ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 222, 18 September 1937, Page 10

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

DEBATE CONTINUED SPEECH BY MR. FORBES THE SLUMP DEFICIT WHAT MOULD LABOUR HAVE DONE? [ Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. The Address-in-Reply debate was| continued this morning, the firs' speaker being the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, who welcomed back the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Finance and Public Works. He said that he had always supported the visit of Ministers overseas. It broadened their outlook and gave them better equipment to conduct the affairs of the country. He would never join with any general condemnation of such tours abroad. However, whether the results of Mr. Nash's visit to the Home country had been successful or not was another matter. The Minister of Education’s speech in the present debate he classed mostly as “chipping” at the Opposition, and Mr. Forbes contended that the Government had failed to deal with the unemployment problem as it had promised to do. The problem had not been tackled with the energy and thought which one had been led to expect. The time had come to gel down to the basic cause of the unemployment problem and seek its elimination.

Mr. Forbes criticised the Government’s legislation dealing with the underrate workers, and cited cases in which injustices had been done. He went on to deal with finance, asking what the present Government would have clone if it had been faced with a deficit of 19,000,000 as had the past Government, which had gone through one of the leanest times the country had ever experienced and had handed over the reins of oJlice, after conducting the country’s finances back to a comparatively prosperous condition. "Why," he added, “the present Government with all the money coming into the country to-day must be positively embarrassed about finding out avenues in which to spend it.”

Mr. D. Barnes (Waitaki) said that members of the Opposition were continually referring to the Government as a Socialist Government. He would like to know what they meant by Socialism possibly differed materially. In his opinion Socialism presupposed a very high order of intelligence, and he doubted whether the Opposition realised this. (Opposition laughter). He went on to state that real wages in New Zealand had increased by 9 per cent, since the Labour Government had come into office. In Britain in the same period they had increased 2 per cent., and in Australia 1 per cent. He contended that the Labour Government, by its legislation, had proved that it had been well worth while. Flight of Capital. Mr. W. P. Endean (Parnell) stated that the Government had claimed when it had taken over the ship of State that it had been on the rocks, but in his opinion there had never been a greater fallacy. He would mention one promise the Government had broken. Before the election it had promised to protect B class radio stations, but it had not clone so. He asserted that in his opinion “Uncie Scrim” was engaged in broadcasting politics over the air to assist the Government. He also considered that tenders should have been called for radio advertising rights for New Zealand, which had been let in Australia. Mr. Endean contended that there had been a flight of capital from the Dominion, and asked what sane individual overseas would send capital to Invest In New Zealand in view of the present fear and insecurity. He also considered that New Zealand was not spending sufficient money on defence. If we were paying on the same basis for defence to-day as Japan was paying, we would be spending £12,000,000 a year on defence. Mr. A. F. Moncur (Rotorua) drew attention to the work which the Government was doing for the relief of Maori unemployed. Speaking of the shortage of farm labour, he said that this was not the "baby” of the present Government, but had been brought about by the actions of a past Government forcing young men from the country into the towns. Mr. Moncur defended the guaranteed prices for dairy produce, had quoted butterfat returns showing that dairy farmers were receiving valuable recompense for their labours. He was quite convinced that dairy farmers were in favour of the guaranteed prices, and the sales of motor-cars and other

luxuries in the dairy districts had never been higher.

The House adjourned at 1 p.m. The debate was continued when the House resumed at 2.30 p.m., by Mr. A. F. Moncur (Govt.. Rotorua), who dealt with the increase in the Post Office savings bank deposits and also with the growing interest in radio broadcasting, especially the broadcasting of Parliamentary debates as instanced by a substantial increase in radio licences.

Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Opp., Riccarton) took the Government to task lor not removing the high exchange rate or sales lax and contended that the present satisfactory condition of the dairy farmers was due more to the protection of the exchange rate than to the Government guaranteed price. Dealing with the fair reri s legislation Mr. Kyle quoted a statement by an officer administering the Fair Rents Act in Auckland, to the effect that women had come to him to discuss the effect of the Act on them personally and had burst into tears when discussing it. “Why,” acftled Mr. Kyle, "women come to my house and have also burst into tears." (Laughter).

Mr. E. L. Cullen (Government, Hawke's Bay) said (hat much had been said about the unemployed but he would point out there were between 6000 and 7000 returned soldiers who were unable to work. The Government had done nothing that was not orthodox. The previous Government could have (arried out the same administration of the Reserve Bank as was being carried out to-day.

Col. J. Hargest (Opp., Awarua) said that costs were increasing daily to the farmer. He characterised the tour of Messrs. Nash and Savage to England as a complete failure in which nothing of a material nature had been achieved in spite of lavish promises. The Government id taken a great deal of credit, he said, for spending money, but he thought it time they gained a little credit, for economy. He criticised the PublicWorks policy and said that, in good times public works should be kept down, while in times of depression they should be extended to absorb unemployed.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ADDRESS-IN-REPLY PROBLEM OF DEFENCE [ Ter Pfoss Association.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 16. The Atldress-in-Reply debate was continued in Ihe Legislative Council, which met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon. F. Waite, discussing the iniernational situation, said that while wars were going on a great deal of work was being done to prevent their spread. The actions of Scandinavians. Denmark, France, Britain and the United States showed that all were anxious to bring about a better understanding between the nations. On the other hand there was an obvious struggle between Communism and Fascism in Spain and between Socialism in Russia, and what was virtually Fascism in Japan, the Japanese operations in the East of Asia being against the Russians. Mr. Waite said that he believed Czechoslovakia might also prove a trouble point because it looked as if Germany would make it a second Spain. Freer trade and greater tolerance would lead to better relations between the nations and it was the duty of every Government to endeavour to bring that about. The Hon. V. A. Ward also referred to the international situation and said that he was sure that if a volunteer defence system in New Zealand did not prove adequate the Government would use other means, but he hoped that this would not be necessary. NewZealand needed more population to prevent foreign countries from saying that land was not being occupied to provide men for defence, to reduce dependence on overseas markets to encourage manufacturing without upsetting balance of overseas trade and to reduce overhead costs per capita. The Hon. W. W. Snodgrass said that he was very sorry the mover and seconder had defended the Government, the Government did not need defending, and if it did the council was not the place to defend it. The council should be without polities and should receive and consider the measures brought before it with an open mind. the council adjourned at 4.30.