HOUSE IN SESSION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 191, 14 August 1931, Page 8

HOUSE IN SESSION

BUDGET DEBATE CONTINUES VARIED OPINIONS ON TAXATION PROPOSALS Discussion on the methods adopted by the Government to balance the Budget proceeded in the House yesterday afternoon and last night. Members aired their views on the problems confronting the Dominion’s exchequer. Mr Taite te Tomo, member for Western Maori made his second speech in the House, an interpreter conveying his opinions to the Speaker a nd members.

[ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. The financial debate was resumed bv Mr Makitanara (Southern Maori;, when the House resumed at 2.3 U p.m. He said New Zealand, in common with the rest of the world, was suffering because of a drop in prices of primary produce. The Prime Minister had taken courageous action to cut his ' coat to suit the cloth, and had taken < upon himself a great deal of unpopu • lantv among tile non-thinking people , of the community. He was sure the ; Prime Minister would not be deterred from the course he had taken. Mr Makitanara said he had grave doubts ' about the wisdom of the sugar duty. The Mauris were very fond of sugar | and the burden would be heavy upon them but he believed they would grin and bear it. The increased income tax i would not affect a great many Maoris, • but he hoped the time would come when every Maori would be in a position to contribute through income tax. Every* inch of land should be made productive and, under the guidance ot ! the Native Minister, a great deal was being done on native lands. He be- ; lieved the Maori was worthy of assistanee in developing land. He referred j to tobacco and wheat growing by the j Maori, claiming that, in the North , Island, Maoris had beaten Canterbury I at wheat growing and had grown 40 | bushels to the acre. Example of the Maoris “If Maoris can do that why do not • the pakehas do it instead of howling i about the duties. They should follow | the examples of the Maoris and put . shoulders to the wheel instead of sit ting down,” he exclaimed. Mr J. Linklater (Manawatu) said he was disappointed the Minister of Education could see very litt.e scope for | economies in education. The system ‘ had been investigated by a committee, | but very little had been done to carry out its recommendations. He regretted , that more facilities were not being given to country children to enable them to attend secondary schools. The elimination of remote allowances would mean that only the least efficient teachers would be avai able for backbiocks, and the children living in those parts would suffer. He was in favour of the education vote being rut down in the case of those living within easy reach of schools, but he hoped every facility would be given to rural children. He said that as the result j of the Flock House scheme, 750 boys , and girls had been placed on the land I and 95 per cent, had been settled per- I manent iy. Attempts to settle New ‘ Zealand boys on the land without pre- ' vious training had been a failure and I the Flock House trustees were very j concerned about the problem of the fu- | ture of New Zealand boys and gir.s. They prepare! to go considerable | limits to give New Zealand boys and - girls the opportunity of going on the land and, some time ago. had offered j the Government the facilities of a girls’ farm at a small figure. It was hoped that as there would be no more girls and few boys coming out under ' the Folrk House scheme that it would be possible to assist the Government under the scheme so long as the trust funds were not encroached upon. Mr J. W. Munro (Dunedin North), criticised the Government’s handling of the unemployment problem and declared that Labour’s predictions ar a ti r :. wh»‘n wage reduction Vgis-ation ■ was before the House had unfortunate- I jrome true. by side with the ■ wage cuts there had been increasing unemployment because the commnnitv’s purchasing power had been reduced fen to twelve mi ions annuallyThe market for secondary industries in New Zealand had largelv been lost Contending that the capitalistic system had been a failure. Mr Munro submitted that Otto Nicmever’s recommendations regarding banning currency had amounted to a recognition that the capitalistic hanking system had failed. The recommendations of Sir Otto Niemeyer were very largely on the basis of the Labour Party’s ideas on the subject of banking. Mr Munro said that he regretted that New Zealand, at the present time, did not have statesmen similar to *hose who had been in office in the early nineties. It was a pity that in- ; stead of a “Budget of depression ’ the | House had not had piaeed before it a I Budget embodying a bold policy iitdieating that the Government was at least going to make an experiment, j The Prime Minister had stated that j this was not the time for an experi- . ment, but Mr Munro submitted t .at the body politic was similar to the human body. \\ hen there were no ailments of the human body there was no need to consult a specia.ist, but it was when the human body was suffering great pain that it became necessary for experiment in the direction of finding a remedy. It was the same with the body politic, and he emphatically declared that the present was just the day for an experiment. A “Needs Must - ' Budget. The Hon. A. J. Stallworthy said that.l he did not like the Budget proposal and he considered that the country was over taxed already, but the country had got into a vicious circle and the position had to be met. One newspaper had called the Budget * ’ the needs must Budget” ami that was what it was. Hon. J. G. Coates: Needs must, or needs bust? Hon. Staiiworthy: Needs must when the devil drives. Mr D Jones: Is that what you call the Prime Minister? Continuing, Mr Staiiworthy sail that one thing in the Budget he did like was the decision to balance the conn- I try’s accounts. He wished to express] his appreciation of the way the Opposi- j tion had decided to assist the Govern- . ment instead of attempting to make political capital out of the position.*

