THE HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2298, 31 October 1914, Page 9

THE HOUSE

The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. . Amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Land Laws Amendment Bill were agreed to. Amendments made by the Council ui the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland Empowering Bill were agreed to. Similarly amendments in the Wages Protection and Contractors' • Liens Amendment Bill were agreed to, _ The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Wellington City Milk Supply Amendment Bill were agreed to. WASHINC-UP BILL. The Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies' Empowering Bill (the Washing-Up Bill) was introduced by_ Governor's Message, and read a first time. IRON INDUSTRY BILL. CRY OF STATE CONTROL. The Hon< W. FRASER moved that the Iron and Steel Industries Bill.(read a second time pro forma) be committed. The matter of establishing an industry to work valuable deposits of iron ore in this country, he said, had been before Parliament on occasions for many years. Last year the Ethelburga Syndicate had made proposals, which the House, howover, considered extravagant. Then a commission had considered tho matter, and the finding of the commission was practically embodied in the Bill. It was much the same now as the New South Wales Act, and he hoped that th» result of the offer of bounties would be to encourage people from abroad with capital to enter upon the industry. SIR JOSEPH WARD (Awarua) said ho did not think any industry -was or more importance to' New Zealand than tho establishment of an iron industry hero woidd be. He had considered tno matter officially on many occasions, and he had come to the conclusion that to establish an industry as was intended by the Bill was a difficult and dangerous proposal to embody in an Act. There should be safeguards to nrotect the people from exploitation. He believed on the whole that the State should undertake the development of the industry, but he realised that the. State had so many obligations in connection with internal development that it could not take up every enterprise that it seemed desirable should be controlled by the State. At least the right should be reserved to the State to acquire the industry after a term of years., Mr. Eraser: So it is. - Sir Joseph Ward said he did not think a bonus system waß the best for the object aimed at in the Bill. He ; would prefer to see the Government : guarantee a rate of interest on a certain amount of capital. " Mr. A. H. ATMORE (Nelson) urged . that the Government should acquire the ' enterprise, and declared that . this i bonus business" was the "height of abi surdity." ■ Mr. J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) threaten- ■' ed to stonewall the Bill to prevent its ■ passing. He advocated the nationalisa- ■ tion of the industry. ' Mr. G. W. RUSSELL (Avon) just be- • fore the dinner adjournment intimated ; that he intended t 0 move (in place of > the motion to go into Committee on the Bill) "that in the opinion of tins House i the iron and steel industry in New Zeai land should bo controlled and developed •by the State." . ' On State Socialism. After tho dinner adjournment -Mr. ' Russell moved tho amendment of which ' he had given notice. He believed that tho policy of the peoplo in; this respect ' was and should he the policy of- State ; Socialism that already existed m ISew Zealand to a large extent.'He instanced , the present State Socialistic, schemes already in operation, and specially mentioned the Lake Coleridge hydro-electno power scheme as one somewhat" anal--1 agous to his proposal that the Government should'deal with the iron in- -, dustry. He said there was.a tendency to magnify too much tho importance -- of the man on the land in this country. - They should not, however, neglect the - other natural sources.of .wealth. Finally - ho expressed the opinion that New Zeai land was to be the great maritime 3 Power, of tho Pacific. Therefore the - timo must oo'me when New . Zealand . would be a great shipbuilding country. Mr. Nosworthy (Ashburton): But you are opposed to the local Navy., i vMr. Russell: lam not looking to tne - Immediate future. I am looking to a f distant period—a hundred years it may - be, or more. (Laughter from the Gov--1 eminent benches.) But we never can 1 he a great shipbuilding country unless I we are an iron-producing country. f Mr Russell appealed to honourable t members to voto on his amendment free 0 from party. ~,,/-. Mr. A. E. GLOVER (Auckland Central) heartilv supported the Bill. He B'aid they might have to wait a gencra- ' tion before any Government could hud the money for such an enterprise. ' Air. G. J. ANDERSON (Mataura) II caused further consternation in the 1 Opposition cainp by pointing out tnat onlv three years ago tho Ward Gnvcrn- " ment had introduced, a similar Bill to - tho one Mr. Russell was now condemning. , , ..,,, ~ Mr Massey: Was tha.t the Ethelburga Bill? . s Mr. Anderson: Yos, it was tho litneiburca Bill. (More laughter.) ™ Mr J A. YOUNG (Waikato) said 0 that in Committee he would be prepared fi to move an amendment to provide that d under no circumstances would the Stato h pav any purchase money for the good- '- will of tlio business, established as it would bo bv Stato subsidies , o ' Tlio amendment was lost by 3u votes i- to 22. . Tho Hon. W. FRASER (Minister o i- Public Works) deprecated the waste of timo by some of tho members of the Opposition in their What argument, ho asked, had any of thorn l . brought forward? Tlio member for • s Nelson had indulged in a continuous 0 stream of innuendo and abuso._ The Bill was.read a second time. • 0 An obstruction debate was carried on 1_ by tlio Opposition when-tho Bill was in 3 . Committee. j. At 2.15 a.m. the motion to report B progress was defpnted by 28 votes to 15 )r I (Loft Sitting.)