PARLIAMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18532, 14 July 1922, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Per Preas Association.) WELLINGTON, July 13. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Mon. Moore continued the Ad-dress-in-Reply debate urging the desirability of going slow with borrowing, and noping the Government would not buy high-priced lauds near cities lor soldiers’ settlement. He regretted there was mention of an amendment to the Hospital and Charitable institutions Act on the lines of the Commission’s report, and he supported the compulsory notification of venereal disease. If the preference to unionists privilege was not usel properly the 1 ime would come when it would be abolished.

The Hou. Barr combatted the Hon. Earnshaw s statement that the minimum. wage was a curse 'The minimum rate was the only safeguard against an employer who had no regard for the welfare of his employees. The Arbitraan individual equitable to his rcsponsiStatute Book, and to repeal it would bo the greatest of mistakes. The Govthe “salary” of public servants, he has sura nee legislation similar to that of Britain.

The Hon Izard said the country had been suffering from extravagance. Many works should wait until they could be concluded at a oost which would give a fair return. 'Taxation should he adjusted to make the tax on have been paying superannuation on the bilities. 'The Hon. Sir Wm. Fraser promised to bring the question of unemployment insurance before the Government. The Hon. Triggs moved the adjournment of the debate The Council rose at 4.56 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. THE BONUS AND SUPERANNUATION. Mr Wilford asked the Premier whether in view of the statement that he was only touching the “bonus” and not bonus as part of their salary, and overlooked the fact that Civil Servants have ben paying superannuation on the b<itiu.s, as part of thieir salary, and whether if a further reduction is made the extra amount. contributed to the fund during the time the Civil Service, have received the bonus will be set off against future payments, which should bo correspondingly reduced until the extra money paid in superannuation on the bonus is worked off. In putting the question, Mr Wilford said that since the bonus had been granted the Civil Service had received about £2BO per annum (inclusive of bonus) and has paid approximately £lO extra, and this latter amount should now be taken into account.

The Prime Minister replied that this matter had been brought up last session, when the Bill was in committee, and he brought down a new clause to meet these cases. He was now inquiring from the 'Treasury as to what the position was, but he could assure the House that no injustice would be done to the Public Servants affected. FREIGHT ON LINSEED. Replying to Mr Jones, the Hon. Nosworthy said he was making inquiries with a view of having the freight on linseed reduced to the same amount as the freight on oats and wheat. TEMPERING THE WIND. In reply to Mr Wilford, the Hon. Parr said that at the conference with the executive of the Secondary Teachers’ Association yesterday, he had succeeded in satisfying them as to the method of which he proposed to temper the wind to the shorn lamb in connection with the second cut. OCR MANDATED TERRITORIES. In reply to Mr Wilford, the Hon. W. F. Massey said he would consider the question of setting up a committee of the House to consider Samoan and Rarotongan affairs. He said he noticed that a few days ago a petition had been presented to the*House from residents of Samoa. He was not sure as to the position, and he asked Mr Speaker if he would look into the point and see whether the House was competent to consider petitions from Samoa. ADDRESS-IN-RfcrLY DEBATE. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed by Mr Burnett, who expressed the opinion, that the country had not yet reached the limit of economies, and suggested that future cuts in Public Service salaries should fall most severely on young women in the C ivil Service, and so discourage avoidance by them of their true function in life. Discussing agricultural matters, the speaker declared that the standard of our sheep flocks was rapidly deteriorating through the breaking up of our big flocks. Consequently our sheep were losing the fine straight lines that had built up the reputation of New Zealand mutton It was to lie one of the functions of the Meat Control Board to have the meat graded, and he hoped they would be adamant on this point. He also put in a plea for the preservation of the few remaining merino studs. The things the Dominion most needed were unrestricted private enterprise anti increased production, that every man should own his home, and tha tevery man, by co-operation, should have an interest in his own output. Mr Smith (Taranaki) said no explanation which Ministers had made could dispel from the minds of the public servants the impression that while their salaries were cut a gift of many thouV ands was made to large landowners by way of rebate m land tax. The small farmers had not benefited to any extent, and it was unlair to make the. small farmer an excuse for giving substantial concessions to the Bank of New Zealand and wealthy merchants. On the subject of unemployment, he declared that- fl’ there were a thousand men out of work the Government took on twenty five in the hope of keeping the remainder quiet. The Government was responsible for the existing state of affairs, and it was their duty to rectify it by statesmanlike action. In his opinion the Government was doing its best to create a labour revolt in this country*

Mr Lysnar said he came into the House as an Independent, but he found he had no option but to support the Massey Government. The Liberal Party and no policy of its own, and was busy stealing planks from the platform of the Extreme Labour Party. One of these was proportional representation, but that was only a scheme for handing the country over to the Bolshevists, and he admired Mr Massey more than ever now that he had repudiated his previous support of proportional 4l representation. The Premier had learned more about that system since 1912. and he was right in not substituting it for the second ballot. It had been rejected in England. It was too complicated and would result in the triumph; of the party machine. He defended the immigration policy, because there was not the necessary labour in the country. Many of the immigrants were men of means, and would one day become most valued settlers. Unless the provisions of the Meat Export Act were made compulsory the Act was not worth the paper it was printed on. The House adjourned at 5.30.

