POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17803, 30 August 1929, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

AN UNFINISHED DEBATE. INDEPENDENT MEMBER’S SPEECH A MINISTER RALLIED. (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Thursday.

Last night failed to finish the financial debate, which will now run into next week owing to the intervention today of the Imprest Supply Bill. An interesting contribution to yesterday’s discussion was, that of the Independent Member for Egmont (Mr Wilkinson), a supporter of the Government on the no-confidence motion, who expressed opposition to Ihe completion of Ihe South Island railway, urging caution with regard to railway expenditure generally. The Minister of Education (Hon. 11. Atmorc) spoke, hut did not refer to the education policy, an omission turned to capital account by the Reform member for Thames (Mr A. M. Samuel), who also rallied Mr Atmore on his excursions into literature. Several departmental reports were presented at the sitting. MR POLSON UNDER FIRE. TARGET FOR MR SAMUEL. WHERE DOBS lIE STAND ? (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. With Mr W. J. Poison (Stratford) as his target, Mr A. M. Samuel (Thames) unloosed some pleasant shafts of humour in the House tonight. It had been the expectation of Mr Samuel that Mr Poison would have fiercely attacked the Budget. Mr Poison was president of the Farmers’ Union and claimed to he a farmers’ representative. “What is a farmers’ representative?” asked Mr Samuel. “I admire any member of this House representing a party who will stand up for his party, but I have no admiration for a member representing a party who betrays it, and that, in my opinion, is what has been done by the member for Stratford. I ask him why he let the farmers down. The duty of a farmers’ representative is to help the people he represents to advocate legislation which will be in their interests and to protect them against legislation not in their interests. "I ask tiie member for Stratford why he has not done this. Why has lie swallowed the land lax and the primage duty when he is the declared representative of the farmers? If will he most interesting to sec what happens in the future as the result of what I call a bargain. It will be interesting to see who is the next chairman of the Meat Board. Perhaps the member for Stratford might be. It will be interesting to see who is the next High. Commissioner. Perhaps, hut no, that would be too terrible for the country.” (Loud Laughter.)

“I would like to ask the member for Stratford exactly where he stands. He is the gentleman with two voices. I am satisfied that the farmers of New Zealand will be thoroughly disappointed with their president. He came into the House a veritable Jack the Giant Killer. Instead of being a Jack the Giant Killer he is now a political Humpty Durnpty.”

TAXATION INCIDENCE. .(Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Replying to a question by the member for Timaru (Mr. 0. Carr) a little while ago the Prime Minister stated that for financial reasons alone the Government considered the time inopportune to give effect to the recommendations of the Taxation Commission set up by the Reform Government five years ago. The announcement has occasioned some disappointment in commercial circles, many business men having hoped that the new Government would apply itself to tiie solution of a problem that has been confronting the country for many years. Mr. Massey and bis final successor at the treasury, Mr. W. Downie Stewart, both admitted the soundness of tiie conclusions reached by the commission, but hesitated to put them into operation on account of the time and labour their application would involve. Sir Joseph Ward at the moment lias more excuse for delay than his predecessors had, but a review of Hie whole position is at least as much needed to-day as it was in 1925 and should not be indefinitely postponed. AN ADVERSE BALANCE. WELLINGTON, Thursday. “Our trade with tiie United States has been allowed to drift into a bad position, and in tiie last three years we have had an adverse balance against us of £15,003,000,” said Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Egmont), when speaking in the Budget debate in the House today. New Zealand had certainly been “going tiie pace” with her importation of -motor cars from America, and the figures for the past six months showed an increase of 7763 cars and trucks over the number for the corresponding period of last year. The extra value was over £1,000,000.

LAND SETTLEMENT. WELLINGTON, Thursday. Mr Murdoch (Marsden) suggests that a system of settlement should be adopted under which tiie Lands Department should adopt 'the system of advancing finance to tiie individual, as he proceeded with his developmental work. In tiie case of -a man without capital the Department should pay him as though it were wages for clearing the property. ' If, after the lapse of five years, tiie settler desired to secure tiie freehold, it should be made available to him at the original value, plus the improvements, if the offer was rejected tiie - Department would still lie in possession of the asset created by the setller in improving the property. TEACHING FARMING. WELLINGTON, Thursday. The holding of agricultural training camps for boys just leaving school was warmly advocated by Mr J. N. Massey (Franklin). Under the superintendence of experienced farmers they could be taught the theoretical and practical sides of farming and develop the land, which eventually could be offered to them, almost at cost price or at ordinary valuation*