DR. A. K. NEWMAN

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1794, 5 July 1913, Page 6

DR. A. K. NEWMAN

THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, Dr. A. K. NEWMAN (Wellington East) said that, listening to his friend, the member for Otaki, he had been thinking what a funny tiling politics was. The Eoform Party had helped to put Mr. Robertson in. Mr. Robertson: I give that an absolute denial. Dr. Newman said that Reform voters had helped to put Mr. in. Mr. Robertson said that more had voted for tlio other man. He added: "Ask the member for Palmerston North." The Prime Minister: Ask mo! Dr. Newman went on to traverse some remarks of the momber for Avon, and assured him that "next December twelvemonths" he would find that the mandate of the people would return the Reform Party with an increased majority. Dr. Newman scoffed at the Governor's Speech as a relic of barbarism which should be abolished. He congratulated Mr. Speaker upon appearing without a horse-hair wig, which would nave cost the country ten guineas, and went on to suggest that the mace, too, might very well be done away with. Dr. Newman was interrupted by the dinner adjournment. Dr. Newman, resuming after the adjournment said he believed that of the great deal of money that was 6pent on charity some should be used to prevent tlio need for charity. He thought poor incapacitated people might be put in some sort of institution where they could learn a trade, such as shoe-making. This would give men a permanent uplift. Tho position of "too old at 4-0" was a very sad one to have in this country. In Germany a great deal was done to help people who could not help themselves by tho keeping up of farm colonies. The lot of the suburbans" was also not a very, happy one. Their incomes wero small, the cost of living -was high, and they found it increasingly hard to make ends meet, to say nothing of putting anything asido for a rainy day. He hoped that the result of Mr. Fisher's visit to Australia would bo that the duties on such articles of food as flour and potatoes would bo removed in New Zealand, and perhaps, on butter also. There were more ways of keeping down tho cost of living. Nothing could bo more monstrous than that in our railways polo ponies, racehorses, and valuable stock were carried free one way on a return journey, while a man who wanted to take his family into the country had to pay the return fare. The high cost of living was causing a very dreadful amount of race suicide. He hoped that before the end of next session the Prime Minister would try t<S consider some system of national insurance, which was very much needed in this country. Possibly a commissionnot a roving commission of incompetent people, but a real live commission—might do some good in investigating the causes and seeking the remedies of poverty and misery. He discussed also the possibility of exploiting profitably the coal-fields, and the natural gas and oil resources in the province of Wellington. He had no faith in light railways, but lie did think that motor-bus and motor-wagon services, on improved roads, built to carry them, would do a great deal moro to open up this country. Ho was quito sure that the motor-bus would very soon displaco the tramway systems of cities in New Zealand, as it had already done in England. He was very glad tho present party had got into power because he believed it would carry out good and necessary reforms. It might not have all the talents, but it was giving this country sound and honest finance. Tho good statesman foi Now Zealand was tho man who would not enter upon extravagant ventures, but would itso available funds for tho development of the country. MR. WITTY'S TIRADE. "POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS." Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) congratulated Dr. Newman on his Liberal speech. No one, he said, objected to the conferring of a title upon tho honourable member for Wairarapa, but what they did object to was the manner' in which the peoplo of Mr. Massey's party had condemned titles conferred on other people. He found fault with the Government powers with regard to State advances, declaring that the Minister had last year introduced a Bill to provide that no worker should receive moro than J;300 aa an advance. •

Mr. Massey: No, that's wrong. Mr. Witty: It was thrown out. Mr. Mnssey: It was withdrawn. Mr. Witty persisted that the intention was there for all that.

Mr. Masscy: Tliat is not right. Mr. Witty would not admit that he was wrong, liow<?ver. He went on to speak of wliat he called "The Spoils to the Victors Crowd," referring to the Government's appointment of new messengers in Parliament buildings, to tlio appointment of Mr. Rtvyd Garlick as director of physical education, to the appointment of new members of the directorate of the Bank of New Zealand, and to the appointment nf a new general manager for railways. All these appointments, ihe 6aid, were political. He said that the Civil Service Act had stirred up nothing but discontent in tho Servico.

