ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1800, 12 July 1913, Page 6

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

THE DEBATE CONTINUED. LAND SETTLEMENT. Mr. H. J. H. OKEY (TaTannki) resumed tlio debate on the Address-in-Reply. He said the Government ought to do more to foster tho farmiujr industry, especially bv cutting up land for closer settlement. Much of the land that was so cut up was not suitable for close settlement, but there was any amount of land in tho country that was suitable. It ivas useless for tho Government to buy bit; blocks of.hilly country, which was already carrying stock up to its full capacity. • But tho Government' instead of buying land m tho Tarauaki district, which could'bo worked in farms of less than 100 acres, bought hills in Marlborough, suitable only tor sheep, of which they weru carrying ii,ji to thoir full capacity already. A mistake was bcin<; made in placing settlers too far back, heneo the troubles of sattleja about which complaint wa.s fro-

quently made in the Hou?e. These bush settlors could be aided by light railways (a- bush tramways, which would servo for a few years at any rate. Also tho Government should accelerate tlio settlement of Native lands. ' Ho found fault with tho cry of the southern members, who knew nothing of tho. Native land question, that those who advocated settlement of the land wanted to. rob tho Maoris.. Ho wanted tho Government to givo tho Maoris a square deal, and so to deal with tho land' as to benefit , tho pakehas and tho Maoris. He did not agree that the Government should relinquish its hold of tho Bank of New Zealand- Ho hoped the Government would take up an increased number of shares in tho proposed scheme to increase tho capital of the bank. Ho did not know what tho Government proposals wore, but ho hoped tha,t when they were prepared they would provide for these. Ho maintained that it would be in the interests of the bank, tho shareholders, and the people of the Dominion for the Government to it-tain its sharo in the bank, and to insist upon taking that proportion of the new share capital to.which its present holding entitled it. Ho hoped the Government would be able so to amend the Old. Age> Pensions Act as to encourage people to be thrifty. Under the present law a thrifty man got 110 pension, and he thought the amount a man might hold without being disqualified for a pension might be increased to meat the case of thrifty small farmers or working men. There were many arguments also for a universal pensions scheme, but of courso people would be required t{> contribute to it. He protested again, as he did when the Bill was under consideration last session, that military pensions ought. to be considered a 9 being payment in recognition of services rendered, and that all veterans, whether needy or not, should recedvo pensions. However, he was glad that the present Government had donu at least something for ( tho veterans. He complained that the Government had refused to continue to allow machinery for the establishment of the oil industry in Taranaki to come into tho Dominion free of duty, MINISTERS' TOURS. CHARGE OF ELECTIONEERING, Mr. G. FORBES (Hurunui) said he regretted that the Government was not doing more to promote land settlement, and that no effort had been made to purchase estates in his electorate. He was pleased to notice that the Prime Minister and the other Ministers had dmie a good d?al of travelling during the recess. H© thought Ministers ought to see the country, but on his tours 'the Prime Minister had dono a good deal ot electioneering, too. Personally, to took no great exception to tho Prame Minister going to "little functions"—the people were no doubt' glad to seia him—but ho would remind Mr. Massey that his party when in Opposition had always iound fault with Ministers doing this sort ot thing when, travelling at the, country s expense. He thought a grave blunder had been committed in closing down the works on the South Island Mam frunk line without once going /to see this works. Ho was suspicious, ot tho Government party s professions of Liberalism because he .know the people who were throwing up their hats when the party got into power were ot the olass'who were absolutely opposed to the State undertaking anything- which came into competition jv-ith commercial institutions. He did not believe, for instance, that Mr. Allen was anxious to increase tho business of the State Firo Insurance Department. . Mr. Allen: It made a bigger profit last year than over before. • • Mr. Forbes: It would have made a lot more if you had not been in charge of it. Ho repeated his allegation that tho Government was' not anxious to compete with commercial interests and that m some directions they ought to do moro. Mr. Fisher: You had 21 years to put things right. Why didn't you do