OPPOSITION MOVES A VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 207, 17 September 1937, Page 3

OPPOSITION MOVES A VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE

-Press Association.)

LEADER ATTACKS GOVERNMENT "Greatest Achievement Is Broken Promises" MINISTER REPLIES

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON; Last Night. The House of Bepresentatives resumed at 7.30, when the Address-in-Beply debate was continued, tlie hrst speaker being the Leader of the Opposition, who moved the customary amendment. After congratulating the mover and seconder of the Address on their speeches, Mr. Hamilton "moved that the following words be added to the Address: "In conclusion, we deem it j our duty to represent that your Excellency's udvisers do not possess the ■ conlidence of the House, because: — :"1. The Government 's persistent encroachment upon the rights of private ownership, and its bureaueratic methods .of eontrol in industry, havc created a serious lack of confidence in the development of New Zealand in industrial 'enterprise, thus jeopardising sound progress withiu the Doniinion. "2. The Government has failed to honour its election pledge to absorb all able-bodied workers into employment. On the contrary, its policy, which has resulted in higher internal costs, has seriously retarded the process of absorbing unemployed into industry. "3. The Government has failed to honour its promise that, under the system of guaranteed produce priees, tho dairy farmer would enjoy an improved standard of living, comparable at least with that enjoyed by those engaged in other branches of industry. "4. The Government has failed in its promise to reduce the .cost of living, which, as a result of the present administration, shows a substantial increase. "5. The Government 's frequent use of the national broadcasting service for propaganda purposes and its refusal to allow expression of opposing views, along with the Prime Minister's threat to restrict the freedopi of the Press, constitutes a grave public injustice and unwarranted violation of dcmocratic rights. "G. The over-riding of tho Court of Arbitration by the Minister of Labour on the occasion of the Auckland freczing workers •' illegal strike constitutes a grave undermiuing of our judicial system, and Ministerial strictures on decisions of Justcies are a further attack on what is i'undamental to tho traditional administration of Britisli justice. "7. As a result of the iacrease in internal costs, inany New Zealand manufacturers havo found it impossible to compete with imported goods, which fact must inevitably result in a decrease in factory employment and a corresponding increase in unemployment. "S. The Government has failed to honour its clear-cut election promise to remove the saies tax and prevcnt an increase in taxation.", Mr. Hamilton said he AVould join in the wish cxpressed in the Address that • their Majesties might havo a long and happy reign, and with regard to the abdication of Edward, he would have acted in just the same manner as Mr. Savage had done. Pavourable Time for Taklag Officc. Ret'erring to the speech of the mover of thc Address, Mr. Hamilton said he had never once in the courso of hia speech referred to the GovernotGcneral's speech. He should have been able to outlino the Government 's programme for a year. However, he had been too busy defending the Government's case, which Mr. Hamilton considcred a fairly weak oue. No Govern* ment, said Mr. Ilamiltou, had cvei' entered thc Treasury beuches under a more i'avourable outlook thau this Government, but the mover had said it had entered offiee faced with problems of grave magnitqde. ' Money, said Mr. Hamilton, had been coming in freoly .and th'ings were very promising, but, judging from the speeches of the Government members, one would have thought the country was going baukrtlpt. Labour i'or a long time had been decrying the country in which we lived, but Mr. Hamiltou considered it was tho linest country in the world. We had made a wonderful advance in the last 50 years, and it ought to be acknowledged. He went on to refer to New Zealand 's rccord export year, and said tho greatest achievement of the Government wa!! its broken promises. They had no1 done what they had promised, and had done many things which they had pro mised not to do. Modesty was n&l among tho Government 's characteristic attributes. New Zealand, Mr. Hamilton stated, enjoye-I the highest standard of living in tho world, which had bcfen built up by private enterprise. The Labour Government was setting out to deslroy some of tho i'undamental principles on which this country had been built up, nnd were aiming to set up a socialistic Ktate. He criticised Labour 's policy of absorbiug businesses which ho considered it unwise for them to eontrol, and instanced the transport industry. Tho Government had plenty to manage without gobbling up toc many businesses. Stagnation Ampng Private Builders With regard to housing, while they had been told what * the State was doing, they had not been told what others were not doing; namely, stagnation among private builders. He criticised tho costs and rents of tho GovernnwnF houses, and said that, under the present Government 's policy, little less thon half the number of houses were being built than in pre-slump periods. Tho Government was putting builders out of business. What was the reason for unemployi ment lo-day, wJisn Ihe cqunUy waa en-

