IMPREST SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2525, 28 July 1915, Page 9

IMPREST SUPPLY

COST OF LIVING

LABOUR MEMBERS' COMPLAINTS.; All Imprest Supply Bill was introducied by Governor's Message. • The Hon. J. ALLEN said thitt the Bill showed £382,000 less in the'schedule thaii the first Bill introduced this session, but the first' Bill was ia certain respects abnormal. The Bill now before the House was in no way Unusual in any respect. Mr. J. PAYNE'(Grey''Lynn), said he wished to place before the Government the necessity for doing something to reduce the cost of-living to the people. He said he would like to see the Governinent extend our coal mining activities, and' acquire a line of coal-carrying steamers. He believed that if this wero done the price of coal to the people could .be considerably reduced. Another suggestion'was that the Goyernment should commandeer all the; dairy pro- . duets in New Zealand, supply to retail* ers at a certain price all that was required for local consumption, and! market the rest to the best possible advantage abroad, .pooling all the proceeds, and handing over to the farmers the whole return. He suggested that the Government should open up retail meat depots" and- break Up- the meat rings .existing. He Urged also that' tlio Goviernment ought to take steps; to reduce oppressive rents. It was utterl.v ridiculous to'say that the cost of living had advanced' 0n1y.,7, per 'cent;'-.' Family .-ex* '■ penditure on necessaries of life had actually increased from 40 to 50 per cent. , : . parliament Buildings. (, Dr. THACKER (Christchurch East) feaidi it was high time that the Government should "get a move on" with the new" Parliament Buildings. It was de- ' plorable that members should have to exist and attend , to the business of the country , in ' a super-heated, ' fetid atmosphere, being partially asphyxiated with carbonic oxide. , - Socialistic Schemes. Mr. 'A. WALKER (Dunedin North) lipolce of tlie desirability of the Government putting on our coast a number of trawlers to procure fish for tho community. Ho asked the Government'to consider also whether it was not in the interest of the people that the Government should commandeer the next wheat harvest. He also argued that our State coal supply system ought to be extended to allow people in all parts of the Dominion to procure and to use the coal. . Mr. p. C. WEBB (Grey) said that he wished to remind the Prime Minister' that' victimisation was still being carried on on some of the waterfronts in New Zealand. Men were boing victimised because of their efforts to bring about- "clean unionism" in this country. Ho asked for tlio setting up of a- Royal Commission to inquire into this matter. The men protected by the present Minister of Labour were the men who had . "swindled their comrades' money.". The ! poor, honest working man was not pro- . tected. Ho' thought the Royal Comi mission should investigate all that had happened from the Waihi strike down to the present time. He contended that the Government should acquire and work all the coal mines in the country in order that the fields might be conserved. He asked for a Royal Commission about, tho coal business also. Problem Must be Faoed. . Mr. T. M.' WILFORD (Hntt) said that the Government of the day must . face the problem of tho cost of living, otherwise wages would have to he increased. Mr. Allen: Tho price of bread is going down. It is down in Dtmedin and • 'Auckland. v Mr.' Wilford said that a distinction must be drawn between the price that people were compelled to pay by unavoidable. circumstances and the prices they were compelled to pay by the rapacity of individuals. Ho hoped that tho , nlready hard-pressed workers , would, not j bo hit directly by new war taxes.. A ' Government,. 'he declared, should ho judged not by "its agility in swinging along with the tido" in prosperous times, but by its resource in adversity, and he claimed that the present Government • had not cared for the , poorer people in this time of adversity. He advised the Government to "bring down soma scheme by which tho people would find the. purchasing power of the sovereign increased." Are the Wealthy Economising? Mr. J. A. HANAN (Invercargill) said that those who roalised what was be- ■ fore us were economising; but it was the wealthy people who wore doing that, and they did not need to economise. 'The time, he held, had arrived when ' Parliament should do something to assist those on whom the cost of living was pressing unduly. If evor tliere was I a time for increased production it was I now, but little was being dono. ! ■ At a later stage. I Mr. J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) suggested , that tho Minister of Finance should look ! further afield in matters of ordinary j taxation, to provide,for the country's I ii creased expenditure. Sir. P. C. WEBB (Grey) carried on the debate, by putting forward more Socialistic schemes for tlio commandeer- . ing of food stuffs, and for. the establishment of Stato trading concerns for ' tho benefit of the Wost Coast. , The BilLvvas. read a third .time, at .5,30.

p.m. The only members who had spoken wero: Messrs. Payne, ."Webb, Walker, Wilford, and Hanan.