Untitled

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

Tho Railways Manager.

On the subject of the appointment of the General Manager of Railways. Mr. Filler said that the other side had made much of the phrase, "No New Zealander need apply." Mr. Russell said that ho had not mentioned the railway appointment in his speech of tho previous night. Mr. Fisher said that the phrase had come an an interjection from the other side. He-quoted from tho Governor's Speech of the Mackenzie Government a proposal to employ an expert with a knowledge of railway management, as practised in other countries. Another passage stated that applications were to bo invited from abroad. "No New Zealander need apply," commented Mr. Fisher. The member for Riccarton had deprecated the fact that the reference to the Dreadnought in tho Governor's Speech was too brief, and that it did not contain reference to Sir Joseph Ward. But bow was it possible to please tho honourable genaleinen when they could not ovea please one another? Speaking at the naval banquet at Melbourne, ho had said at once that lie did not wish to appear under false colours, and that ho was not a member of the party that had been in power when the Dreadnought was presented. How could ho please the honourable gentlemen ? i The Change. Could it bo said that the Reform party had in their short term of office accomplished nothing? There was industrial peace, if there was unrest and dissatisfaction, and tho financial position of tho oountry was very much better. The Minister was will'ing to go before tho Public Accounts Committee and bo examined on any singlo item of financial operations, a privilege that had never before been accorded to & committee og tho House. No longer were thero heated debates before the House could drag from the Ministry simple facts relating to oven 6mall items of expenditure. Ho claimed credit for tho Government for having increased the graduated land <tax. Mr. Myers: How much oome3 from tho cities?

Mr. Fisher: I don't know, but the tax has brought .in ,£BI,OOO more. Mr. Myers: Have any estates been broken up? Air. Fisher: Yes; I will give you details in a day or two. Mr. Fisher said ho was tired of asking tho question, but he could not refrain from again asking why the condition of things which permitted men to hold huge areas of land was allowed to continue when the Opposition party had had 20 years of office? Honourable gentlemen cn tho other side of tho House could not answer that question. They were the real friends of the large landowner. When tho leaders of the Liberal party wanted a short period of relaxation)., where had tliey gone to spend it? To stay with tho greatest landowner and jobber in Hawke's liay. Mr. Payne: That's quite true. Mr. Fisher : The member for Grey Lynn confirms that. It must bo true. (Laughter.) Ho went on to 6ay that when tho Liberal party went out of offico tho monopolies in New Zealand were in a very much more prosperous stato than ever before. The beer monopoly was flourishing, and there were merchants' associations everywhere. "Another Wobbler." Tlio member for Nelson had recently standi that iho Government would not cut up stations in Hawke's Bay, because tho owners were tho buttresses of tho Government party. .Was the honourable)

gentleman aware that the Government had already purchased fivo estatos in that district? Mr. Atmoro: You shouldn't have purchased any, Ton should have put up tho graduated land tax. Mr. Fishor said the party had increased the graduated land tax. And had. tho party Mr. Atmoro supported bought any stations in Hawko's Bay? Mr. Atmoro: I'm not supporting them. Mr. Fishor (laughing): There's another wobbler. (I/oud laughter from tho Government benches). Another barnacle off tho ship. I congratulate the honourablo gentleman. I am very glad. We'll have to get another peg up in our room yet. It had been alleged, ho 6aid, that tho Government had broken the law by delaying tho issue of tho writ for tho'Grcy election. But tho writ had been ißsucdj 15 days after the doath of Sir Arthur Guinness, and it had takon tho other party 35 days to make arrangements when the lato Mr. T. E. Taylor died. Ho read correspondence to show that the holding of tho election 'had been expedited aa much as possible, and that tho delay had taken entirely at tho request of tho Registrar." Westport Harbour Board. He referred to tho' Westport Harbour Board case. Tho member for tho district had-said the Government had il-' legally put men off the board, and appointed two new members wrongfully. But the honourable gentleman had not communicated with him or mentioned the matter in tho House except by way of a question, nor lad any of the two members removed; Could . the honourable member Bay now that the action of tho Government was illegal? Ho could not. What the honourable gentleman was soro about was that tho man who was chairman of tho board, and who had been elected at the top of the poll as soon as tho present Government mado tho board elective, opposed hiin at last election. An inquiry into the affairs of tho board had been asked for, and if tho honourable member wanted any inquiry about tho legality of tho appointments lie could havo it, because the inquiry was going to bo set up. The Act of last year provided that two members should go oiijLby ballot, and they refused to take the ballot. The Act did not provide for tho compulsory removal of these two men by ballot. That was an oversight. It was raid that the clause under which the appointments were made was repealed, but it was not rcpealed'-so far as tho appointment of tho two men was concerned. He had arranged also_ to take action to removo from tho Waitara Harbour Board a gentleman wrongly appointed to it by the late Government. Things to Come. He believed Parliament would now for tho first time have tho privilego of disoussing really Imperial issues, whereas hitherto Imperial ideas had been -regarded as tho peculiar property of Ministers. The Government had also gone abroad to try and increase our trade. He traversed in rapid review the legislation—a big programme of it— which the Government would bring down .this session, which ho claimed, was a sufficient answer to the demand of the other party for a policy. The other side claimed credit for having inaugurated the pensions scheme, and upbraided tho Government party for haying opposed it. Cut if the pensions legislation had com© forward in the form in which it was presented he would havo opposed it. It was a scheme which penalised thrift, encouraged indolence, rewarded tho man who had not been thrifty, and punished the i"an who had.saved up and got a home. The present pensions legislation would never be put right until it was altered to removo the disqualification from tho n.an who had been industrious and made a home for himself. He hoped tho pensions legislation would yet bo' mado equitable, and that it would be extended to provide for tho unfortunate man who had been maimed by accident, instead of leaving him to play a hurdy-gurdy on tho street corner. Tlio Government hoped also to make tlio lot of tho casual worker easier, a task which had been passed over by tho previous Government. Tlio Government had also to do much to promoto land settlement, to seouro to workers aioro regular employment, to give better wages— not tho kmd of wage? the. lato Government paid. The Government v.ould not take it ouit of State employees. Why, the honourable member for Avon had left the printing office in a stats that was a disgrace to the country. Mr. M'Callum: Electioneering!

