CARE OF RETURNED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 32, 1 November 1918, Page 3

CARE OF RETURNED SOLDIERS

VIEWS OP THE HON. A. P. HAWEE. The Hon. A. P. Hawke, speaking on the Addresa-in-Reply debate in the Legislative Council, snid he trusted that the German' colonies would never be returned. Great praise was due to the New Zealand women for the wonderful way in which they had supported war activities. It was said that returning con- • eumptire soldiers were not being looked after properly. There were 300 still in hospital at Kotorua. These men should not be discharged until cured definitely. The question of the treatment of consumptive soldiers should be looked into by the Government. Ho' understood .there was going to be an increase in the number of curative workshops. This work should b9 effectively carried out, and money for the purpose should not be stinted. If the thing ~-ould not be dono properly it should not be done at all. Eeturned soldiers should be encouraged to go on the land, especially on small holdings. The smaller the holding the better it was for the man owning it, provided, he could make a living. If returned men were properly encouraged as farmers ho thought they would become very successful. In regard to the cost of living, his own feeling was that it was a matter of self-sacrifice on the part of tho individual. If a man could not live within his income, then there was something the matter, unless, of course, there was sickness, or some such trouble in his family. He thought that strong healthy men and women should be able to livo within their incomes. He thought thero should be a reduction in. the amount spent on luxuries. It had been said that fanners should be compelled to reduce their prices. That would not be a remedy. Why should the farmers reduce their prices in order to keep somebody else alive? (Hear, hear.) • The farmers must sell their produce, and small farmers were not making much .money. The Civil Servants and the -labour unions should set up co-operative stores/.and thus help, to reduce their cost of living. The farmers had done this, and they had been successful in their ventures. The teaching profession was / not paid well. If increases were not granted he thought that in five years' time ■ Hiero would not be a male teacher in the Dominion. Women teachers would, m some respects, perhaps, be more suitable than male teachers, but all the same men were needed to instil vigour and "goV into the pupils. The schools of tho country should bo brought up to perfection as nearly as possible. Every district in tho Dominion should be permitted to control its own electric power schemes, under Government supervision. If the monev could be obtained it might be wise to electrify the railway system of the Dominion. Speaking on' the liquor question,. Mr. Hawke said that if the Efficiency Board's proposals would mean the pre motion of .efficiency amongst the people, then they should be adopted, but tho liquor interests should be compensated. He thought that no attempt should bo made to change the National Government during the war. A suggestion had been mado that a tax should be imposed on cheese and butter. That would be. a great mistake. He did not think farmers should be picked out specially to pay' such a tax. He did not think anybody could object to the aggregation of land, provided all that land was worked to the lull capacity.' If a man who held laud did not work the whole of it, then the Government should step in and acquire it. No man should own land who did not use it.