THE BUDGET DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1237, 20 September 1911, Page 6

THE BUDGET DEBATE.

CONCLUDING SPEECHES. -- PREMIER REPLIES TO CRITICISM. £5,000,000 LOAN AND OTHER. . MATTERS. THE BLACK PAMPHLET AGAIN. The debate on the -Financial Statement nils resumed in the House of Representatives at seven minutes to three yesterday afternoon. Mr. A. M. .Myers (Auckland East) said the Budget had been called an electioneering Budget, but if tho proposals wero eound and wero likely to increase the Government's sucoess at tho polls, that was nothing against them. He thought tho humanitarian legislation, proposed would appeal to all classes in town and country. Ho congratulated the Primo Minister on the financial position and the fullness of the information given. This showed that trado was active,'the Dominion prospering, and business .expanding.. It was not fair to tell a. public meeting, which could not check such statements, that .CIO per head per annum was raised by way of revenue, whereas only half of that'was placad .on the shoulders of the people. Aftor touching oil the reproductive character of some of the expenditure, Mr. Myers wenton to contend that the taxatiou was raised from those who were best able to pay. In regard to Treasury Bills, the question which had been discussud so much was merely a question of book-keeping. Iho moment- a Treasury Bill was issued, it became a liability, and had to bo accounted for as such, but a Treasurer should endeavour to clear off all such Bills before the end-of tho financial year, and simply use' them for tho purpose .of anticipating 1 revenue. The public debt was large and 'increasing, bnt the question was whether New Zealand as a business concern' was over-capitalised. Looking at tho fact that tho State had gone in for. many enterprises which 'were left ekewhere to private persons, and having regard to the national assets, he would say as a' business man that New Zealand whs not over-capitalised. The financial position was a sound one. If. ho did not conscientiously believe in the justification of the present financial position, he would deem it his duty to cross to the other side of tlia House, be.causo'ho thought m> member had a right to support such an important thing as a financial policy if he did not honestly believe that the path they wero treading would lead to tlio prosperity they all deErred. * THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE. THE MISSING LAND POLICY. Sir. W. J. Steward (Waitaki) declared that tho Budget proposals were apparently approved in the main by both sides of the House. In fairness ho must admit that tho Budget proposal in regard to farmers' co-operative banks.was very similar to ono v/hich had.been advanced years ago by tho late Mr. Kirkbride, who was a memt«r of the Opposition patty. He did not agree that long-distance railway. fare 9 should be reduced. Tho ,£60,000 of revenuo thus conceded would bo better applied in reducing fares over short distances, and in such a way as to enable settlers to travel cheaply .to and from their markets., .-Any . margin ■ still' .available' might be used in providing loading yards and sidings which were needed by settlers in maoy places. Freight ratesalso might bo reduced on certain classes of produce. A number of anomalous charges which imposed a handicap on fruitgrowers should bo reduced. Touching upon workers' homes, he urged that the definition of worker should be widened to include people employed in shops and in banks. He was glad to note that the Government intended to make a start on the electrification of tho railways. They had only mentioned Lyttelton tunnel as yot, but. 1 no doubt tho .electrification of the Rimntaka incline and of other lines would follow. He regretted that the Budgot did not contain a land policy. It could not reasonably, have been expected that a Land Bill' should have been introduced that session, but ho thought that the Budget might havo contained a' clear statement as to the land policy oi the Government. What was a candidato to eay if ho were asked, on tho platform, what the policy of the Government was in regard to land;, "I don't think," said Sir William Steward, "that he would be able to say. I would like them to come down with a clear-cut, definite policy. I should like them to say: "No more Crown lands shall be sold in New Zealand.'" Tho Budget, good in itself, did not go far enough. • -The Liberal party would have to como down very shortly with clear-cat proposals of reform, or other people would take over the reins oi control. Various electoral reforms were urgently required, as was also public works reform, carrying with it a largo measure el devolution which would transfer-to largo bodies in large areas control'of publio works. The House would then bo Cleared of the roads and bridges trouble. Ho did not say that the Government members would all como back, but ho believed that their programme was sufficiently popular- to bring them back with ? , ma J° nty tilat oultl cnaWo thf ™ to hold tho fort for another three years. But unless they introduced necessary reforms, the tide would sweep over them and there would be an end, for tho time being, of tho once 'great Liberal party.