Mr. Fisher: The honourable gentleman says I am electioneering. If tho honourable gentleman wants the medical report of the printing office, lot him ask for it. Mr Fisher concluded by expressing tho belief that the Reform party c-mld do much good, and that it would, justify its election. "WITHOUT PREJUDICE." Mr. T. M. WILFORD (Hutt) began by scolding Mr. Fisher for having been, as Mr. Wilford alleged, unkind to Mr. Colvin. He said that tho Governor's Speech was entirely drawn up by a lawyer, and that the only thing it required to make it a perfect legal document was tho phrase "without prejudice." He warned tho House that Mr. Herdman was an enemy of all State institutions, and that ho was showing his objection to Cliem by attacking the Public Trust Office. Ho believed in the Arbitration Act, but ho could not but allow workers tlio right to strike after peaco methods had failed to settle their difficulties. Tho Government taxation Tfiis quite ineffective to prevent land aggregation. The Ministry, ho said, was a ' rublwr-'stamp Ministry, ruled absolutely by tho heads of Departments. The only Crown lands left to bo settled in this country were second-class lands, and heaven help tho poor settler who went on those lands without capital. What this country really needed now was more scientific farming, and the intelligent use of fertilisers. Such methodß of farming had mado Germany rich, although the soil of the Fatherland was comparatively pool 1 . He would suggest to the Minister that ho should take a leaf out of Germany's book, and so increase tho graduated land tax that estates would bo broken up, and more intense methods of farming adopted on small holdings. Ho did not believe the Hon. James Allen mado a good bargain with tho loan, for he did not think it was good business for a treasurer to commit the oountry to a high rate of interest for thirty or forty rears, when he believed the rate of interest was coming down,. Even if the loan Was faised by the bast : possiUo methods, tho terms and tho length of the loan woro not tho best possible. Tho Government had promised to go on borrowing for advances to settlers, but the State-lending Department had been starved for lack of funds, and those who needed money had to go to' tho largo landowners, and the other people who had money stored tip, the friends of tho party in power. Tho debate was adjourned, on the motion of Mr. G. R. Sykes, and the House rose at 11.30 p.m.

GAMING AMENDMENT DILL. Tho Gaming Amendment Bill, introducer! by Msr. Gr. Hunter (Wiaipawa) is a 'short measure to provide that the Minister {or Internal Affairs may, on the application of any racing. 'trotting, or hunt club, not being the holder of a totalisator license, grant to that club a lieenso to use the totalisator on one day; not more than 30 licenses to bo granted under fchlis section in any year, and of that number not more than .seventeen to be granted to racing clubs, nor ten to bunt clubs, nor three to trotting clubs. It is also provided that licenses may bo granted under this section, notwithstanding that thereby the total number of days on which tho totalisator may bo u*ed exceeds the number provided by Section G of the Gaming Amendment Act, 1010.

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