THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1484, 5 July 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. DEFENCE SYSTEM CRITICISED. Tho Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon. Notice was given by the Hon. C. H. Mills of his intention to ask if any communication had been received from tho secretary of the Empire Parliament Association. The Hon. 0. SAMUEL (Acting Leader of the Council) reverting to Tuesday's discussion, in which he e> pressed tjie opinion that there was no power to appoint a minister with portlolio to the Council, because, as all the portfolios were filled, read an opinion given by the Solicitor(Jeucrul, which opinion, ho snid, exactly coincided with the opinion he had expressed Objection was made by several speakers t<i tho reading of such an opinion. Such action, it was urged, gave a means by winch, a person not a member of the Council could express his views in the Council, and tho Council had mo redress. February and June Speeches Compared. The Hon. J. T. PAUL continuod the debate on tho Address-in-Rcply. Ho thought the Speech from the TliTone was remarkable for tlio many little things' dealt with at length, and the many important questions omitted. It was a record for length, and an easy record at that. Some of the gre.it features of the I'obruary Speech were absent from tho Juno Speech. Ho noticed the Legislative Council reform was missing from the last fcpr.pch. If it was necessary in February, Mirely it was ptill necessary in June. I'hi-ro was no reference either in the last hpeec.li to prolit-Hhnring, tho Bureau of Justice, tlio extension of the system of pensions to widows at S3, or the'nationalisntion of tho iron industry. The Stato r.oto issue mentioned in tho last Speech was also missing. In his opinion it; was i/ot right to put forward proposals in any Governor's Speech to catch votes, and the ■Government deserved to be censured for bringing down proposals in February and letting go of thc-e proposals three months later. It. was not right. Mr. Paul proceeded to deal at length with J-abour matters, referring particularly to

the way measures were rushed through the Council. No Labour Bill, lie urged, ehoulcl go througli the Council until it had been referred to the Laboui Bills Coniniittpf (Hear, hoar.) It was not; fair that Bills should bo kept back and rushed through at thn cud of the session. Jicfornnj to Hie Arbitration Court, Mr Paul remarked on the fact that in Australia the workers were coming in for arbitration, whilst in New Zealand tho workers were going awn.v from it. This, lie urged, was entirely, due to (he differfiieo in the administration of the Act. If the Act were allowed to go undei m A?n- Zealand they would lose one of the most beneficent pieces of legislation ever i)l.w;l on the -Statute Book. He hoped that tue Art would be perfected and pweerved Aftfr dealing with the land question. Air. Paul expressed surprise that tho Government had said nothing about its position on tho liquor question. Ho thought the Government should havo given a lead one way or the other on tho question of the baro majority. Personally Jib thought that the quicker we in New /lenland tried the bare majority the quicker we would solve tho liquor question.