REMARKS BY MR. LUKE, '

EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIES,

Mr. J -p. Luko (Wellington Suburbs) endorsed the remarks of the member for Waitaki in reference to hanging on to what remained of the national estate. He had nsen more particularly that afternoon to put in a word for the gentleman who had'lately vacated the Ministerial benches, Mr. l'owld.;. No man who had ever entered tho ITouso had done greater ywfc as a , Minister of Hip Crown than did Mr. IWlds. I/is work as Minister tor Education would stand as a monument for.many years t<) come. The average attendance at small country schools was JiJghor in New Zealand than in any other colony of the British Empire. The New Zealand Education Departncnt, by comparison with other countries, obtained the maximum amount of service from its teachers in return for tho salaries tW received. Jlr. Luke advocated an extension of University scholarships. No youn" man or woman fitted to receive a university education should be debarred from that benefit simply on account of financial considerations. The Hon. George lon-Ids had done great things for education in New Zealand, and lie wished the late jlinistor well in the future-. He'regretted that greater activity had not been shown in developing Nativo lands. In passing, Jlr. Luke regretted that, the Government had not acquired, the llokau property. He ha-d advocated time and .-vain tho opening tip of tho oil and iron measures in this country. There were Teat dopowla of iron oro in this countrv that had novor been exploited, and hi> was gbd to note that the Primo Jlinisior had ri°an to the occasion. Tho development of hydro-ewetric energy would do more for the country than anything Ibat had happened before, the protection and encouragement of the iron industry, should receive attention, and if the larilY were revised in the direction of protecting industries the increased stcadiiiosi of employment would more than compensate for any rise in the «>.-»■. of commodities. He approved of the Umhjet proposals as to old age pensions. Thera ought not to Iμ any unemployment in a country so richly endowed by Nature as this, if mo: - c searching whero employment is to be had were in ««.'. He thought it would bo a good tiling if tho financial aspect of tho Bmljrel w(<re debated by a few members on wu-.h <fide of the Hoiiso. who were specially (|ihiiified to. deal with it. It was a highly technical matter, and most of tho members had not tho requisite knowledge to deal with it. Ho approved of a substantial «»l)«idy to tho British Navy. Ho did not know whether we should ever seo the New Zealand Dreadnought in those waters, but that might deptod upon whether there was n dock adequate for tho purpose. He would sufge-st tliat a dock should bo formt"J at Evans Bay. A good deal would bo heard about tho Dt-fcn-jo Act during tho elections, but he would stand firmly in favour of tho Act. Ho approved of tho im'iJuti'H) proposals o» tho Budget,

