ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 3, 28 September 1921, Page 6

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

DEBATE OPENED IN HOUSE ... TRIBUTES TO MR. MASSEY PROBLEMS OF THE DAY When tho House met last night the A.ddress-in-Reply Debate was opened by Mr. E. Dixon (Patea), who succeeded quite easily in speaking for the hour allowed him. He concluded without, apparently, having nearly exhausted his . (tore of topics. The seconder was Mr. T. 1 D. Barnett (Temuka), who was fluent for 23 minutes. Mr. Dixon remarked that the session this vaar was somewhat later than usual, and was hold in almost unique circumstances, having regard to tho absence of . the Prime Minister. He believed that history would proclaim Mr. Massey cne of the greatest of tire men who had led this country. New Zealand had been fortunate in having nt the helm dur- . ing difficult years a man of his inflexible courage. Mr. Dixon quoted recent tributes of Opposition journals to Mb Massey. Tho majority of the people in this country would be convinced, he believed, that /Mr. Massey's journey Home had been of great value to New Zealand. Retrenchment and Economy. ’ The present financial position had. to ba faced, and retrenchment practised. “We must be practical, and start with ourselves,” said Mr. Dixon. If a reduction was made throughout the Public Service, as he believed had been suggested, it must bo made on a practicable basis, and not on 1 the one percentage right through, as tho increases had been greater'., in some Departments than in others. It was for local bodies and com- 1 mercial houses to follow the lead he believed the Government would give. _ With falling prices, and with industries in peril, wages and working conditions must be readjusted. Clear thinking and plain speaki rg, together with give-and-tako, were to-day required of both employer and employee. If the employee would "’Consider the employer's position and the employer tho employee’s a better understanding would be reached. He did not advocate reduction in wages to increase the employer's profits, but to ensure that thof people received thengoods at a lower price. Education should feel the pruning knife last. Something should be done to arrest the leakage of pupils at tho Sixth Standard stage. Tho teaching profession should be made up of the best men and the best women in the country. To encourage men to enter the profession the teacher should be brought into greater prominence in civic life and given a better social standing. The Minister of Education deserved con. gratulation on the steps he had taken for tho dental welfare of the children, lie hoped that all the larger schools would soon have means of dental treatment installed, and that complete arrangements would be made to care for the teeth of pupils in the smaller schools. At tho present time the "rank and file" of parents could not have the requisite dental attention given to their children. . The country should never forget what medical examinations ip war-time had revealed concerning the results of early neglect 'upon tho physical fitness of the Individual. Making Nsw Farmers. Boys must bo encouraged to settle on the land; so that the drift from country to city might be arrested. Where was the School of Agriculture? In the university colleges professors of agriculture were needed. It was true that the Govern- - ment had farms doing good service so • far as they went; but there was room for great development. Wanganui and Taranaki Education Boards had dealt with the question of. agricultural education with some success. At the present time the Agricultural i .Department and the education boards were working harmoniously together. Farmers would find soil surveys of great value; and if the men to make the surveys were not available, it was the fault of those who had failed to see that men were -trained. The founding of agricultural clubs for boys and' girls had proved an excellent means of inculcating in the young an interest in agriculture and a love for the land. Ho commended the movement (which was well under way in his own province) 'to other parts of the Dominion. He expressed a wish to see greater inducements offered to. brilliant students to follow scientific and industrial research work. The steps taken by the Minister of Education to inculcate loyalty in the young were regarded, he was •ure, with general -approval. Everything possible should be done to foster m the young an affection for history e.nd the life stories of great British men. Such high ideals should be inspired that disloyal teaching would have no power to move tho mind in later years. Australia at present furnished striking examples of what teachings the disloyalists strove to disseminate. Mr. Dixon quoted instances, and observed that they "made one’s blood boil.” They showed to what an alarming extent the extremists would go in teaching their offspring. Through the schools something might be done to create good feeling between Britain and the United States. Charity or Thrift? Since the great influenza epidemic the State had paid out largo sums by way of annuities to widows. He doubted whether these and similar payments did not eap tho spirit of independence known of old in this country. Of late years there had been an enormous increase in hospital and charitable aid expenditure. If the country had a better system of relief, based on a contributing scheme, it would be doing better for the people, and conserving the funds at present disbursed in charity. A demand had come from Labour leaders recently for an unemployment wage —a demand for something for nothingdot even, in many cases, good r