Referring to the remarks of the member for Chalmers, he said he agreed that the Opposition did not like the Budget, but neither did the Government. However, they would put country before party and carry the proposals through and he believed the member for Chalmers would do the same. Mr Stallworthy said that he believed New Zealand would recover prosperity much i more quickly than either Britain or \ Australia. All that was needed was to , pu* her house in order. Reverting to the question of balancing the Budget, he said that while Labour endorsed the I principle, Labour members kept insist- ' ing on measures that would make it | impossible to balance the Budget. | Labour was following a foolish road ' and was pledging itself to a policy impossible of fulfilment. It was essential [ that the Government must meet its i liabilities in an honest way and that ' could not be done if it pursued a policy of high wages. That had been tried in ■ America and had failed. In reply to a question from Mr j Samuel, Mr Stallworthy said that he | was in favour of a National GovernI ment. There were thousands of people i in the country in a bankrupt condition ’ and it was the duty of members to work I together for the elimination of the pre • sent crisis. ! The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. • The Budget debate was continued when the House resumed at 7.30 p.m. ! Mr J. S. Fletcher (Grey Lynn) deI elan d that there was opportunity for | the Government to relieve farmers and ! workers and make derating possible if ,it would adopt two courses—namely, j minting New Zealand ’s own silver coin j and taxing the American oil trusts. ' He said that petrol was being sold in Ixjndon at Is 2ld a gallon anp included in this price was a tax of fourpence; • while in New Zealand it was being sold jat 2s, including a tax of sixpence. . Transportation and distribution costs !in connection with the marketing of i petrol in England would not be any less 'than similar costs in New Zealand and | as it could be assumed that it was not being sold without profit in England it must follow that there was a heavy exploitation charge in New Zealand. Mr F. Langstone (Waimarino): They lan-1 it here for under sixpence a gallon. Mr Fletcher submitted that there was over 2.000,000 sterling annually going out of this country into the pockets of American oil trusts. Petrol was being sold in California at seven cents a gallon and that included three cents j road tax. He admitted that there was i a petrol war in California, but there j was no excuse for the very high price ,in New Zealand. Continuing, Mr FletI ‘’her said that he was in favour of a ’ National Government. I Mr* Langstone: Rational Government. | Mr Fletcher: National Government : and an elective executive should appeal ’ to the member for Waimarino because : he should have a wonderful chance of gaining office. | Mr Fletcher said that he wished to : make it plain that he was referring to a National Government rather than to I a National party, and ho was also in favour of an elective executive. He said he was confident that the Government. in addition to raising the money as he had indicated, could also effect considerable economy in the Public Works Department and, for that reason, he intended to vote against all taxation proposals that would involve an increase in the cost of living. His Second Speech. j Mr Taite te Tomo, making his second speech in the House, spoke through an interpreter. After conveying a number of native requests to the Government he mentioned that he had urged the Maoris in his electorate not to seek worker under the Unemployment Board’s schemes, because he recognised that there were many Europeans who had no land; whereas every Maori had at least some land, and he had advised them to cultivate what little land they had. He asked why Hansard was no longer translated int< Maori and circulated among his people. Was it because all the money of the country had al-; ready been absorbed in previous publications? (Laughter) Mr Te Tomo expressed regret that he was unable to speak. English, adding that he could j make himself understood in that langulage, but if he attempted to do so the atten lance of ladies would not be required. (Laughter). He explained I that he had learned his English in vari- • ous occupations, the last being that of ; a bullock-dnver. (Renewed laughter). [ “I don’t know, Mister Speaker, whether you are aware how bullock drivers address their teams?” he added, amid prolonged merriment. American Laws Continuing, Mr Te Tomo said that he had, ou visiting America in 1915, realised how fortunate the Maoris were to be under the Sovereignity of Britain, and he had at the time expressed the hope that certain American laws relating to the black races would never be introduced into New Zealand. It was now, with regret, that he had observed r that, in certain Wellington picture 1 shows, Maoris were only allowed jn particular portions of the house. He was sorry such an action w r as being taken in New Zealand and under the Union J ack. Mr Te Tomo said that he had previously referred to wheat growing by the Maoris and he regretted that he I had since noted that one area previously utilised in that manner now appeared i to have been converted into a racecourse. He had reason to think that racing was a fairway for people to go down, adding that he and a brother had lost £BOOO which he had received for i land in racing. That was why he felt I sad when he saw there was no longer j i wheat, but a racecourse. Commenting j on the references to reducing the number of members of Parliament, Mr Te I Tomo said he did no mind the number 1 being reduced so long as the number of

Maoris in Parliament was increased. At the conclusion of his speech there was a number of exchanges between Mr To Tomo and Mr Makitanara through the medium of an interpreter, each contending that the other had misrepresented him with reference to the Unemployment Act as it applied to Maoris. Mr W. Lee Martin said that 50,000 men were unemployed and, as the average earnings of those men would be £3 a week the loss to the country was great. Because £50,000 a week was being spent, to give them sustenance they should be put into productive work and he advocated land development. Hon. S. G- Smith: Land development docs not absorb many men. Mr Lee Martin: I disagree with the Honourable Minister. Anyway, the money is practically wasted at the present time. Mr Martin suggested that, the coal industry should be given more sympathetic treatment. The debate adjourned, or. the motion of Mr A. E. Jull, and the House rose at 10.20 p.m.