NO-CONFIDENCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 8

NO-CONFIDENCE.

HISTORIC DEBATE BEGINS.

THE REFORM LEADER'S SPEECH.

GOVERNMENT INDICTED.

THE HON. G. W. RUSSELL IN REPLY.

• There were full galleries and little empty spaco 011 the floor when the 110'confidence debate commenced in the House ol" Representatives last evening, /but "not a few seats were vacated before the shipper adjournment came along. Mr. 1!. M'Callum, slip member for .Wairait, in moving tho Aadress-in-Reply, ':lid.,not confine..himself strictly to the ,larg<j issues at . stake, and seemed, to bo luiteins much interested in the past neglect and present rights of Marlborough province and in tho probable future 01 tho Mill die University district as in tho fate of tho Mackenzie Ministry. Mr. M'Callum started out from an admis'jion that tho Liberal'party was under a cloudy Proceeding from this he urged members of ' the Liberal party to support the Govern- ■ m'ent, lest they should incur the odium 'of installing 11 Government in power '■which -did not tho.jconfidence of the House and country. Mr. M'Callum was followed by the member, for Napier (Mr. J. Vigor Brown), -who scored such succe.ssc3 as lie achieved in the department of humour. His jokes, conscious and unconscious,' made members laugh freely, but . ..his. ; serious arguments did notseem lo greatly impress his politic.vl opponents. Tho event of the evening, was the moving of a no-confidence motion by Mr. Ma«cy. This took place at .10' p.m., when the spaco in the House allotted to spectators was again carrying its maximum complement or thereabouts. The Leader cf tho Opposition was. well .'received.. He commenced with a painstaking criticismof the principal points touched upon by tho mover and seconder, and then went 011 to discuss tho constitutional position of tho Ministry and other matters wbicn loom large in tho present, crisis. He roundly accused Ministers of travelling about the -country for fh'eir own pleasure , and political profit, and of avoiding a meeting'.' with Parliament until the last possible 1 moment.-- -Mr. -Massey-. stressed the necessity fcr a stable Reform Government, which would repair those ntistakes of the past of which he enumerated a great number. ' • The - Ministry put up the Hon. Cr. \Y. Russell to reply. The speech' of the Minister was marked by a' tone of asperity which had been absent from earlier utterances. Generally ,he disclaimed on belief of the Government all blame directed at them and repeated tho time-worn charge thafcthe difficulties of Liberalism were"duo 'to' the pertinacity with which "slanderous'attacks" had been directed at Sir Joseph Ward. Nothing.'of outstanding importance occurred at tho afternoon sitting of the House.

After formal business had been disposed of tho Hon. A. M. Myers made a. brief statement in reference to the rceent four and a half million loan. A brief discussion . arose and during its progress members had the unwonted experience of seeing and hearing Sir Joseph "Ward and Mr. Jas. Allen both asking.for information about' tho same loan. The Minister disclairiiccl any intention of making a full statement and said that he would not bo in a position to do so until full particulars had come to hand from .tho agents Of tho Dominion in London. A new Local Government Bill was introduced bv Governor's Message, and the Hoii; Ct. Yv. Russell, after referring to tho recent conference, which rejected the Local Government Bill introduced during the short session, explained the leading features of the new measure. The proposal to set up provincial councils has been definitely abandoned in the new Bill,,

Mr. Fisher (referring, to the Hon. G. W. Russell): Ho has ■ jitst gono out. (Laughter.) Mr. Brown continued to speak about largo estates, contending that the aggrfegation of estates must be dealt with whatever Government was 'in power.

and I don't think I am wrong, that wo have si duty to the preseiit Ministry. 'Wo are, so fur as we cau gather, desirous tliat these gentlemen should have ii fair opportunity' of showing what they are worth. They have had experience; they have been trained under tho best Jlinistrv, and tlicy nro safe." Mr. Massey (laughing): "Why, we trained Mr. Mackenzie.

.Then Mr. M'Callum said that the Opposition was ft very fine opposition, and that Mr. Massey was a very fine leader. He thought even, that lie ought to lio paid for his valuable services to the State in dissecting and criticising legislation. But if the Opposition thought, that the party would not support the Government thev were very much, mistaken. lie reviewed all the "doubtfuls," mentioning (hem all specifically, and said they would never vote except with the Ministry. Among the members singled out for mention were the Hon. J.A.Millar, Clio Hon. K. M'Kenzic. Mr. T. K. Sidey. Mr. E. H. Clark, Mr. A'ernon IJeid, and Mr.T. M. Wilford. ' MR. J. VIGOR BROWN. LAND REFORM AND CUSTOMS DUTIES. Mr. J. VIGOR KNOWN (Napier), who seconded tho motion,was also applauded as lie rose to speak: After echoing what Mr. M'Callum luuE said in reference to Mr. Millar, the member for Napier at once plunged into ,a disquisition on tho land question. He rnul some lengthy statements relating to tie areas of land held in the Dominion. AO one stage Mr. Brown halted in his reading, because, as he told those who listened, .the. gentleman to whoso. holding lie hadbeen about to refer was in (lie House.

