PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 173, 11 April 1918, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

j ADDRESS-IN-REPLY j NEW ZEALAND'S PART IN THE ; , WAR . | DEFENCE DEPARTMENT ! ; . '■; -ASSAILED ! TWO AMENDMENTS HEAVILY DEFEATED !■ ... ~r;;." T~~ !'. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 i p.m. The Hon. J. G. W. Aitken took i tho chair. ! CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. : The Hon. W. F. C. Carncross was j elected Chairman of Committees. j THE SPEAKER. J, SIR FRANCIS BELL said that the j' Speaker of the Council (the Hon. C. J. j Johnston) was still unable to attend j ' / owing to illness. Tho Speaker had ex- | ' pressed his'wish to resign, but he (Sir j: Francis Bell) had assured him that his i resignation would bo keenly regretted j by the Council, and that it would bo j- the wish of the Council to depend for J. the present session upon an Actingi Speaker. If Mr. Johnston was still [. unable to attend when the second session opened later in the year the posi- ! tion would have to be considered again, , and in that case the Leader of tho 1 Council would not oppose the wish of the ; Speaker to resign. Sir Francis Bell ; said that he 'felt he had expressed the j • wishes of the Council, but neither ho j nor the Speaker, wished the Council to ;. feel bound in any way. He moved j that during the remainder of the sesj ' sion the Chairman of Committees i should be Acting-Speaker. ■ This motion was seconded' by the , Hon. 0. Samuel and carried. Mr. !■■. Samuel said that Sir Francis Bell had i. expressed the wislies of the Council. [ ' The Hon. 0. Samuel was appointed j 'Acting-Chairman of Committees. THE LATE SIR CHARLES BOWEN. !-' . SIR FRANCIS BELL moved that the i ' Council should place on record its sense of' the faithful services rendered to i New Zealand,by the late Sir Charles i Bowen, ex-Speaker of the Council. He j : paid a feeling tribute to a man who ; had been identified with the whole history of the province of Canterbury and ; with many important events in the pub- \ lie lifo of the Dominion. I The motion was seconded by the Hon. I J. Barr, supported by the Hon. C. A. |. C. Hardy, the Hon. R. Moore, the ! .- Hon. T. Mac Gibbon, and carried. ! LATE SIR HENRY MILLER. | SIR FRANCIS BELL moved "a simi- ! lar motion resecting the late Sir , Henry Miller, who was appointed to !■' the Council in 1852, and retained his | seat for fifty-two years. i . . The motion was seconded by tho | Hon. W. F. C. Carncross, supported by the Hon. Captain Baillie, and carried. \ OTHER DEPARTED MEMBERS. I Similar motions were adopted, on the motion of Sir Francis Bell, respecting : the late. Hon. A. T. Maginnity, the late Hon. W. Morgan, the late Mr. C. ! Parata, and the lato Dr. H.' D. Bed- : ford. i SIR FRANCIS BELL suggested that ■•' tho Council should adjourn until Frij day. He said he thought it inadvis- • abie to take tho Address-in-Reply dehate at once. The sole legislation of the session, as far as he knew, would ; be financial, and the Council would have no opportunity to discuss proposals of the Government on that Bill. He thought that in these circumstances !• the 'Address-in-Replj 'debate had bet- | ter be held over until tho Government ' . had placed certain matters before the House. The Counoil adjourned at 4 p.m. until to-morrow at 2.30 p.m.

THE HOUSE

The House of Representatives met at . ,2.30 p.m. The Expiring Laws Continuance Bill was introduced by Vice-Regal Message, and read a first time, without de- • bate. Leave of absence for the duration of ; . the session was granted to the Hon. R. :'. H. Rhodes (Ellesmere). : The Temporary Employees Bill (Dr. 'A; K. Newman) and the Naturalised Subjects Franchise Bill (Mr. J. V. Brown) were introduced and read a : first time. ; . The Rt. Hon. W. F. MASSEY said :■ that he proposed to, ask members !to_~ attend a meeting in the Joint Committee Ro"tn to consider matters [ ~ connected with the .session. He j thought it would expedite matters very ! considerably if members came together : and discussed things freely, as they did i on one occasion last year. He asked j members, irrespective of parties, to attend tho meeting. i Tho House adjourned at 3.7 p.m. until 7.30 p.m.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