it? Mr. Lauronson: Oh, dear; Oh, dearl The old gag! . Mr. Isitt: The same old wheeze. Mr. Brown: What were you like twentyone years ago ? •,,y/ r , - ••.. . Mr. Forbes complained that the House had never had a chance to discuss - tho report of the Cost ..of Living Commission, which had contained information of the very greatest importance. He spoke of the recent Public Trust Commission. He admitted that he and others had asked that the inquiry bo held, his idea being that a commission on which thero should be representatives of the people, in whoso interest the Public' Trust Office was established, might discover directions in which tho activities of tho office might be extended. Ho did not think it was a fair thing to put a lawyer on a commission to inquiro into on institution that was in competition with the legal profession. He did not by any. means approve of the policy laid ■ down for the Public Trusteo by the commissioners. And . who had instructed tho commissioners to lay down a.policy for th» Had the Minister done so r It seemed at anyrate that the present party could not be trusted with a popular institution like the Public Truft Office. He accused theMinister for Lands of having wrongfully set at naught a decision of the Canterbury Land Board. It seemed that somebody hail got between the Land Board and' the Minister, and this was the first occasion'on which he had known tho Minister upset such a decision of the,board. Mr. Herries: What about the Gishorno leases? Mr. Forbes: I am not talking about Gisborne, but about my own district . He repeated his protest against the Minister's action, which had been to withdraw from offer as leasehold a certain small holding, and to offer it for cash. Mr. Massey: I will put the whole filo on the table. Mr. 'Forbes: It should. be referred to the Lands' Committee. Mr. Massey: I am quite willing to do that. . . I will refer it to tho Lands Committee next sitting day, and I will call you as a witness. Mr.. Forbes repeated that the Prim© Minister had not acted in a manner calculated to help poor men to get on tho land in question. THE WEAK OPPOSITION. WHERE IS MR. HANAN? Mr. E. NEWMAN (Rangitikei) .said ho know it was impossible) for tho 'Government to satisfy the Opposition party. Perhaps no Government could satisfy any Opposition party, but the Reform party, hall been moro elfectivo in criticism than the present Opposition.'. . , , „ Cries of "No," and laughter from the Opposition benches. Mr. Newman: Its effectiveness is shown hero (and ho pointed to tho Treasury benches), Ah Opposition member:. After twentyone years! Mr. Newmnm.Oh, yes, it was a long time, but still it camc, and now that it has come it is going to last. I hope it won't last twenty-ono years. Mr. Hanan: No fear of that. Mr. Newman: About ten or fifteen years I should think. Ho went on to speali of tho leaderless Opposition, or rather tho Opposition with its several leaders. He mentioned them in turn, making one omission. Mr. Massey: What about Invercargill? Mr. Newman: Oh, Invercargill has joined tho Labour party. Laughter from the Government benches and a cry of "Red It-agger." Mr. Newman: I wonder .what tho canny Scots of Invercargill will say when they hear he is the leader of the Labour party'. (Laughter.) Ho has lost his chauco of being leader of the Liberal party. Mr. Newman proceeded to defend tho Government's land for settlement activities, remarking upon the large number of estates purchased. It had been said that the Government would not buy estates in Hawko's Bay for fear of offending friends there. In actual fact tho Government had bought several estates there, of a total area of 28,-117 acres. Ho defended tho action of tho Government in handling tho Wailii trouble, 'declaring that tilro strikers by callis? peaceful working peoplo by tho. offensivo name of "scab" had .been guilty -of conduct' calculated to provoke disorder. The polico had behaved admirably in control of tlio situation at Wailii. Tho incident had showed tho country (lint whatever (happened tho majesty of tho law would bo upheld. Tlio lldusc know now that the law would bo administered. If tho law should provo to bo wrong tlio House could alter it. As instances; of extravagant expenditure by the late Administration, Mr, Newman instanced: t fil(!fl,l)00 upon Government House and new Parliament Buildings; lih-o Hutt Road and Railway scandal, <fX>0,000; four public buildings, .i' 330,000; wasted in excessive expenditure en rjulnrav works, »C3!i.nW\: Iftis I'jvui 1

