Tributes To Pioneers In Debate In House

Chronicle (Levin), 30 July 1949, Page 7

Tributes To Pioneers In Debate In House

WELLINGTON, July 25. "History did not start in New Zealand in 1935, as Government members would have us think, when the Laoour Government eame mto power; history started with the early pibneers who auring the period when private enterprise was at its best established the basic industries of the eountry," said Mr. u. M. Bowden (Nat., Karori) in the (House of Eepresentatives this morning wiien he opened the debate on the linpresi Supply Bill No. II. ne said that the Government tod'ay was capitalising- on the eft'orts of the pioneers and it was traditional of Socialist Governments that they brought nothing into being but drew on the resourees of what was already established. So f ar as the dollar erisis which confronted Britain was concerned, he thought iif extraordinary that the Minister of Finance of New Zealand 's Soeialist Government should advocate as a remedy the adoption ot the capitalist policy followed by Britain for vears. Mr. C. H. Chapman (Lftb., Wellington Central) said that, while the member for Karori had paid a tribute to the early pioneers, he should have gone

further back into history and given 11 eredit to the M&ori people^ who established industries in "New Zealand long be/orethe pioneers -eame. , biider private enterprise progreSs had been painrux and slow and New Zealand |or a. cem tury was a very pbOr eountry for a worker to live in axld not a very prosperous eountry for. manufacturers.- Uniy those who owned vast traets of lanu received big dividends — and those shareholders in'-the Bank of New Zealand who received 'annnal dividends. of 14 per cent. until the crash eame. Labour Party propaganda was Wrong when it said that the National Party or its predecessofr vvefg'responsible for the depression, The depressibn did not begih in New Zealand-^-it' was ttorldwicie — but there was notmuch tavbe gained by mutual reeriininatidii iik to wno caused or .what caused it, said Mr. K. M. Algie (Nat, Remuera) when the debate was resumed in the afternoon., Mr. Algib said the piiblic wh's niore interested in who or what would prevent a recurrenee of another depression. Hon. W. E. Parry said that if this eountry had been ruined by the Labonr Government theh what must have been the conditions of' the eountry before Labour eame into power. He was prouci of the f aet that ; people -were better elothed, better booted — Mr. G. F. Sim: They're booted everywhere! ;;