.Mr. Herdmnn: You've been doing it. Mr. Witty: No, I have not been doing it, He said the Act was a .costly farce, and he complained about Civil Servants who had been a long timo in tho Service being required' to pass examinations. "And. y«; talk about political patronage!" lie exclaimed dramatically. "Wihere was the -political patronage in our day?" (Loud laughter from the Government benches). Ho maintained that the present arrangements under the commissioners was worse than political influence; it was "club" influence. Amongst other instances of "alleged" political influence which he mentioned were the recant appointments to the Westport Harbour Board, which, he said had been mado under a repealed clause of the Act. Ho had also something to say about the "paltry hvo, and a half lines" mention of the battleship in the Budget, • about how the "Tory crowd" had flocked round the ship, and "not a word about the man who daired to give the ship." He said the defence system would break down because of its cost, and that the loan floated. by Mr. Allen was not a cheap loan. THE HON. F. M. B. FISHER. SCARIFYING THE OPPOSITION. The Hon. F. M. B. FISHER said that nine-tenths of what the member for Riccarton had said was worthy neither of reply nor report. Like the member for Avoil the member for Riccarton had pomplained about the Governor's Speech on tho score of what it did not-contain. The fact was that the Speech was free from tho fulsome and lavish phrases to which members on the other sido had become accustomed. "The trouble with the party on tho other side," said Mr. Fisher, "is that they are out."\ (Hear, hear.) Mr. M'Callum: Oh, no!

Mr. Fisher: They cannot blame us because they are out. It was dry-rot, disintegration, and jealousy amongst themselves which had put them out. They cannot elect o leader. They daro not assemble together to elect a leador. They have fallen out amongst themselves. Mr. Hogg dropped out. Mr. M'Nnb went out. Sir John I'mdlay and Mr. Fowlds dropped out. Then tliey formed tho Mackenzio Ministry, and Sir Joseph Ward left them. It was a general "burst up." When they formed a new Ministry, all those who were~tn it thought it was tho finest Ministry ever created under tho British flag. (Laughter.) And everyone who was not in it thought it was tho worst Ministry ever created under tho British (lag. (Moro laughter.) Tho Ministry fell out of the boat as my friend, tho member for Dunedin Central, put it ond tho Minister for Finance in tho last Ministry has slipped over the gunwale sincp last session. The member for Hutt lias slipped away from them. A member: Soft pedal!

Mr. Fisher: Yes, ho kept his foot on tho soft, soft pedal,. and it broke. (Laughter.) Ouo by one tho parly had dissolved and fallen nwaj; because its members had never been united by policy, but always by patronago. They found now that under recent legislation the power of patronago had gono. Mr. Glover: I never did it!

Mr. Fisher: And I don't believe any party will get the power of patronago back again. The member for Avon had sneered at tho recent appointments to the Upper House, but all of tho gentlemen appointed, except the Native representative, had been members of Parliament more than once. There wcro seventeen members in tho Council who hail never faced the electors at all ond who put them there? Some of them would not even face a school committee election; tliov wore thought so little of in tho localities to which they ' belonged.