citizenship. Could not the Government establish a fund into which all over sixteen years would pav graded contributions, which would be subscribed and from which the sums required for the various forms of relief could be drawn? The people of this country found money for Tattersall’s. It. would be better if they paid the same amount into a provident fund. He suggested that the problem should l«< referred to a committee. One thing that the Government should insist on, Mr. Dixon declared, was the taking out of an insurance policy by evety man who married. The development of hydro-electric power schemes must be pushed ahead. For his own province, power was one of tho most urgent needs, on account of the growth of the dairying industry. With regard to the proposal for an arterial highway, Mr. Dixon expressed the hope that the project would not be carried into execution at the expense of farmers whp had no roads e.t all. In connection with mail’ delivery and telephone connections the backblocks farmer should receive the most sympathetic consideration. “Scandalous Tenure.” Mr. Burnett also paid a tribute io the standing of the Prime Minister with all parties. A matter of serious import to-day, he said, wa's the drift of population from the South Island to the North. He attributed it to the bad lease conditions under which a very great part of tho territory in the South Island was held. Fortunately the North Island had had the foresight and the political wisdom to insist on its lands being held on'i a umch better tenure. <’ Tn the North Island only 227,000 acres were held under “that scandalous tenure, 21 years without right of renewal.” On the other hand, there were in tho south 10,000,000 acres on which the present lessees'had not the right of maintaining their homes at tho end of the lease. He put the-trouble down largely to the amount of suspicion with which past Legislatures had regarded the higfi-country sheep man. r ihey had looked on that man as a direct descendant of "the old-time squatocracy." A greater mistake had never been made. He was glad that the Minister of Lands had given his promise to introduce amending legislation this session. It was long overdue. Through the want of security engendered, great runs 'had sadly deteriorated. There was but one cure — absolute security of tenure, so that a man by energy and foresight could make a place hi.s own,, and bring it. to the highest pttch of production. ’ . > . Mr. Burnett directed most of his remarks to matters of South Island interest- He complained of a shortage of dairy instructors in the south, but congratulated the Minister bf Agriculture on the measures taken to combat i'he rabbit pest. Successful war on the rabbit in Otago bad increased the carrying capacity of tho land there by 3,000,000 sheep. Liberal supplies of wire netting were required to ensure the wiping out of the rabbit on the high country Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Liberal Party) moved the adjournment of the debate.

IN THE COUNCIL IMPERIAL CONSTITUTION The motion for the Addressin-jn-Beply from the Upper House was moved by the Hon. J. P. Campbell. Mr. Campbell referred to His Excellency’s statement that after. Mr. Massey’s return papers would be laid on the table showing some of the business that had been cjiine by the recent Imperial Conference. Tn the meantime, he said, the members of the Legislature m'ght be assured that Mr. Massey’s mission to the Imperial Conference, like his mission to the Peace’ Conference, hnd been eminently successful. Mr. Massey had joined the other great statesmen of the Empire in taking stens to consolidate the Empire. His Excellency had spoken in encouraging terms of the prospects for the price of wool. There had been a huge decrease in the number of shegp carried in the main wool-prnducing countries of the world. Ilecent cablegrams had indicated a much improved tone in the Landon market, and after a visit to Bradford Mr. Massey had found the position more hopeful than he had anticipated. These considerations appeared to in'tify the ontimi«fic tone of His Excellency’s Speech. Mr. Campbell indicated that ho was interested in the forestry legislation . proposed for the present session. Ho commented upon the possibility of an amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. and expressed his belief in tho value of conciliation councils. Criticisms had been levelled at . the Government for its action in purchasing improved land for the settlement of returned soldiers instead of using waste and unimproved lands <f tho Crown. The critics obviously were not acquainted with the great difficulties confronting those who had to take up •unimproved land. An experiment in /granting soldiers nnitsjnrow'.l Waikntn lands offer tho Maori wars had shown what the difficulties were. Probably not 10 per cert, of the soldiers had remained on the land in that ease, though subsequently it bad proved very valuable. He did not think it a wise proceeding to place returned noldiers on unimproved land. They should be placed on land from which an immediate return could be obtained. Coalmining Industry. Mr. W. H. M’Tntyre, West Coast, was tho seconder. He informed' the Council that he had been for twenty-eight years a miner underground, and that he felt more at home in wielding a pick than in delivering a speech. Ho looked upon his appointment as a genuine effort on the part of tho Government to give coal miners and the Buller district representation on the Council. He did not think tho miners had ever had representation before, and the Buller district had not been represented for forty years. He trusted that what little experience he had had in practical coalmining would be of assistance to the Council and of benefit to the country. Tho coalmining industry was of first importance in any country. It had not been encouraged so much as other industries in New Zealand. The Govern-

ment should endeavour to open |tew mines and promote a housing scheme for miners, and a system of superannuation. Co-operative coal mining parties should also be assisted. Co-operative mining appealed to the miner because the worker was "his own boss,” received a greater return for his labour, and produced on a higher scale than under tho ordinary system. While he admitted that coal importations were necessary, the speaker felt that they had been grossly over<|one. Tho Government, Im thought, should immediately place an embargo on such importation until tho present accumulations were disposed of, and every mine in the country was in full swing. In view of the threat of war in the Pacific, Westport harbour should be improved, io facilitate the transportation of coal for naval purposes. Picton would be suitable for a naval base, and for this reason it should be promptly linked up with the Buller district by rail, because of the possibility that in war time the Westport harbour might be blocked by enemy action. Mr. M'lntyre contended that there should be a scheme of superannuation for 1 nurses. Nurses, he claimed, should never have any reason to fear tho pangs of want after serving in their noble profession. "Consultative Empire Body.”

