FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1521, 17 August 1912, Page 6

FINANCIAL DEBATE.

SPEECH BY MR. SIDEY. PROMISE OP REASONABLE SUPPORT. The Tinaueial Debate was resumed at •1.40 p.m., the first speaker of tho day being. Mr. Sidey, who had moved the adjournment. Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin South) congratulated the Government upon the appointment of tho Hon. T. Mackenzie as nigh Commissioner. Ho went on to discuss the causes leading up' to what ho described as "the former Opposition to a great extent carrying on the. policv of the Liberal party." The latter party'had retired from office with tho knowledgo that tho financial position of the country was sound. It was very unfair to say that such-and-such a thing had not been done, although tho party had been twenty-ono years in office. This statement ignored, all tho things of a remarkablo and unprecedented kind which had been accomplished by the Liberal-Labour combination. Had the Liberal party remained in office many other changes would have been instituted. Mr. Sidey dealt' at.somo length with financial matters and said that lie recognised that tho present Uovornment was to a great extent committed to the programmo of its predecessor so far as this year was concerned. He was disposed to give every reasonablo consideration to the Government in view ot the short time granted to it for preparation. Undoubtedly the Government had a great opportunity. Whether thev would retain the title of "Prcreesivc'" would depend on the manner in which they dealt with tho questions of the hour ■livery reasonable opportunity should bo given to the present Government to show what they can do," said Mr. Sidey in concluding. "So far as I can, consistontly with my platform obligations, do so I shall be prepared to give them every support in the way oi putting unon tho if- i. t f°r or S ITI , nfr effect to Proposals which I believe to be for the benefit of tho country. A LIBERAL POLICY. NEW MEMBER'S APPROVAL. Mr. A. HARMS (Waitemata) argued in reply to Mr Srtey that thero need be no fear of a deadlock in tho working of Parliament through a disagreement between the, two Houses. Tho Houso of Representatives would be the dominant branch of tho Legislature, and an election of half of tho Upper House could bo forced in tho event ot a disagreement. Ho commended the new graduated land tax, the old ago pension proposals, and the widows pension scheme, as outlined in tho Budget. Ho congratulated tho Government on its firmness in administering the Defence Act. Ho would like to see tho Arbitration Act amended, to make it compulsory that a union should, before declaring a strike, take a secret ballot of members, and that wives of members should bo allowed to vote in the ballot He though tho present Government had set an excellent standard by taking tho country and the House into its fullest confidence. Especially, he thought, tho sotting up of the Public Accounts Committeo was an excellent reform, and the that had been brought to light that afternoon had showed the necessity for it. There would be no more secrecy, no more patronage, and no more spoils'to the victors. He approved of the proposal toallow lease-m-perpetuity tenants, and also renewable-lease tenants on settlement lands to acquire the freehold of their holdings. Ho also thought the Government proposal for settling worked-out gum lands in small holdings an excellent one. Generally, he approved of tho Government policy, as being truly liberal* and progressive. THE OPPOSITION WHIP. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, DEFENCE AND OTHER MATTERS. Mr. G. W. FORBES (Hurunui) agreed that tho Budget was fairly progressive, but would it liavo been so progressive if it had not been for tho precarious position of the party in power? They wore in a precarious position because they had to. rely on the votes of men who had already proved themselves unreliable. Ho declared that every big land-owner in the country was "slingih' up his hat' because tho Reform party was in power. He criticised adversely the proposed scheme for tho reform of the Legislative Council. Ho was one of those who believed that the Upper House ought to bo abolished, and that a Revising Committee should 1)0 substituted for it. It was utterly unnecessary nnd altogether ton expensive. He did not anticipate that the two-electorate system would be found to work out well. He did not believe in the sincerity of the Government in bringing down a graduated land tax. It was only a very Might increase, and prohablv it would all be given Kick to them in the new method of aggregation. The Government could be rolind upon to do nothing to luirt th« bin landowner, who found .all his party fund*.