• DEBATE OPENS •■ ; MR. J. P. LUKE SPEAKS '■ Mr. J. P. LUKE (Wellington North) ; taioved the Address-in-Eeply motion at • 7.30 p.m. He said that he would first like to,pay his tribute to tho soldiers ; of New Zealand who had fallen in this war, the men to whom this country owed a heavy debt of gratitude. Ho had been elected to take tho place of ; a gentleman, Mr. Justice Hcrdman. \ who had represented the constituency for a number of years, and who had won a splendid reputation for his fearloss and zealous work as a member of ' Parliament. He offered congratulations on their promotion to Cabinet rank to the Hon. T. M. Wilford and the Hon. D. H. Guthrie. The Speech of the Governor-Gencfral indicated that the ' House had been summoned to deal with one of the greatest problems that had 1 over faced tlio county. The lourosentatives to go to England for this country, the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph lVard, would have to consider weighty .matters. There were those who said I that Neiv Zealand had done enough in this war. New' Zealand, had done magnificently, but he was of those who be- ■ lieved that New Zealand should do all that she possibly could to help the Empire. We were pledged to do all (that ivb could, and he believed that the i pledge would be honoured by the peoplfc of New Zealand. In his opinion tbn issues of the war were even more important to New Zealand than to the heart of the Empire. If the. Allies lost | the war Britain would still be a BritI ir-'n community, but if the Germans i won this r-ountry might become a German possession. In the early days of the war the first seven divisions of the British Armv had shown ■ dieroism unexampled in warfare, and the spirit of tliwe men should not ho forgotton now by those still able to ■fight. But, for the British Navy wo could' not be in a position either to ■ Sann our men in tho different theatres I rf war or to send our nroduce over- ' seas. Our debt to tho Navy was extreme. He. bolioved that the Navy

