PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 296, 10 September 1919, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

THE COUNCIL ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE

Tho Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday.

Continuing tho debato upon the Ad-dress-in-Reply tho Hon. W. J. GEDDIS advocated closer settlement, which he considered vital to the prosperity of the lountry at the present time. He complained of the existence of land aggregation to-day; and he blamed tho Government for forcing up the price ot land. He considered that it was the duty of the Government to mako the fullest possiblo use of present Crown lands before going on the .market to purchase areas already settled and cultivated. There was a great deal of Crown land available for settlement in New Zealand, and it could be made more readily available if tho amounts borrowed to-day for the purchase of other land were devoted to the forming of roads in and the general opening-up of that Crown land. Inferring particularly to tho Governor-General's speech, he regretted that place had not been found in it for some indication of the Government's intentions concerning the palpable shortage of labour in the country. He suggested that the moment was opportune for tho establishment of a,pro-perly-regulated policy of immigration. (Hear, hear.)' He also thought that the qme had come for the Government to give a lead in the matter of State-owned shipping. Referring in this, connection to the Meat Trust alleged to be operating in New Zealand, he said that if the trust'-was operating it could get all the meat it required away from this country, while in certain districts it had been at tunes impossible to ship a carcass. One solution of the coal trouble was to lessen the demand for coal by harnessing the water-power that was running to waste in. the country. . '■ ■ The Hon. G. M. THOMSON spoke in terms of the highest praise of the work done by Sir James Allen in his post: as Minister of Defence during tho war, -turning to the railways trouble due to tho coal shortage, he suggested that the government should consider a system of running'-our .railways with the local li»nites. He admitted that these lignites could not be burned in the present engines, but. he pointed out the advantages of making a change to a form of engine that would burn pulverised fuel, these advantages, had been experimentally proved elsewhere. The de*2lopmrat ot our fisheries, he urged, was more important lo the country than even the development of our forests. He intended to speak on that subject in season and out of-season till the matter was taken up % the Government. There were onorinous opportunities "for an export trade in fish from New Zealand. Moreover, it the fisheries were properly developed,! there was an extraordinary amount of phosphatio and nitrogenous m m'} ur( t, to be S°t from them. . The Hon. T. T. FLEMING urged the need for greater production to meet the jcedsof peace. He considered that no tear of a glut upon the market through too great production should" ho permitted to.reduce production in any industry. Some means of. protection. or insurance against unemployment might bo provided to remove any such fear, touching upon tho acquirement of land tor settlement by soldiers, Mr. Fleming said that he was at a loss to know how the buying of land too dear was to be got over unless the Government inado flio taxes in accordance with the value that he himself wanted lor his property. He did not think that any practical svggestion had been offered for reducing the cost of living, except that of bringing the producer into closer touch with the consumer. Not ono attempt had bsen made to fix the price of what the farmer himself had to buy, yet everything the farmer produced hail had a pico fixed by the State. Dho Council adjourned at 5 p.m. and .resumed at 8 p.m. . ....-.:/• On resumption, Mr. Fleming had something to say upon education. '..He urgedthat it was time that the school teachers were paid as well as workers in other branches of the public service. How were the schools to be suitably staffed, ho asked, unless the present handicaps upon teachers were removed? Before tho schools could be.staffed as they ought to be staffed, and the classes reduced as they ought to be reduced, greater inducements to enter tho profession must be offered. There was at present a considerable amount of discontent among toaohers on account of the slowness of promotion and the Binallhess of salaries. He contended that it was desirablo for tho inspectors to devote' their timo chiefly to assisting teachers in the smaller schools, instead of visiting schools that were known to be doing excellent work and to bo capable of continuing that work without the assistance of the inspectors' visits. He wished to see more adequate provision made for the education of children in the outlying districts. Referring to tho proposed abolition of education boards, ho expressed-the opinion that the country would not stand any greater degree of centralisation than it had at present. He thought that tho farmers' income tax should be, abolished, and that the amount at present raised by this tax should be placed directly upon tho unimproved^value of tho laud. The Hon. W. EARNSHAW considered that the Allies had done a dastardly thing • to China in allowing Japan to "fasten her tentacles" upon the country. There was not a country, among the Allies that had not nt some time fought for the very thing that China' was denied to-day. The day would como whon China would not only demand the full soveroicnty she was. entitled to, but would thrust out thoso who were preying unon her. Touching ,upon tho Labour Problem, Mr. Earnshaw said ho believed that New Zealand Labour in general was sane. It was 6omo of the leaders who were at, fault. He wished to 6ee Parliament filled with men who would deal resolutely with, the Labour problem, Resolution was what was needed; The skilled trades. were not highly enough rrnid to be attractive alongside such unskilled occupations as waterside work, There .was complaint of tho dearth of tradesinon in this city. There, were tradesmen on the wharf doing unskilled work—because the wages tto b,o gained were better there. The great lesson to he learned from American example was co-operation between employers and emnlovees. "In tho name of Labour, in the name of honest Labour," said Mr. Earnshaw "I denounce the anarchic ten dencies of the extremists who are usurping the position of Labour in this country." The Council rose at 9.50.