MR MASSEY’S REPLY. When the House resumed at 7.30, Mr Massey rose to in the debate. He said the attack so far made on the Government had not been severe enough to be interesting. Therefore, in his answer to the critics he would have to make the best of the poor material at hand. Personally, lie was grateful to the Leader of the Opposition m moving a want of confidence motion, because it gave the House an opportunity of again expressing its entire confidence in the Government. Personally he was not ashamed to say he had changed his mind on the question of proportional representation. When he promised to substitute it for the second ballot the Government Wits honestly of opinion it could devise some system by which members could be elected on that basis and preserve the country quota. After a demonstration by an expert from Home he. (Mr Massey) came to the conclusion that proportional representation was no use to New Zealand. They were just going to the country, and how would members feel if they had to face the election in five electorates rolled into one. The position was unthinkable, nor would proportional representation avoid minority Governments. He quoted the New South Wales figures to prove his contention. It had been urged against his Government that it did not possess the confidence of the majority of the people, but in many cases Reformers were at last election advised to vote for Liberal candidates, and in the calculations of the Opposition these Reform votes were counted against the Reform Party. Mr Forbes : That counts both wavs.

Mr Massey : No; it does not. Not in a single electorate were Liberal voters advised to vote for Reform candidates. Mr Wilford said that in Palmerston North, Manawatu and Otaki, Liberal electors had been so advised.

Continuing, Mr Massey said he believed he possessed the confidence of an absolute majority of the people, and he was prepared to go to the country at any time on a cleat-cut issue. He then proceeded to point out what he considered the weaknesses of proportional representation so far as the House of Representatives was concerned, but there was not the same objection to the* system being applied to the Legislative Council. The Government had been accused of departmental extravagance, but its critics had not been candid enough to admit that much of this expenditure was due to the war and to the bonuses given to Civil Servants. That economies had been effected was true, and when the public accounts appeared it would be found that public expenditure lor the last year would lie a million less than the previous quarter. That surely was economy, and it was going on every day. He defended his refusal to lay on the table the report of the Economy Committee, on the ground that he had given his word it would bo regarded as confidential, and to make the report public after that promise had been given would be dishonourable, and he was not going to do it So far as land aggregation was concerned, he knew of no cases of aggregation Some increases of holdings he did not regard as coming under that category. The Government was doing its best to meet unemployment. At present they had 7000 men employed on public works, and that was not a bad record when rigid economy was absolutely necessary, for wo would never get round the corner until we bring expenditure within the limits of revenue. He justified the rebate on "income tax because the high income | tax was being passed on to consumers J by merchants and keeping up the cost of living. There were also a number of other concessions, and he would like to reduce it further. Unfortunately he was not able to do all in this direction he would like. Coming to the criticism of Mr Statham, he described him as a political “perambulator,” and returned the compliment of presenting him with the quotation: “Unstable as water, thou shall not excell.” Immigration was justified because what New Zealand wanted was more population. Mr McCallum : With means.

Mr Massey : The best thing the immigrant can bring to the country is health, * strength and industry. ' We should encourage people of our own kith and kin to fill up our blank spaces and strengthen the Empire. Coming to financial questions, he quoted figures to show that items totalling approximately six millions in the prospectuses of the last two loans, questioned by the Leader of the Opposition, had in fact been, or would be, used for railway rolling stock and hydro-electric plant. The utilisation of the accumulated surpluses for soldier settlements was justified, because the necessary money could not be otherwise obtained. Of that he had absolute proof, and he read a cable to support this statement. Continuing, the Premier quoted from remits sent to the recent Labour Conference at Auckland and from a speech by Mr Holland at Westport, to show that the Liberals | were dependent on Labour for their existence. From this and the result of wo North Dunedin election he deduced WHt the party Reform had to fight at the next election was Labour, and he gave the Liberals a cordial invitation to “come over and help us.” In the coming contest he hoi>cd nothing would bo said or done to damage the credit of the country. They must strive to get the country back into a sound financial position, and when that was done and prosperity restored to the Dominion, ho would be able to look back on the positio nand believe his life’s work had not been altogether in vain

Mr McCombs defended proportional representation, and supported his contentions and elucidations by obstruse mathematical calculations. The system, he declared, had given equitable results wherever tried.

By way of personal explanation, Mr Mackenzie said he regarded Liberal members as loyal as anyone else, and in his remarks on loyally made during his speech in seconding the Addrcss-in-Reply, he had no intention of reflecting on them. Ind’eed, he was rather surprised that they had fitted the cap on themselves. MR. WILFORD’S AMENDMENT LOST. A division on Mr Wilford’s amendment was then taken, with the following result:—For the amendment, 20; against the amendment, 38. Following is the division list:— For the amendment (20): Atmore, Bartram, Edie, Forbes, Fraser, Hanan, Horn, Howard, Isitt, Jennings, McCombs, Masters, Munro. Parry, Poland, Sidey, Sullivan, Thacker, Veitch, Wilford. Against the amendment (38): Anderson, Bitcheuer, Ballard, Burnett, Craigie, Dickson P. M., Guthrie, Hamilton A., Hamilton J. R., Harris, Hawken, Harries, Hockley, Jones, Lee, Luke, Lysnar, McLeod, McNicoll, Mackenzie, Malcolm, Mander, Massey, Nash, Newman A. K., Nosworthy, Parr, Potter, Rhodes Sir R. H., Rhodes T. W., Stewart, Sykes, Urn, Young. Pairs: For the amendment: Witty, Savage, Seddon, Mitchell, Holland, McCallum, Statham, Smith R. W., Ngata, Smith S. G. Against the amendment: Glenn, Hunter, Williams, Pomare, Coates, Campbell, Wright, Newman E., Tan Heuare, Reed.

The debate was adjourned on the motion of Mr Holland, and the House rose at 9.45.