would retain command of the seas until the end of the war and afterwards. Defence Activities, From New Zealand 100,000 men had been sent away.. Thcro had been much criticism of the operations of the Dofence Department, but ho thought tho best proof of efficiency in tho Depart ment was that 100,000 men had been transported across the seas without mishap. For this alone the Defence Minister was deserving of the confidence of the country. Whatover tho mistakes had been, there were many good achievements to offset against them. We had had to raise much loan money for war purposes, but it had been provided without complaint. Tho people- realised that money must be borrowed and spent until victory was achieved. The net debt of tho commuuity had been doubled by tho war, and it would be for Parliament to discover and to decido how that debt must be repaid. One feature of the war borrowings was that the bulk, of the money had been raised within tho country. But for tho fact that production had been maintained it would not havo been possible for this country to havo found so much money. Mr. Luke said ho favoured the increasing of the powers of the Financial Assistance Board. There was ncod now for increasing the number of men to bo sent Irom Now Zealand, and ho thought the time had come for rounding up all the unenrolled fit men in the country, and for sending away all tho fit men in tne service of tho Defenco/Department. The mavried men now must be prepared to go, and he believed they would go cheerfully and take their part hi the great struggle. He was in favour also of increasing tho age limit from 45 to iiO years of age, and of allowing men between 45 and 50 years of age to volunteer. We nnißt find yet more money for tho war, and f.o do this it would be necessary to restrict wastoful expenditure. He claimed that he was not a "wowser," but he did think that it would be possible to reduce waste on such pleasures as race gambling. He was not opposed to racing, but he did object at this time to excess of gambling. Ho spoke of the settlement of soldiers on land. Mr. Luke spoke for 50 minutes. The Motion Seconder!. Mr. T. K, SIDEY (Dunedin South) seconded tho motion. Ho said he dm not regard the National Government as beyond criticism. But he would have no adverse comment to make ou the actions of tho Minister! at tho present juncture, since he believed that the War situation demanded a united front. The crisis of the war appeared to liitw been reached, and that being so, tho proper representation of New Zealand at the coming War Conference was a matter of very great importance. It might be said that the postponement . of Parliamentary businoss ' because the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance were going to be absent from the Dominion was a reflection upon the other Ministers. There had been an occasion when, Mr. Massey, as leader of an Opposition, had protested against the postponement of a session in the absence of the Prime Minister. But the present conditions wore extraordinary, and precedents were of litt'e value. " Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward were going, to Loudon, and they could be trusted to represent New Zealand's views and interests adequately. Mr. Sidey asked for some assurance that adequate arrangements were being made for the treatment- of invalided soldiers now and in the future, and protested against the war being made an excuse- for inaction in matters of great importance. The education of the children, for example, could not wait until the end of the war. The years lost now by the young people could never be recovered. He asked for increased expenditure on education and the improvement of the status of teachers. He regarded this as a non-coutcutiouß question. The Government should not continuo to neglect forestry'. Action was required in various other directions. The National Government deserved blame chiefly for what it had not done. Its errors had been errors of inaction. In conclusion, Mr. Sidey said the response of New Zealand to the ''more men" appeal should depend upon the will of the Generalissimo. It seemed to him almost inconceivable that when tho Generalissimo r.eoded men and had a limited number of ships he would send some of those ships to distant New Zealand while trained troops wore waiting comparatively near at hand in the United States. He agreed that the sole object of the Allies must be to win the war decisively, The Government Criticised. Mr. W. A. VEITCH (Wangamii) said he could not agree with any suggestion that the National Government must be exempted from criticism. Unity was essential in the face of the enemy, but the question of how to obtain unity required all the attention Parliament could give it. The National Government had been charged with the mission of preserving the unity of the nation during' the war, but it had failed to do this. 'It had become 'steadily more unpopular in the country. One section of the community was making big war profits, and another section was making heavy sacrifices for the war. He thought a greal deal of the blame for this rested vpon the Prime Minister, who had been too long in politics to accept new ideals. Mr. Veitch said it was only from the point of view of national unity that he raised theso points. Last session the Government set up a Cost of Living Committee, which had made certain recommendations. He wanted to know what justification the Government had for disregarding all the recommendations of that committee. A pledge to deal with the cost of living had been given when the National Government was formed. That pledge had not been redeemed. Mr. Veitch proceeded to say that the Government had been far too careful not to hurt the feelings of large landowners, and had not made the land settlement vmliey effective. Mr. Massey had- said it was exceedingly difficult to buy land for settlement at reasonable prices. There could be no dispute on that point. People were offering the Government the land they did not want at inflated prices. The remedy was tho adoption of a, really strong system of compulsory purchase. The soldiers were entitled to good land at a fair price. The people who had such land m large blocks should be required to give it up. The Government was not showing enough earnestness in dusting with the laud question, and should ask the large landowner to make sonio sacrifice when landless men were lighting his battles. Mr. Veitch s?:id he was firm in his support of the Government in carrying on the war. He wculd stand by the Ministers in every (.tip necessary to achieve victory, lie believed the Second Division mon would have to fight, and he wished to seo improved provision for their dependents. He thought the Dominion should do its best to retain possession of Samoa in the interests of peace and security, though it was clear that a peace without annexations would havo moral value. He did not agree with those people who would make peace now on almost any terms. It was hopeless to achieve a real p"aco by bargaining with tlm Germans. Russia had tried that mothod, and had suffered accordingly. Britain and her Allies must win the war outright.

By Land and' Sea,

Mr. C. H. POOLE (Auckland West) also expressed dissatisfaction with the Government for having failed to take more definite action to deal with the cost of living. Ho said that the Gov-

crnmont was taking a very important stop in making use of the Jugo-Slavs in Government works. Ho would suggest to the Government tlint these men should be used to break in virgin lands of the north for settlement by soldiers.