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 1 i ME. BOLT.AHirS PLEA. \ Mr. J. Bollard- (Eden) eaid that before , the debate closed, he,.would like to say a ( few words on tho land question. It hod t been'said" that too high a price was msk- < ed for land that the Government would . acquire for closer settlement, but whether i that was so or not, it did not apply to i Crown and Native land. Ho behoved m c settling tho land in small freeholds?, and c ho did not know of any other country Hint < was trving to settle the land on a. lease- - c hold system. The cultivation of the and j was the most important of all industries ( in New Zealand, ami land settlement c should bo tho principal concern ot tid t Government. Farmers .must be taught the science of agriculture as well' as-tho prac- I tical work. Other countries were well i supplied with agricultural colleges, and y ( must follow their examplo if we. would . successfully compete with them. I here should bo agricultural colleges in eaeli ot tho four large'centres. .Notwithstanding . tho great importance of tlic industry, the Government was doing nothing. During a previous session,- he had brought this matter of agricultural education . before the I Stock Committee,' and the committee was j unanimously of opinion that something should bo clone, but- thero-was no result. Ho had thought that the Minister for Agriculture was an energetic man, but he found that ho was only a drone m the j hive. Ho did not blame tho Government • only, because be considered that the farmers were not sufficiently alive to their ' own interests, and did not bring to bear on tiie Government tho pressure which tkev might.' ' There wero only six farm pupils at Ruakura. Thero should be pio- ? vision for UOO. ■ ; . . J Hon. T. Mackenzie: Will you give us 1 tho money? .. ' Mr. Bollard: You never asked for it.. \ If you asked for it, you would get it. t Tho experiment farms wero good as lar f as they went, but they worn not run m c a thoroughly scientific manner. He an- 1 proved of t'ho erection of workers dwel- ; lings, bnt the. man who had to keep a i wifo and family on 30s. a week was not provided for at all, und yet ho needed such f assistanco most of all. Meanwhile the \ Government built houses for men getting ( £1 a week. j MILITARY TRAINING. t mb;'isitt on conscience. j . Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) ( said that he must' congratulate the Gov- ] ernment on being, according lo Mr. liol- ; lard, a Jiive of industry with only one { drone. It had been said that the Gov- t ernment spent too much money, but ho t had heard member after member in that | debato demand more expenditure on rail- j ways, irrigation, or agricultural colleges. ( He did not see how the Government , could accede to all those requests without ( incurring the blame of the Opposition | for spending too much. There wore two ] mistakes in the Territorial training ] scheme. In tho first place there ought j to bo a conscicnco clause, even at the risk of it being abused. ■ Physical training was important, but con?c!enco was moro im- ( portant'. National greatness rested chiefly upon faithfulness to conscience. He | was not a non-resister, and he , behoved that for the time being we must have , defensive measures, but we could not to- , day pooh-pooh the religious convictions of . men who thought it wrong to bear arms, j Tho Quakers were tho vory salt of tho j earth, and part of the true aristocracy | of brains and character. They were good ] at making money, but they made it in j clean ways and spent a great deal for | the benefit of the people. . Thero were < some of them in New Zealand who would , bo a nucleus for objectors against tho i Defence Act. In Christchurch alone 0000 . people had declared t'heir opposition to the Act. The Quakers. had been persecuted in olher countries and times, but it would' be the measure of New Zea- ] land's shame if they wore to be persecuted here. Objectors to tho compulsory train- , ing should bo.offered other work instead ■ —not ambulance work under military , . auspices—that would not meet their con- : scientious objections. They .should be of- : fored such work as, gorse-ijrubbing or road-making. The genuine Quakers and conscientious objectors would gladly do it, and the. sham ones would accept military training in preference. Ho thought the Government also made a mistake in trying to introcluco too large a scheme at' once. Tho .age limit.s-hould.be reduced from 25 years to 21. Warning should 'have been taken from tho unpopularity of conscription in Europe. He bad heard since h-s became a member of the House a great deal of insinuation and innueendo, and many vague charges of bribery, corruption, and political graft against tho men in power. He believed most of tho Opposition did not realise how seriously such remarks wero taken in the country. People outsido the House thought such language referred t;> huso monetary bribes, and most, reprehensible practices- on the part of. Ministers to maintain their positions. There was not a shadow of truth in such an idea, not an iota of evidence for it. He believed the Administration was pure, and was free from corruption, bribery, maladministration and political graft. The reason why the Opposition hitched their wagon to these terminological inexactitudes was that the wngon was empty—unless, indeed, as the member for Jlarsden had said, they were going to adopt tho Single Tax. Mr. Mander denied having said anything of the kind. Mr. Isitt'said that Mr. Mander had claimed that the Opposition were the true followers of Cobclen, Bright and Gladstone. . ■ - . Mr. Massey: No Single Tax there. Mr. Isitt said they wero Free-traders, and a. saying of Cobden's was quoted on the front of tho Single Tax periodical .in this country. The statement o£ the Opposition policy was tho most beggarly furnished wallet tho.t ever a. political mendicant travelled tho ' country with. (Laughter and applause.)