PARLIAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19348, 1 July 1925, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 30. The Legislative Council met at 11 a.m. to-day. Leave of absence was granted to Sir James Carroll for one month, on account of illness; to the Hon. Air Gow for two months during his absence at Honolulu; and to Air McGregor for ten days on account of illness. The Imprest Supply Bill was put through all stages and passed. The Leader of the Council (Sir F. D. Bell) made a statement placing on record the recent Afinisterial changes. The Council adjourned at 12.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. The Legislative Council at the evening sitting passed motions of condolence with the relatives of the Hons. Samuel J.nd Grimmond, whose deaths had occurred since last session.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 30. The House met at 7.30. Afr Atmore gave notice of his intention to move an amendment to the Ad-dress-in-Reply. Replying to Afr Lye, the Hon. Nosworthy said there was no discrimination between applicants for loans from the State Advances Office. Every applicant was treated alike, each application being dealt with in rotation as it was made. Replying to Air Hockly, the Hon. McLeod said he regretted the recent floods in the Rangitaiki district. Immediately on receipt of the news of the floods, and the extent of the damage, he dispatched two departmental officers to the scene of the flood to report, and settlers could rely on the Government doing its best to afford the necessary relief. The Afinister gave a similar sympathetic reply to Air Hockly so far as the position of settlers on the Rcparoa settlement were concerned. A message was received from the Legislative Council stating that they had passed the Imprest Supply Bill No. 1. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was opened, and at 9.30, on the motion of Air Sidcy, the debate was adjourned till 2.30 to-morrow. The House rose at 9.10.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

THE DEBATE OPENED (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 30. Tn the House of Representatives this evening, Air AlcLennan (Franklin) rose, amidst applause, to move that a respectful address be presented to his Excellency the Governor-General in reply to his Excellency’s speech to members at the opening of Parliament. He opened by expressing regret at the circumstances which brought him into the House. Ho paid a tribute to the late Air Alassey’s great services to the Dominion and to the Empire. In this great work he could not hope to equal his predecessor, but it was his duty, and it was the privilege of all who thought with him, to endeavour to emulate the great example Air Afassey had set them. He congratulated Afr Coates upon the fact that Afr Afassey’s mantle had fallen upon him. He was well served by his youth, and the people were looking to him to bear successfully the great burden which the aftermath of war laid upon the Dominion. He likewise spoke in kindly terms of their Excellencies, Sir Charles and Lady Alice Fergusson, whose coming to the Dominion was a circumstance most favourably received by the people of New Zealand. He then proceeded to refer to the financial position of the Dominion. Our credit was good, and careful administration resulted in revenue for the last year exceeding expenditure by If millions. The future hope of the country still lay in our primary products, and it was therefore, most advisable to cultivate scientific methods of production. For this reason he was glad to see the great work being done on our Government experimental farms, which was further augmented by the establishment of chairs of agriculture at universities, and the appointment of skilled professors in agricultural science. Any assistance the Government could give primary producers in the way of an increased number of instructors, cheap fertilisers, or otherwise, would be welcomed. After appreciative reference to the proposal to establish a superannuation fund for nurses, Air AlcLennan said he had been returned as a supporter of the present Government because that administration was a guarantee of stability in government. It stood for the freehold principle, which was the basis of progressive society. That could not he said of any other form of tenure. Certainly, in establishing settlers who would become the backbone of the country it was superior to the “usehold” tenure so fervently advocated by the Labour Party. He favoured encouragement to secondary industries so that our own products might be used, and our own people employed. What was being dole in the woollen industry could be do fi in other directions, if labour would give a fair return in work for wages received. There should be the utmost harmony between Capital and Labour, and he advocated the betterment of the workers’ conditions in the industrial world. There was no royal road to wealth. Nothing was achieved without effort, and the happy combination of Capital and Labour was the one thing necessary to the industrial success of the Dominion. Reading and housing problems were next dealt with, both of which were urgent in the interests of development of the country. New r Zealand was one of the brightest gems of the British Empire, made so largely by the effort of pion-

eers, many of whom were still with us. i Let us grow and cherish the country they had handed down to us. If we were true to our trust, all would be well. THE MOTION SECONDED. In seconding the motion, Mr Hudson congratulated Mr McLennan on his speech, which was that of a practical man, and, as such, he welcomed him to the House. He regarded as a happy augury the arrival in the Dominion of their Excellencies, and while everyone ‘regretted the circumstances in which Mr Coates found himself in the position of Prime Minister they were all convinced they had been fortunate in getting the right man to direct the Dominion through the intricate way it I had yet to tread in order to escape from the effects of war consequences. He congratulated the Government on what they had done to relieve the position of returned soldiers. .He reviewed the. circumstances under which many soldiers had been put on the land. Mistakes no doubt had been made by the Government and soldiers, but an honest effort was being made to rectify these mistakes. He especially recommended the efforts to give soldiers the benefit of instructional advice. He especially asked the Government to watch the development of tobacco growing in the Dominion. .This industry could be successfully carried out if properly nurtured. The two things it required were increase of qualified instructors and protection against the operations of big trusts and combines. He was in complete sympathy with the suggestion to appoint more agricultural instructors and with a proposal to establish a superannuation fund for nurses. The noble work which these women were doing in the backblocks was worthy of all praise and practical assistance. He hoped the Government wou’4 liberally subsidise those movements of which the Plunket Society was one, because they were the means of saving a great deal of suffering, and possibly prevented many children becoming an ultimate charge on the State. He was surprised to find no reference in the speech to the subject of education. Our school system was increasing enormously, thanks to the increase in the number of children, who were the best class of immigrants we could have. It was. however, to be regretted that, many of our school buildings and teachers’ residences wore out of date. In like manner, he regretted that many teachers were underpaid. The class of teacher secured for our schools was most important, for in the hands of teachers rested thp future of our race, not alone in the matter of mere book learning but. in morals and the foundations of character. Scholarship alone was of no value in our teachers if morals and principles were not all they should be. Many of the modern methods of education, such as school gardens and correspondence classes, were greatly to be admired, and he looked forward to their wider extension. Ho appealed for the -widest sympathy on the part of the Government in developing our mineral wealth, but in addition to Government assistance they must have the harmonious working together of Capital and Labour. He hoped that all those who had any influence with Labour would do their utmost to convince them that the go-slow policy was not in their interests, or the Interests of the country. He had every sympathy with the man who wanted an increase in wages, but it was quite a different thing that the workers should increase the cost of coal to consumers by “going slow.” Every section of the community suffered by that policy. He favoured preferential tariffs in Imperial trade. Our Empire was self-contained. Why, then, should we not protect, our workers against foreign competition? This was a matter which the Government should keep steadily in view with the object of fostering it with the Imperial Government. We had a country with the best climate in the world. Wo had mineral wealth, fertile lands, a happy and contented population. Let us keep it so. and if there were any who felt conditions were better elsewhere, and in consequence sought to stir up strife and disorder, he would be in favour of paying their fares and shipping them off to those countries in their opinion more favoured than New Zealand. (Applause). The debate wrns adjourned at 9.30.