DOMINION PARLIAMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18777, 27 October 1932, Page 8

DOMINION PARLIAMENT

THE BUDGET DEBATE.

VARIOUS TOPICS DISCUSSED. t LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The debate on the Budget was resumed in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr J. Hargest (Government— -Invercargill) said that If taxation had been imposed during the war, there would never have been the boom and the following slump. Legislators had unfortunately followed the line of least resistance, with the result tha. the men who came back from the war and the young people who had grown up in post-war years were being asked to shoulder a burden that they could not bear. Interest payments overseas should bear some relationship to the price of primary products. Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Independent— Egmont) said he desired to remind the House of a step which could be taken by which the country could benefit to the extent of £1,000,000. He referred to the question of coinage, and declared that sooner or later the Dominion would have to consider the advisability of minting its own coins. Mr Wilkinson urged the Government to reconsider the position in respect to the wheat duties. People were paying too much for bread because a small section of the community was being protected to an unreasonable degree. Mr H. M. Rushworth (CountryBay of Islands) asked whether it was the intention of the Government to set up a Select Committee to conduct a full and open inquiry into the monetary system, and possible alternatives thereto. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, replied that the matter was under consideration by the Government. (Laughter.) Mr A. S. Richards (Labour —Roskill) criticised the recommendations of the National Expenditure Commission in respect to setting up a board of hospitals. The commission recommended reliance upon voluntary finance for hospitals and more stringent control of the collection of fees, but such methods In New South Wales and Victoria had been disastrous.

Bread Prloes. { Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Government — Riccarton) said there was very little difference in New Zealand and Australian bread prices over the counter If a comparison was based on prloes at the centres at which wheat was grown. He considered if an Investigation of any kind was to be made it should be into the cost of distribution of wheat to other centred, and also into the cost from the time the wheat left the farmer until It became bread. Mr Kyle renewed his criticism of the extension of tne school books contract, and asked the Prime Minister to set up a tribunal. Mr W. J. Jordan (Labour —Manukau) criticised the Government’s unemployment policy, and quoted from the report of the National Expenditure Commission to support his contention that the Government was being advised to make conditions even worse by withdrawing established social services. The whole of the country’s troubles revolved round the payment of debts. The Prime Minister had announced in the Budget that he could not reduce interest charges vo any extent, but a 1 per oent reduction on the national debt would mean a saving of over £2,000,000 a year. The Government should declare a state of emergency to enable it to deal adequately with the unemployment problem. Mr D. McDougall (Government— Mataura). dealing with unemployment, said the Government should subsidise business concerns to enable the boy behind the counter to stay where he was. Mr F. Jones (Labour —Dunedin South) urged the Government to take steps to control the importation and distribution of petrol supplies, and to take action to ensure that British shipping should not be ousted by unfair competition. The debate was adjourned.

WISE AFTER EVENT. CRITICS OF ARAPUNI. MR SEMPLE’S VISIT TO WORKS. COMMENT BY MEMBER FOR RAGLAN (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. “It is easy to be wise after the event,” said Mr D. Stewart Reid (Government —Raglan), when referring to the critics of the Arapuni hydro-electric scheme in the course of his speech on the Financial Statement in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Mr Reid was of opinion that there had been a great deal too much criticism in connection with Arapuni. Mr Reid said that had the Arapuni scheme functioned as it was expected to do at the beginning, it would have been one of the best Government undertakings they had seen. Even If it were to function now it would in spite or the extra expenditure that had been incurred on it, be a payable undertaking. There had been a great deal too much criticism in connection with Arapuni. Mr F. Langstone (Labour—Walmarino).: Do you think it will be a success? Mr Reid said there had been criticism from the time the scheme started, but not one of the wise men of the East had managed to predict a single thing that had happened. They had stated that the dam would burst, but It was still there and would be there when they had all gone. It was easy to be wise after tiie event. The member for Wellington East, Mr R. Semple, had taken a fairly live part in the controversy. Not long ago Mr Semple visited the works. He wondered whether Hie member for Wellington East thought it very sporting on tiis part to harass tiie engineers just when they were fully occupied in ascertaining tiie cause of the trouble that had developed at the works. Was it fair of him lo go there and make further trouble? Mr Semple had held meetings in Hamilton and condemned the whole scheme, lock, slock and barrel. Again he had condemned it in the House, professing to know more than any expert.

“MYSTERY” TRAINS. CONDEMNED BY MR REID. (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Exception to, the Sunday “mystery” trains run by the Railways Department was taken by Mr D. Stewart Reid (Government —Raglan), when speaking dhring the financial debate in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Mr Reid said he was, not a “killjoy" by any means, and he did not profess to he any better than his fellow men. At the same time he considered it wrong for the department to undertake Sunday work. The department should not run its business on a Sunday. They knew very well that if a Chinese worked in his garden on a Sunday he liable to a line; yet the running of the “mystery" trains on a Sunday simply meant the carrying on of the department’s work on that day. He knevfr it was necessary to run some trains on a Sunday, but the action of tha Government in going out of its way to cater for Sunday pleasure was an* other matter. DENTAL CLINIC. QUESTION OF CHARGES. NO INCREASE AT PRESENT, (By 1 eipfrrarvh.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. A question whether .the Government intended to carry out the recommendation of the National Expenditure Commission to charge dental clinic committees £IOO a nurse was asked - by Mr. F. Jones (Labour —Dunedin South) in tiie House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Jones said any Increase would mean that many clinics would be closed. Committees at present had great difficulty in raising sufficient money to meet the charges in connection with the maintenance of clinics. The Hon. J. A. Young, Minister of Health, replied that there was no intention at present to make such ft charge.