PARLIAMENT
INDUSTRIES REPORT NATIONALISATION OF THE COAL MINES DISCUSSED The Houso of Representatives met at 2.3D n.m. The Prime Minister gave notice to movo that on and after Thursday, September 18. Government business tako precedence nftar local Bills on Thursdays, and bake precedence owr all other business on Wednesdays. Sir Joseph Ward: When are you going to sit on Mondays? Mr. Massey. As soon as tho Financial Statement is out of the way. A LAND SETTLEMENT ANOMALY. Mr. J. A. YOUNG (Waikato) introduced the Land Settlement finance Amendment Bill. He explained that the limit of ,£4OOO unimproved value on transfers of sections acquired under this scheme was causing hardship. In some districts land had appreciated in value, and holders who from age or oilier causes wero unable to work thsir sections wished to sell, but were prevented by law from doing so. His proposal was that a holder of ono of these motions should be allowed to sell his land to any person who made a proper declaration Hint he was the owner of no lund except within a citv or borough. He asked the Minister concerned (Major Coaies) to give the mutter consideration. The Bill was introduced and read a first time.
INDUSTRIES REPORT THE DEBATeTeSUMED The debate on the report of the Industries Committee was resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr. G. HUNTER (Wnipawa) referred to the recommendations of the committee rcßßrdini; tho Meat Trust, and urged that the importance of the matter was Riieh as to wnrrant the greatest vigilance on the Dart of the Government. Legislation had been passed last epssion for the purpose of restraining trusts, and if this had not proved c-ffectiye the Government should ask this session for more lesrislah'on. Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunodin South) spoke about .hydro-elertric power and forestry. Ho blamed the Government for allowing Mr. Evan Perry to leave this country at this time. A few thousand pounds would have held him, and ho might have saved many thousands wh'en all our schemes were being established. Also we ought to secure the services for ■ this country of a trained forester, and we must be .prepared to pny a high salary for the sen-ices. Ho spoke also of the tariff. Evidence-given to tho committeo was that all tho secondary industries wero bound up in the tariff. It wag clear that there was need for revision of the tariff, and ,ho would suggest that tho Government mnike inquiries ns to tho effect' of the tariff in Australia.
' Coal, Ships, and Roads. Mr. G. V. PEARCE (Patea) said that ho had been opposed; os a member of the committee, to tho recmnmendation of the committee for nationalisation of the coal mines. Ho was strongly in favour of bettor housing for miners, and of superannuation for miners, but theso could bo arranged without nationalisation of the mines. Ho had listened very carefully to Labour members, and-he had heard nothing to-justify ths demand for nationalisation. Ho was in favour of nationalisation of transport. Especially was ho concorned rcsjardinjr sea transport between Now Zealand and the Motherland. Tlie greatest danger threatening this country wag that tho Moat Trust might got control of all fho shipping to tnko our meat to Europe. His own opinion wa.« that the Government must own some ships for tho tolo .in order to keep down freights. The time was pro'lxibly not opportune for buying ships, but at least some ships should bo chartered. Ho had always been opposed to protective tariffs, for tho reason that they must involve hijh prices and higher cost of living. His suggestion was that assistance should be given to new industries by tho bonus rystem. lloferring to reading ho urged that the Government should subsidise county councils for the upkeep of main ioadti. Ho was not in favour of Gqvernmont control of roads, nor was iio 1 in favuu? of a special class (ax on the owners of motor-cars. At present Government subsidies to counties were paid on absolutely wrong principles.
Mr. G. W. FORBES-Hurumii) said that it was not the hope of the committee that the present dying Government, .the present tired Government, and the present tired Civil Servants would bo ablo to give effect to everything in tho report of tho committee. He hoped that the next GovcriHiamt would come in with some energy and enthusiasm, and would give the country a real reconstruction policy. The great need of tho country was labour, and the workers most needed were men lit' and willing to do hard manual labour. He advocated some measures to prevent tho wild speculation now going on in tho buying and selling of rural land, and to prevent also the soaring of prices of land. Men could not succeed on tho land at the prices now beiyg- paid. Th Coal Mines.