its history? The Government, said Mr. Hamilton, was taking great credit for the marketing scheme. It had not initiated the scheme at all; it had_been lying in the pigeonholes of the Dairy Board long before the Labour Government came, but the Government had •decided to adopt it. Hon. Walt-er Nash: That is not true. Mr. Hamilton: It is true. I have had it from a most reliable source. Mr. Hamilton dealt with Mr. Nash's. visit overseas and the meat agree-j ment, and stated that the reason why fariners were asking for higher prices for their produce was because of the marked increase in the cost of living. The Government 's policy had assisted single men in preference to marriei men and superannuitants. Speakiug of the Government 's attack on the Press, and its broadcasting policy, Mr. Hamilton said if eve-r a Government had received a good deul irom the Press, the Labour Government had. - In fact, the Press had assisted it in gaining office. The Prime Minister still complained about the Press and recently had stated he would stop concessions to newspapers. No one liked criticism, he said, but all had got to take it aliks. Concerning broadcasting, Mr Hamilton complained of unequal opportunities for the dissemination of propaganda aiforded by the Government to tho opposition. • He also mentioned the action of the Minister of Public Works in criticising of Justiees of the Peace in connection with a transport legislation deeision and said the administration of justice was one of thc bulwarks of the Empire which must bo preserved through the sanetity of our Courts. The Government had promised not to increase taxation, said Mr Hamilton, but had done so to the extent of £5,000,000, and it had not reduced interest rates one penny. The Prime Minister had failed to get rid of the saies tax, as he had promised, and the Government considered it could spend more wisely than a private individual, but Mr Hamilton did not believe it. People Better Off To-day. Hon. P. Fraser congratulated the mover and seconder of the Address-in-reply on their speeches, and explained that the amount of saies tax collected had increased, because the people .were better able to buy commodities to-day, and were doing so. The only taxes which had ever been reduced by the Opposition Government were the taxes on beer and the totalisator. Conoerning broadcasting, (ko asked what opportunity the Opposition had given the Labour Party for broadcs.sting their views when tho Coalition Government was in office. The Labour Government was giving Opposition members an equal opportunity of dis■seminating its propaganda in broadcasting the debates of the House of Bepresentatives. In fact, the use of that same privilege had been availed of that night. A Government, for the first time, was giving the Opposition an equal opportunity to that it enjoyed itself, and the Labour Government was plcdged to do this, The memb'er for Kaipara had repeatedly made statemcnts over the air and had given his opponents no opportunity of reply. Mr. Ooates: That is not so. • Mr. Eraser:. It is so. Tho Minister referred to the audacity of the Opposition in accusing the i Government of failing to honour its pledges and putting 12 points of'its policy into operation. He pointed out that so i'ar there had been only one session of Parliament. One of the re- , portcd characteristies of the Opposition, he said-, was to spring to it in j keeping its pledges. Might he point out that in 1911 tho Government then in office had opposed a national health insurance scheme. An interjector: Before tho war. Mr. Fraser: Certainly before the waf. Alniost back to Adam! (Laughter.) Twenty-six years had come and gone, and that election pledge of that party had still not been fulfilled. Mr. Hamilton had said there had been a Labour Government in Australia that had tieen kiclccd out, but the Minister said ho scemed to remomber another Government that had been kicked out. (Laughter.) Mr. Fraser asked if the leader of the Opposition would reduce taxation by reducing pensions. Could Mr. Hamilton deny that cuts had been restored, and he would assure him that the national superannuation scheme which tho Opposition had been thinking about for 26 years was now well under way. Mr. Fraser went on to outline various measures which had been dealt with by the Government in fulfilment of its preclcetion promises. Spreading the Wealth As i'ar as world prices were concerned, said M*. Fraser, wealth was certainly coming into tho country, but what about its distribution? It might have come in and stayed in the hands of a few, but tho Government 's legislation enabled it to spread through and go to thoso who were most in nevd of it. Wages had gono up materially. The leader of tho Opposition claimed that tho marketing scheme had been lying in the pigeon lioles of the Dairy Board when the Government had taken office. That statemcnt was not correct. It was not the scheuie that had been put into operation by ,tbe Government. The Opposition members had said that the fariners had been opposed lo tho scheme, yet they had intended to pnt it intcl eft'ect. Did any members of the Opposition have courage enough to say they were opposed to the Government ;smarketing scheme? "We can take it for granted tken thht they are not opposed ,to the scheme, judging from their silenee. Do they then oppose the Government 's soeial legislation?" asked Mr. Fraser, wno continued that not one Of thera' was prepared to get up and oppose it. They had been convertcd. Throughbeing in opposition, adversity had been good for their souls. Mr. Fraser quoted figurcs showing that farmers' ineomes had been increased substantially during the Labour regime. The faets were, he concluded, • that everyone ou fche land was enjoyiug

toore prosperity, more income, more of the good things of life and more security than ever before. He contended that the previous Government, by stopping State advances, was responsible for the lack of housing and overcrowding to-day, and he personally wrould not be satisfied ontil every ablebodied man who wanted work in the country had a job. The Opposition had lost its ehallenge to the Government, as it had lost the last election, and as it would lose the ncxi eiecfion. The House rose at l'.H5 uutil 19,30 to-morrow,