The M'Kcnzio County Runs. The Hon. J. ANSTEY did not agree that the .Speech contained no policy. "With any Government that could improve local government and the land laws, as tho Speech proposed, it was unfair to speak of them as having no policy. He also approved the action of tho Government in setting up the Cost of Living and Civil Service Commission, although ho had some complaint to mako :n regard to the order of reference in tho first-mentioned commission, and also in regard to tho Mducation Commission, ln many cases it had been advocated that small country schools should bo closed, and the schools concentrated. He did not agree with this. Outside of the school purposes the eoimt.ry school was the only place for a church,-Sun-day school, post office, library, etc., and no good purpose would be served in doing away with these schools. Deferring (.:> the defence system, Mr. Anstey thought it wns not running quite as smoothly .is Mine would havo us believe. It appeared that some of tho authorities woro obsessed with tbo idea of establishing a military autocracy. The- arrangements for training in his district had been muddled to the inconvenience of tho farmer. As far as South Canterbury was concerned, the three weeks following Christmas were the best for parades, etc. Pie had heard of cases where lads had ridden long distances to attend parades, and on arrival there was no officer, and the lads had to turn back and ride homo again. In another case a fanner had worked a team for a day himself in order to let his lad away, biit tho boy on arrival found that all tho officers wcro away at a neighbouring race meeting. He quoted another caso of a lad who, after three years, had never fired off a rifle. He was plad the Government Ivad put more vigour into its laud settlement policy of lato. In the policy as being administered now, however, I bore was a-weakness in that the tendency was to cut tho farms up too small. 11c knew of ono GOO-aoro farm which would have cut up into two suitable farms, which l.nd been divided into four farm?, which would not keep anyone. The Land Purchase Board had purchased some farms at a high price in South Canterbury, when letter nml cheaper land was offering. It wa« nl*o stated that the board were confining their purchases t-o one agency and were buyin" very largely second-hand land, or land which had been offered to them time and aeain, and had not been accepted until oflored by n. syndicate or speculator, Mr An=fey again giwe some attention to the M'kenzie County runs. Fourteen of these runs were let by auction, and fouTteen bv tender. The successful applicants took -possession on March 1 of this year, and up to Jun?l seven transfers bad actually been passed by the Lnnd Board. Another bad been advertised for sale, and th«re had been still aTiotlie.r transfer In his opinion, Ihe Land .Department was in want of reorganisation, and v(l IVO ii|<! never have proper administration of tho system until w had prople nt the head whn bad an oxpwt knowledge of tl'p mailers l.liey lmd (o deal with. The Governi.tonf. miirht easily introduce legislation under winch (hey would only agree to Iraiiifcrs under small grazing 'niiM'niidi li"iw. «-liich ~,( , ,,t ]„,,„ fi,|,, ,-p-i ( ! ( .iHv. The TTnn. W. W. M'CATtTUK '-.pnlto nt, some Ipiislli on the question (if land c«tllniiipiil. and in p,T.;itie. voiced n pnnililiilnl nv dairy fariiij-r* ::j;iitnl |hn <;■■• U-ni °* .festftiA J'flgus, Jo jmp.roT<3 mate.

tors in this connection lit- suggested the appointment by the Government of an inspector to make periodical tests. Water Power. The lion. (.'. M. LUKE advocated the construction of light railways: as a means nf furlher opening up the country. Somo two years ago they had discussed water power at great length, and it had been .-aid then that the Lake Coleridge waterpower schemo would bo complete in about two years, but it was not complete yet. He ilul-not think the Government-waspro-secuting the water-power scheme last enough. To his mind the haulage power for (he light railways should be by water power. The Hon. J. BARB dealt principally with labour matters, referring particularly to the suggested amendment of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. Labour had, lie said,' benefited from this Act to a greater extoht than anyone realised. On occasions cases hud been thrown out of the Court bpoauso thoso appointed to conduct the cases on behalf of labour went altogether unprepared, and had not the facts at hand. They neglected tho fact that tho Court was a Court of law, and that expressions of opinion were of ■no value whatever. The result had been a valuable lesson. Tho Hon. .1. K. JBNKIXSON thought tho Speech' was a remarkably good one, and no Government could have gone to tho country on a better imlicy. Referring to the suggestion that the State should establish light railways, Mr. Jenkinsoii characterised it as arrant nonsense to advocate light railways of the kind. Tho railways were already too light and were being made heavier at present. Light lines would increoso haulago immensely and further, (hey could not last any length of time. Mr. Jenkinson urged that all new railway works should in future be carried out by the Kailway Department instead of by the Public AVorks Department.

The Hon. 0. SAMUEL (Acting-Leader of the Council) spoke at. considerable length on the constitutional position and then proceeded to deal with the Speech from tho Throne. In concluding, he spoke strongly on the present party system of government. The system, ho said, was all wrong, and true democracy demanded a change. The present system of politics involved too much compromise for him to hold office in any Ministry without discomfort. He could not find it in himself to constantly compromise, as was being done, and under no circumstances could he take office in a partv MinistnThe Hon. W. BEEHAN suggested that the matter might be got over by abolishing tho other House.

The Council rose at midnight after tho Hon. Sir W. .T. Steward had Tonliod, and moved the motion, which was agreed to.