Uornsby's amendment, as the Govern- '4 rnent had plainly intimated that the,fin. ''i ancial position of the Dominion would :M not warrant a farther increase ~ ? Mr Guthrie ; contended that anyone1' who flew m the fact of .the information "4 given to members at the caucus was ~r simply endeavouring to build up aif structure which sooner or later would -^ fall by reason of its own weight. If :t the scheme failed, what would be iher disappointment of those recipients who- * found themseilves deprived of that mea. 4 sure of rejief they were now receiv- ■■ •*■ ing? . ' -, -f AN AMENDMENT MOVED. ;J Mr Brown, in a brief speech, moveel -. <- as an amendment "That this House is >1 of opinion that the pensions to widows >>l and soldiers provided in this 'Act are -* inadequate." - *.- Mr Massey raised a point of order •«? that the amendment was irrelevant to <\ the motion. "That the Bill be read a-^i third time." *; The Speaker said he would take time ?£ to consider the point, and give a ruling ' ' later. " ,; SIR JOSEPH WARD SPEAKS OUT, $ Sir Joseph Ward said he had nd H> doubt all the members of the Housel " V desired to v do their best for the men at -'< front, but, in -view of the great -'"-'- ---financial responsibilities involved, they \ could aot aftord to let their hearts rum ' f away with their sense. They should' k remember that before a single Second 'j Division man leaves the country Par- '^ liament woujd be in session, when thd ''* position could be reviewed; indeed, the *\ war might be over by then; so there -^ was no immediate need to go to ex- t>tremes. Our liabilities in connection i with the war were now approaching ~ h> £5,000,000, and in proportion with Bru-'J tain our borrowings amounted lo 200"""£ millions, which illustrated the serious-' '\ ness of the position. The Government "'* were unable to provide for all this *" heavy finance. Who, he asked, was go-" <* ing to suffer most when it comes to ■ that war after the war—the commer-' >' cial war? Undoubtedly it would be the man of small means, the man who "* made his living by the sweat of hia % brow. But all classes would suffer ""■ more or less, hence the need of sound - Government finance. At present it was - our bounden duty to meet our obliga- -'. tions and to go on doing it to. the end.,. > He contended that it was impractic-' '^ able to look to a nincrease in death!' duties to find all the revenue necessary.j . \ Many other sources of suggested revei ' nue were equally illusory. Our interest charges had increased Tby over three' - millions, and in view of the possibility ' /: of the war continuing for another a year, when our war expenditure would ~' - be eighty millions, surely this was "' enough to make sane men stop theoris- * ing and recognise that there was a *, point at which the Government cannot '' afford to yield for the 'sake of securing • >v popularity. He was prepared to go as t lar as any man in the country to provide liberal pensions, but he was not 1" going to be pushed over the border of safety, and if necessary he would not be afraid to tell the House and the' J coimtry that he would not allow it t<? •• - be done. The remedy was not to b« found m a general election. Anyone who advocated a general election at the present juncture ought to be hang- -, cd. The historian of the future, taking an impartial view of the position, <- showing a regard for the tremendous - * financial responsibilities the country was undertaking in connection with the war, would have no hesitation in recording the judgment tKat the Bill wa*

a generous measure. On resuming after the supper ad ' journment, the' Speaker ruled that 'Mr " Brown's amendment was in order. ' " . Mr Isitt denounced -Mr Hornsby** i ,*• speech and characterised it as Pecksnif fian. - , .

Mr Payne argued that the best wv*~ to.provide the "last shilling" was ti1 establish a State Bank.

On the question bieing put, jfi ■ Brown intimated that he desired t< " "~ withdraw ibis ametaclnient. IJt&a was " v. with, and the Bill was read - : a third time and passed.