Sir John Sinclair said that at the Prime Ministers’ Conference which had just taken place, New Zealand had been worthily represented by Mr. Massey, whose name was now a household word In the Empire family. A feature of the conference that the speaker had not expected was its decision that the constitutional conference should not be held next year. From this it would appear that the consideration of the question whether an Empire body should be set up to maintain continuous consultation between the different parts of the Imperial Commonwealth was farther off than over. The papers had stated that the reason for the postponement of the constitutional conference was the hope that the conference would not be held, as in the opinion of the majority of the Prime Ministers’ Conference the existing system was more elastic, more capable of improvement, than any form of federation or written constitution. I "I would submit,” said Sir John Sinclair, "that federation—a written constitution—although it is tho goal to be aimed at, was not the alternative, and that its formation at this stage was hardly a practical question. That is not the existing need. The need to-day is for the setting up of an Empire consultative body, not a federation with* a written, constitution: tho day for that is still far off. An Empire body is needed broadly on the lines of the War Cabinet—not an executive, but a consultative body, that could' keep all our parts in touch on questions which concerned the welfare of our commbnwealth as a whole, and nt the same time would have a watchful enre over the trade interests of our people. It is an anomalv and a weakness in our constitution that io such body exists todav. That the time is not nine for a written constitution is no reason whv the preseht need should not be filled." Dominion's Status. Rcferriryg to the frequent mention mode of a {“changed status” of the Dominions. Sir John Sinclair declared: “I am of those who do not see that there has been any chanced status or that there is any status of indep"ndenco, The Dominions remain, as I submit (and T indue from his public utterances that that to the view of the Prime Minister), undivided' parts, of out great national whole. That would be speedilv realised should unhappily the moth»rland become involved in war. Declaration of war hv th° 'Motherland would be derlaratio” of war bv onr commonwealth ns a whole. It would not be possible for tho Motherland to .he at war for a Dominion at nence. For nationhood, for states of independence on the nart of tho dominions. T can see no legal nr constitutional basis. The powers of the Dominions are set forth in the Imperial Statutes. which constituted them, and those statutes stand fo-dnv. That there has been some change J admit, hut hannily it falls far short of independence. "A Separatist Tendency.”

“The Lennie of Nations has been in existence for more than two years. Tt has to do with international problems of the gravest difficiiHy. T am sure it has the good wishes o? ns all. Its ideals are noble; but the Leanne of Nations is to onr people an entside body, non" the leas that onr nation is represented' urxin it—a system of super-world government. whose tendenev. in the Case of a commonwealth constituted as outs is. may'-be separatist. With tho Lentrue of Nations in existence T do submit that Hi" need 'for setting up nn Emn:re Imdy. a body where our own npanln mar confe-* nnarf nml *Hono. where they mnv consult, if nded b". from Any f" dav upon. .".11 oun"Hons that concern the- welfare of Hi? wlmle, is greater today than ever It was."

Unrest in Samoa. The Hon. H. T,. . Michel nnid a tribute io the services nf the Prime-Minis, ter abroad. and to' those of the ActingPrime M’nistor (Sir Francis Pell) nt home. Tie was optimistic, regarding the nrosneotc of trade revival, but expressed his belief that until Central Enron’ re-, cover’d. trad" would ,not be on a whol’v satisfactory bn.sis. So far as importations were concerned, the ’Gnv',rn'ment had b’en forced by flm action of the miners to pursue its policy of importing Large onantities. No section of tiie peonle could be allowed ,to paralyse the country. New Zealand would have to contribute much more towards the cost of naval defence than it had done in the nast. Re thought that the country could not refuse to pay a reasonable contribution, ’’’he agitation against the New Zealand Government in Samoa he was certain might bo attribute.’ to t’m liouor question, and to the fall in the prices of copra, cocoa, fruit and other island product’. Only a few traders, for mercenary gain, desired the introduction of liquor into Samoa. The present unrest was engineered, and in a few months it. would die out if the Government was firm. The Hon. .T. Barr moved the adjournment of the debate. UNEMPLOYMENT ' ANOTHER OTtpomroN .N THE HOUSE. "Is it the intention of the Government to take any further steps to provide immediate employment for the unemployed, many of whom are returned soldiers?” asked Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South) in the House of Representatives. "Many are immigrants who have come out here nt the. invitation of the Government. There are numbers of married men with young families who are nearing desperation. Will the Leader of the House make a statement at tho earliest possible moment?” Tho Hon. D. H. Guthrie replied that ho recognised the importance of the question. The Government had made plans for dealing with unemployment before the discussion of; tho matter became general throughout the country. The matter concerned three Departments, and he would prefer to give a. written reply that would be the considered reply of the three Departments. THE LABOUR GROUP Members of the Parliamentary Labour Party met in caucus yesterday. They discussed the financial and industrial condition of the Dominion, and some of the matters that are to be considered by the House during tho'session. Mr. H. E. Holland was re-elected chairman of the party, Mr. J. M'Combs whip, and Mr. P. Fraser secretary.