Mr. Massey: That is being done. Mr. Poole said he hoped that the new Minister of Lands would devote himself to closer settlement problems, and especially to the prevention of aggregation. He also spoke of the advisability of inducing British men to go to sea in British ships. The worst danger to the Empire was the manning of British ships by aliens. He would suggest to the Prune Minister and Sir Joseph Ward that they should represent to the Imperial Government tho need 'for insisting on better conditions and better comforts for the crews of ships. Defence Department Attacked, Mr. J. V. BROWN (Napier) said he was in favour of a National Government, but not of the present personnel. The present Minister of Defence had outlived his usefulness and should make way for a. better man, wiio could administer tho Defence Department as it should be administered. There were still Germans in high places in New Zealand, even in the Government, and no oh'ieial notice was takeu of them. Mr. Brown quoted extracts from Australian newspapers regarding tho discovery of Germans there. He believed the German raider Wolf had beon in daily communication with the Germans on Motuihi prior to their escape. Von Luckner had been in possession of a British uniform and of arms, and the public had not learned how all this happened, Jir. Brown proceeded to reter to his Naturalised Subjects' Franchise B/li. . Sir James Allen: Is it printed? Mr. Brown: It is printed, and it will be passed when you aro off the Government benches. You do everything you can to stop anything that is going to Interfere with the Germans. The Prime Minister said ho could not allow that absolutely incorrect statement to pass. The Speaker called upon the member to withdraw. Mr. Brown withdrew the expression, and assured the House he had not intended to bo personal. He proceeded to state that the CI Camp was a failure and that money was being wasted by the enlistment'of unfit men. He said that meetings of Napier citizens had declared lack of confidence in the Government, and he intended to move an hinendmeut to the motion moved by Mr. Luke. An Amendment. Mr. Erown moved his amendment as follows:— That this House, being strongly impressed with the necessity for efficiency in the interests of 'winning the war, is of opinion that, in view of the Motuihi scandal and the mismanagement associated with the return of wounded soldiers, the administration of the Defence Department is unsatisfactory, and calls for an immediate ohange. Mr. Glover (Auckland Central): Does that mean want of confidence ? The Prime Minister: No. I do not accept it as want of confidence. I ask tne House to golto division on it straight away. There was no debate, and when the amendment was put to the House Mr Brown called for a division. After the doors had been closed, the Prime Minister said he would like to remind the member for Napier that he had paired with Captain Urates (Kaiparaj for as long as that officer was at the front. Mr. Brown: There was no such pair, i paired lor one session. Last session I never voted. Mr. Massey: There was no such reservation. Members: Play the game! Mr. Brown: 1 am playing the game. Mr. Massey: No, you are not. The amendment was rejected ty 47 votes to 4. The supporters of tbo amendment were Dr. Thackcr (Christchurch East), Mr. J. Anstey (Waitaki), Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn), :.nd the mover. Labour 1 "Want cf Confidonce." Mr. J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) then announced his intention of moving the following addition to the Address-in-Reply :- "In conclusion we deem it our duty to represent to Your Excellency that Your Excellency's ad- i risers do not possess the confidence of this House, because they ■ have utterly failed to deal with the burning question of the cost "f living, and because they have shown their inability to raise the money necessary for the prosecution i of the war without offering tho special inducement of war bond interest being free of income tax, ivhic'h exemption has the effect of putting a very heavy burden on small investors, while enabling liig investors to escape their just share of taxation." Mr. Payne proceeded to condemn the Government on the lines indicated in his amendment, which ho moved at 11,30 p.m. Mr. J. M'Comhs (Lyttclton) seconded the amendment. On a division the amendment was rejected by 48 votes to n, its supporters being Messrs. Payne, M'Comhs, Brown, Veiich, and Dr. Thacker. At 0.45 a.m., after Dr. H. T. J. Thacker (Christchurch East) and Mr. C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central) had spoken, Mr. M'Comhs moved the adjournment of the debate, but tho Leader of the House (Mi. Massey) would not accept the amendment. The motion was put, but the debate was not adjourned. The main question was then put, the motion was carried, and the debate ended. The House rose at 0.47 a.m.