(Laughter.) In face of this, tho member for Avon had had tho temerity to get up and criticise tho appointment of members who had worthily served their electorates. "Why," said Mr, Fishor, "your own constructed Council destroyed our Bill last year and mado elections necessary." Tho hon. gentleman (Mr. Russpll) had made a speech oxcellently delivered, but containing not one statement of fact. £165,000 a Minuto. Mr. Fisher went on to deal with the colossal extravagance practised all over the country by tho preceding Administrations. One of these works was tho famous Hutt railway between Wellington and tho Hutt, at a cost of .£330,000. "I believe," said Mr. Fisher, "that you can t'O to tho Hutt two minutes quicker now. That is .£165,000 a minute," The party on the other side had founded tho superannuation funds, but had founded them upon an unfinancial basis. Tho Government had paid during tho year -£25,000 into tho Railway Superannuation Fund, .£48,000 into tho Public Works Superannuation Fund, and .£17,000 into tho Teachers Superannuation Fund, a total of To make tho funds sound, which the party in Opposition had established on such a rotten basis, would necessitate annual payments as follows:—Railway i'und, Public Service Fund, ; Teachers' Fund, .£30,000: a total annual liability of .£IBO,OOO. Tho member for Avon had spoken of increased expenditure. Tho Government had set aside .£IO,OOO as a sinking fund for public buildings. The sum of had been expended in military pensions. Had the hon. gentleman voted against theso items? For widows' pensions =£5000 had been provided, and increases in the salaries of railway servants had cost tho State Had the hon. gentleman voted against any one of theso? His (Mr. Russell's) party had for years deprived the raiiwaymcn of the money they were entitled to. Mr. Myers had restored to the railwaymen some of what they were entitled to, and tho 1 present Minister had dono the rest. Could the hon. gentleman name any one of theso ho had voted against?

Mr. Russell: The greater part of the sums you have dealt with are in the Permanent Appropriations, whioh were not included in tho figures I dealt with the other night,

Mr. Wilford: Ah, he doesn't know that. Mr. Fisher said he had dealt with the increased expenditure for the year. Mr. Allen: Tho railways are not in the Permanent Appropriations, either. Mr. Fisher: Ah, ho doosn't know that. (Laughter.) The Minister went on to remark that everything the other jside could do to financially embarrass the present Government they had done. As to what the member for Avon had said about tho Government's delay in bringing down its policy measures ho invited him to listen to what the lato Mr. Ballance had said. Mr. Russell: I wns not in Parliament when Mr. Ballance was alive.

Mr. Fisher: What a lucky thing for Mr. Ballanco! (Loud laughter.) I havo no doubt the absenre of tho hon. gentleman prolonged his life. No Government, said Mr. Fisher, could pass tho whole of its projected legislation in one year. Tho present Government had passed moro legislation in its first year than tho Liberal -Administration. Tho member for Avon had teen quite prepared to condemn tho Public Service Commissioners without knowing anything about what they had dono. Not even Ministers knew as yet what tho recommendations of the Commissioners were. Tho effect of tho Public Sorvico Act would be to give Civil Servants moro political rights than they had ever enjoyed in tho past.

Political Patronage. Members on the other sido had asked for a single instance of political patronago in the past. Amidst Opposition silence Mr. Fisher proceeded to read communications from former Ministers to heads of Departments. They ran: "Will you give Mr. , on his application, a letter to Mr. for employment in tho Printing Office during tho session." "Mr. to be temporarily employed if assistance is required as from Tuesday next." "Bearer, Mr. .is married. Can you put him on in addition to tho others." '\And on ho went," commented Mr. Fisher.

Mr. Loo: Pigeon-holes I Replying to an Opposition interjection, Mr. Fisher said that all the notes were of recent date. Ho went on to read: "In addition to the other names, I send you five from Otago, four from Auckland, and four from Canterbury. Please take them in."

A memljor: Were they nil Liberals? Mr. Fisher: You bet; they would not have been, on the list if they had not been Liberals. Henceforth, lio declared, merit and capacity would bo the basis of promotion in the Civil Service, and not crawling and lick-spittling. In tho first year in which he was a member of the House, ho stated, he got a circular asking him to nominate a man for employment in the Railway Department. He wrote back: "You ought to know your own business. Employ your own men, and don't send me any more circulars." Formerly, he said, a man who wanted a job in the Civil Servico had to "crawl" to get it. Not a man on tho other side of the House could deny that with truth.