Tlio Prime Minister: That is a lowdown insinuation. Sir. J. A. ITaiian raised a point of order, asking Mr. Speaker to say wkethor tlie Icrm was permissible. The SPEAKER said lio thought tho term was out of order. Mr. Mnssey then withdrew the remark, hut declared that tho statement was contrary to fact, and that it reflected upon the honour of every member of tho Government party. Mv. Forbes disapproved of tho Defenco Department being controlled by tho Hon. James Allen, himself a colonel. Tho civilian clement should bo represented; for there was a. great risk of a military caste being created, and taking to itself too much power. He disapproved of the freehold policy, of the proposal to import a general manager of railways, and of tho sotting up of a Civil Service Commissioner.

THE MEMBER FOR THE SUBURBS. AN EFFECTIVE SPEECH. Mr. W. H. D. BELL (Wellington criticised some points in' tho speech of tho member for Hurunui. Mr. l'orbes had said that tho Budget was all that a now party coming iuto power after twenty years in Opposition could do. What about the party that had been in power for twenty years? Practically every member who had risen on tho other side had asserted that tho substance of tho Budget had been pilfered from tho present Opposition. Did the Budget represent the best that the Opposition could do? The statement made by the member for Uurunui that the Government had only brought down a.democratic Budget under pressure was a suggestion that everyone on the Government side of tho Ilouso was politically dishonest. What right had the member for Hurunui to suggest that? Tho fact was that tho Budget represented tho platform to which every member of tho Reform party was pledged when he faced tho electors. The member for Hurunui had said that the Government members wero radical in talk, but that they had not given effect to their talk. That they had not douo so' was mainly duo to tho member for Hurunui and tlioso who sat on tho same side of the House. It had been said that all the wealthy men in tho country supported the Reform party. (Opposition Hear, hears.) But the wealthy men were in a small mindrity, and the Reform party was ■in power. Could the member for Hurunui explain that? (Government laughter.) He agreed with the member for Hutt that co-part-nership would supply a remedy for laoour unrest. Tho arbitration law so far had been a system of applying- ointment where the ,knifo should havo been employed to get at the root of the trouble and cut it out. Tho co-partnership system had succeeded elsewhere, and should be introduced into New Zealand. Was there ever a suggestion from either of tho two last Ministries that the rate to be paid to depositors in the Post Office would be increased? The whole question had been raised as a canard to deceive tho public, to make tho Post Office depositors believe that they wero being swindled. The wholo question was really ono of book-keeping, merely because the money was being lent from one Department to another. He was at at a loss to understand why the Opposition complained that Mr. Mnssey had not brought down a Government measure to deal with the licensing question. Surely this question was a proper one to keep out of party politics, If it was brought into tlio party arena, members would not all vote according to their convictions. In any case, it was not proper that tho division on this question should be tlio line of party cleavage. Ho questioned Mr. Wilford's arguments in favour of banking reform. He answered all the criticisms of the Opposition to tho effect that the Government party would repeal all kinds of progressive legislation. It had been said they would repeal tho graduated land tax. Mr. Forbes. The public distrusted you. Sir. Bell: And returned us in a majority to Parliament. He went on to say that tho paJ'ty distrusted was the old Tory party.

Mr. FoTbes: Yes. . Mr. Boll: Of whom you had two in your Ministry when you went to the poll. (Government laughter.) He defended the Legislative Council reform scheme, and if the Bill were to be thrown out, as members a of tho Opposition said would happen, it would be because tho present Council was stuffed with nominees of the late Government. Ho defended also tho proposal to appoint a commissioner for control of tho Civil Service, on tho ground that it would remove from the Government a power which could be used for political graft. Ho argued also in favour of the appointment of a Railway Commissioner; Last of all he spoke .of the Crown Law Office. "I would not have referred to it," he said, 'Hint that I know the member for Avon expects me to speak of it. All I wish to say in reply to his remarks is that I treat tho honourable member's remarks and the lion, member's comments on my "honesty and tho honesty of the Minister for Internal Affairs with the contempt they deserve." (Hear, hear.) Dr. ; TE RANGIHTROA (Northern Maori) moved tho adjournment of tho debate, and the Houso roso at-11.6 p.m.