Tho.! Legislative .Council met in tho afternoon, and at onco proceeded to discuss a proposal by the Hon. ,T. E. Jenliinson that tho Council should declino to do any .further business,until a .Minis- , tor with portfolio had' been appointed to lend it. Mr. Jenhinson introduced the (subject by way of.au amendment to the first motion relating to tho setting up of sessional committees, and the course ho advocated wns supported by soino of his fellow-members. The Hon. 0. Samuel (Actingi-Leader of tho Connoil) raised a question in regard to tho legal position, and contended that. the Government had no power, at the moment to appoint an Attorney-General. A contrary opinion was expressed by the .Hon. J. B. Callnn, one of the members -who is believed to'have been offered the Actingf Leadership, and to have refused it. Even'tunlly, .Mr. Jeukiivson's proposal was rejected by 17 votes to 7, and the Council, after transacting business of n routine nature, .adjourned. MR. R. M'CALLUM. "WE .ARB UNDER A CLOUD." Mr. I!. M'CALLUM (Wuiraii) said that It was with great pleasure that he rose to move that a, respectful addre.-s should bo tendered to his Excellency tin- Governor, in answer to tho Speech from the Throne. 'He referred to tho petition against his election. When the case was htill doubtful, fie had consulted several eminent authorities, and ho hod been assured that he could not .possibly fail. Had it been otherwise, he would havo at onco resigned,.and ho recognised that lie would never again have been able to hold up. his head in New Zealand in n"tical circles again. Somo question been raised at tho end of tho short session as to whether the names of tho new Ministry should be declared before ' i.he House adjourned. It had been decided otherwise, and now it was incumbent oil the forty-one members of tho Liberal and Labour party to homologate every act of administration by that Government which succeeded to the Ward Ministry. He thought it would lie well if, at the beginning of each Parliament, the tariff wore brought , up for revision. Surely it was not-right that so much taxation should be drawn from poorer people on the necessaries of life, ne was in favour of tho proposal to raise the graduated tax on land. Tlio finances of the Dominion were in a flourishing condition, but thov could not well be otherwise, under the eare of the late Minister for Finance. We should never wo his ,'liko again in New Zealand. During the . Liberal Government's term" of office, the total amount borrowed was 42 millions sterling, and he maintained that 3GJ of this amount was interest-bearing. He thought too little had been borrowed for railways; nine more millions could have been borrowed, and all the trunk lines could have been completed by this time. Ho thought the reforenco in fhe Governor's Speech to legislation for tho abolition of .trusts and combines set forth an excellent aim. but ho thought human in-"fiiuity-would circumvent any law of*this sort. 'Ho thought Parliament might deal with our own-protection laws, and then talk about, trusts and combines afterwards. "We aro under a. cloud," ho said in concluaion—Omght/'r from Opposition.

Mr. Auderson: Why havo you not cured it? You have had-a chance to for twentytwo years. 1 • Mr. Brown soon afterwards a flee <1 who created the increment on the value of land. An Opposition member: The Government Valuer! Mr. Brown declared that every .sheenfa nil or made a. third of his income while ho was asleep. After a time he abandoned the subject of land reform to deal with that of cost of living. Customs duties, he declared, should be reduced. 'Government;, members: Nothing to tnko tliem of!—no necessaries of life anyway. Mr. Brown: Yes, there arc: pianos, for instance. (Laughter.). Mi'. Brown went on to arguo that pianos were no longer to be regardod as luxuries. A duty on pianos, he contended, might prevent the poor man's son from Retting a piano. Duties upon children's toys should also be reduced.-- Mr. Brown advocated also a reduction of the duty on tobacco. Revenue lost in this way should lx> mado up by imposing taxes on other things. Opposition members: Beer!_ Mr Brown assented, declaring that he would so into the lobby and double the price of beer if his friends on tho other side would help liini to double tho price of land. No doubt, he added as an atterHioaght. the member for Christchurch North would help linn. He dwelt at lon"th on what the Liberal party liad done, -md eulogised its just po icy. limo was being wasted, ho complained, in fighting about tenures instead of putting people on the land where they could produce something, bn lijUe Xative land was left that it matleied little what was dune with it. so far as tenure was concerned. l-ancl pmately held must bo cut up. Nobody on that side of the Bouse wanted to, rob anybody of their land, but it must ho settled. for Napier concluded liis speech two minute' More the hour of tlu> supper adjournment arrived, ami Mr. Massey rose and. was greetedl with applause from both sides of tho Ecus.?, but the Speaker intimated that the adjournment would bo taken before Mr. Massey commenced his speech.