DEBATE DRAGS ON

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 199, 22 August 1929, Page 8

DEBATE DRAGS ON

“SHAM POLITICAL FIGHT” THOSE TARIFF BARRIERS. [ Per Press Association. 1 WELLINGTON, Aug. 21. The House continued the Financial Debate to-day. Mr E. F. Healy (Wai?au) said he was heartily in accord with the views expressed in favour of raising tariff barriers against heavy importations of goods from the United states. Ho considered the heavy importation of American films was another problem which should be given earnest consideration. Mr Healy said that he had on previous occasions referred to thc Union Steamship Company in connection with opposition to the South Island Main Trunk railway. Since then he had been informed b; an officer of th Um company that it was not in any way opposed to this project, as it would have au increased Wellington-Picton service in the event of the railway being completed. Referring to land settlement Mr Healy said he considered most of the cases in which reduction of mortgage exemption would cause hardship would concern people who had purchased land too dearly during the boom and had been in a precarious position since the slump some time ago. They had had big mortgages and the only incentive that had helped them to struggle on had been the fact that a largo amount of their own money was bound up in the properties. Mr Healy referred to the South Island railway extension from a land settlement point of view. He said there were a million acres in Marlborough that were already developed and. carried no noxious weeds. All that they required was more people for closer settlement and the railway would be an important step towards achieving this end. Mr Healy complimented the Minister of Lauds on the Westclla purchase. He said the settlers there were of the right class, and at the satisfactory prices which had been paid for the land they could not fail to do well. He criticised certain land purchases in connection with the returned soldiers’ settlement scheme, and expressed thc opinion that the whole question of soldiers’ pensions should be reviewed.

Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch South)’, continuing the debate, said he had been interested in Mr Healy’s criticism of certain purchases of land for returned soldiers and he would like to see the whole matter investigated by a commission to determine who had sold the land under the circumstances outlined and whether they had been justified in making such terms. He reiterated the view expressed by the previous Labour speaker that the present debate was a “sham political light.” The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. and resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr Howard, continuing, said he was not going to blame the Prime Minister for not having raised the £7.0,000,000 loan. He was relieved that Sir Joseph Ward had not been able to borrow extensively. The money had come into the country in shipments of goodg and would have put more of our own people out of work. Referring to the railways, Mr Howard said the maintenance of roads had cost £.3,000,000, and of this the taxpayers had had to pay £2,000,00. Motor cars had contributed less than one-third of this cost. There would be considerable complaint if the taxpayers were asked to pay £2,000,000 towards the annual cost of the railways. There was a good deal of American propaganda work in the country at the present time urging that the railways were out of date and advising us to buy American motor cars to replace them. He recommended the use of Diesel electric engines to make branch railway lines paying propositions and quoted figures relating to the successful operation of such engines in Canada. They had been operated at smaller cost than other railways and this saving had represented the difference between loss and profit. His one regret was that it would decrease the consumption of New Zealand coal, but he advocated lively research into the possibilities of coal tar. He read a list of purposes to which coal tar was applied and asserted that New Zealand was not doing its share in the investigation of the possibilities of this and other mineral products.