Mr. E/SEMPLE (Wellington South) contended that nationalisation of mines was the eolo remedy for the coal trouble. Experts had arrived at this conclusion. Private ownership had not made a success of coal mining. The Board of Trade had stated tlmt half the coal was wasted. Thousands of -pounds had ken thrown away on mines that never had a chance of producing coal, to say nothing of dividends. All tho promoters were concerned aboiit , was the flotation of a. company. The Liverpool State mine had been one of the mines opened without proper examination and without bores.' Mr. Semple quoted tho Whitley Eepqrt's approval of compulsory unionism, and assurred the Houso that much industrial trouble wr.s caused by the tendency of employers to favour non-union-ists—men who took tho benefits won by unionism, but refuted to take part in the fight for those benefits.
I Mr, E.. NEWMAN (Rangitikei) said ho had been surprised to hear the Ministry described as a "dying . Govern, ment." It appeared to him to be o. very live Government, recently strengthened by some new Mood. A good deal had been said about' land monopoly. What did members mean by that pliraso P land could be bought; or leased in any part of New Zealand. Men could get on .the land wjl a very little capital, as many had done in the past. Mr. Newman emphasised the 'importance of the development of micondary industries, which could be stimulated by electric power. The. Government should continue to encourage the growth of wheat. The country could, not afford to bo dependent on imports for its bread. Ho had always viewed with concern the- centralisation of control of all our shipping in the hands of one group or ono man. All our wealth was derived froni tho oxport of produce, so that it was essential that v;e should have cheap freights. Ho would not urge , that tho Government should own and run a tTiio of its own, but it might get n. controlling interest in a lino in the same way as they had acquired an interest in tho Bank of New Zealand. He hoped tho Government would adopt the suggestion of tho committee tJiat an investigation bo made by a committee of tho Houso into financo and banking in New Zealand.
''This Precious Committee," Mr. It. M'CALLUM (Wninui) said that tho'report cf the i.oinmillce was a sort of omnium gatherum. They hud reported on a front variety of subject* without very much knowledge of nny of them. They had nuulo no attompt to measure- the -relative importance of tho industries concerned. What Government could help 38 industries?' Tho country should havo had a lend from "this precious committee," but it had givon no lead. All sorts of men had eomo to tho committee, most of them with axes to grind, and no deferenco had been paid by tho committee to expert evidence as against tho evidence of fJheso people. However, the cominitteo had been industrious. He asked tho Government to do lomething for the pro.
lection of tbo first industry in Now Zealand—the whaling industry. Mr. T. A. 11. WELD (Nelson) said that he believed much good would be done in this country by the setting- up of a board of scientific research. He made an appeal for subsidy for this purpose, pointing out that the subsidy asked was no more than the interest on the deatli duties of £10,000 paid on the estate of a very public-spirited citizen who left a rich bequest -for scientific research.
Mr. J. ANSTEI" (Waitaki) said he had failed to find in the report any radical euKKcslion for the solving of ilie yrcac Droblems created by the war. No proposal was made for the reform of the fiscal policy; yet it was obvious that industries were being strangled by excessive taxation'. He agreed that New Zealand ought to grow enough wheat for its own requirements. The Government had done nothing to encourage the wheat-growers. It had merely applied harassing restrictions. Sir. T. W. RHODES (Thames.) spoke of the importance of hydro-electric power, and asked the Government to hasten its devilment schemes. Mr. C. J. TALBOT (Teinuka) insisted that the wheat-growers had been harassed rather than encouraged. The Government had promised the farmers Gs. 6d. per bushel for their wheat, but. as a matter of fact some men hud been compelled to accept lower prices owing to the millers going off the market. New Zealand would have to pay fancy prices for bran and pollard if it depended on Australia for flour. Mr. J. P. LUKE (Wellington North) asked for the encouragement of secondary industries. Repair work was important in New Zealand, and if it was to lie done effectively the secondary industries must be developed. The Customs tariff must be used to support the industries. (Left Sitting.)
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 6
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1,603PARLIAMENT Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 6
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