1 coal' mines, ,£35,000. In addition to this, said Mr. Nowimui, there had been a loss of ;Mi)0,000 upon tlio railways according to tho calculation inado by Sir Walter Buchanan. Tho items lie had quoted nmdo up a million aud a half sterling of extravagant expenditure. Mr, Newman urged that men in cities should bo given greater facilities than at present to take up land. In suck cases residenco might bo dispensed with for a timo so long as provision was niado for tho progressive improvement of tho land. Tho creation of a Board of Agriculture would do a great deal to induce continuity of policy in-agriculture.. Ho quoted from tho report of the Public Service Commission set up by tlie Mackenzie Government a statement that "ono of the great difficulties under tho present condition of things according to the testimony of responsible officers is that influence is constantly being brought to bear through, members of Parliament in matters ot appointments and promotions, and it is very difficult for any Minister or Cabinet to resist such, influence." It was only in accordance with' common English fair play, Mr. Newman contended, that they should wait until they got tho report of the. Public Service Commissioners before condemning them. In reference to reform of the Legislative Council,' Mr. Nowman claimed that the present Government was relinquishing a great deal of' patronage and power by sotting, up tho electoral system. Mr. E/ussell: Why don't you bring the Bill down, and let us pass it hero? Mr. HerritiS; We passed tho resolutions here. Mr. Newman defended tho Europeanisihg of Maoris. ' R. W. Smith i So that tho sharks can get h-11 their land. Mr. Newman: The sharks liavo got a good deal of the land all through. Ho regretted that ho could not deal fully with tho question of local government. After reading tho report of tho conference held during tho term of tho Mackenzie Government he had been much, struck by the fact that tho present system w\as all right, except in two points— the multiplicity of. small local bodies and tho lack of assured finance. Ho' hoped tho Government would not try to bring down a comprehensive Local Government Bill, because tho conditions were so diffprenit in tho extreme north and tho extreme south, that he felt sure they could not pleaao everybody; Bather, they should amend tho present law, to provide that the money from the Consolidated Fund would not go to tlio wealthier local bodies instead of to the poorer ones as it should; to provide that the Government should take up Toad work where there ,wero no local bodies. Thi9 would be better in the meantime than to attempt a big Bill. A great deal was said about reducing tlio cost of living, but it would bo impossible to do this and, at the same time, have protection. Ho'was curious to seo how tho Opposition would act if tliey wero asked to take the duty off boots, for instance, for tho taking of tho duty off boots might throw out of employment some of their constituents in Christclmrch. If we were to have reduced cost of living, we must strike tlio shackles off trado as they were nowdoing .in America. Ho stated that ho lioMd the Government would tako np tho policy of constructing light railways. Ho know that roads, with motor traction, could open the country up perhaps better than light lines, but tlio light railways should bo laid in districts whero metal was unobtainable. . ' A MAORI MEMBER. -"THE ALIAS OF REFORM." Mr. C. I'ARATA (Southern Maori) took up the party light for tho Opposition. Ho declared that Mr. Newman's speech proclaimed him 'a Liberal, and he hoped Mr. Newman would soon join the Opposition party. : Ho declared that the old Opposition party had tried for years to get into power, but had been unable to do so until finally they changvd their name. They got in under the alias of "lieform." Ono of their lighting cries had been "no more borrowing," but had it not been for tho financial stringency tho Minister for Financo would liare borrowed a few moro millions in England. And tho Minister, "this great rangatira, who knows how to deal with tho big financial people," had been caught in tho web of the financiers and mailed, so that ho had paid for his loan ;£37,000 more than ho should liavo paid. Next ho proceeded to deal with Native lands. Generally lio' cond&mned tho proposals of the Government, and of members of the Government party, for dealing with tho land of 'tlio Natives. 'His last lino of defence for the Maoris' rights over their lands was the Treaty of Waitangi. Ho relapsed into party politics again, and declared that the present Government had not got into power by the voto of the people. ' Mr. 1 Jlassey: How many put you in? Mr. Isdtt: That doesn't answer this question. • . ... Mr. Hanan: Don't reply. (It may be explained that unless a replies to an interjection it is never chronicled in Hansard.) . Mr. Parata scarcely needed the prompting, and he certainly did not' reply. • Tho dtbato iwas adjourned on the motion of Mr. J. B. Hine. Tho House, as reported .in another column, spent half an hour in discussing ways and means of preventing the spread of tho epideinio which has appeared in the north, and rose at 11.40 p.m.