GOVERNMENT SPEAKER ATTACKS THE PRESS . .

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 23, 20 October 1937, Page 3

GOVERNMENT SPEAKER ATTACKS THE PRESS . .

-Presi Aisoclation.)

BUDGET DEBATE "Adequate Protection for N.Z. Industries MINISTER'S PROMISE

(By Telegraph-

; t WELLINGTON, Xfest Nlght; \ Th.fi debate on the Financial State;ment vraa continued in t!he House today by Mr. J. A. Lee who said the opponents of the Government had said the guaranteed price policy was dangorous because it mennced the existing iorder of things, The guaranteed price gave the farmers for fho first time a definite return on a piecework basis for a definite quantity and quality of goods. They had been asked what would happen, he said, if overseas prices fell, but he doubted if anything of the fcind would oocur in any case. Mr. Lee said deflation or inflation was not wanted. The Socialist wished to* build up a new oconomy and expand the wellbeing and leisure of .the people. People starved during the depression because there wero too many goods. He wished to see an extension of the guaranteed price system which was a stimulus to production. Mr. Lee proceeded to criticise the Press of the Dominion, stating that the private control of the Press excluded the right of every section of the community to express itself. He quoted from an editorial in a Wellington paper the purport of which he said was the argumefit that people just Teaching the age of 21 years wero not fit to vote. An Auckland japer, too, he said, a few years ago had advocated the disfranchisement of all civil servants. That was as dangerous to democracy as the doctrines qf Hitler and Mussolini. Every person ahould have the right xo express his viewpoint not only over the air but by written word. ' The newspapers to-day were not controlled by the people interested in news and views but by an aggregation of people Tepresenting financial interests. Something would have to be done somo day.towards the provision of a newspaper in every centre throughout the Dominion as a medium in which the worthwhile majority of people would be able to express their views. He quoted several instances in the Press of what he described as misrepresentation, distortion and suppression which, he said, occurred nearly every day to everyone of them. All sections of the community were entitled to express their opinions but the Government was entitled not to have its statements misrepresented and distorted all the time. Housing and Slums. Eeferring to slum clearance in New Zealand, Mr. Lee said the slum problem could not be cleared up by State advances but only by direct Government intervention, but they must build sufficient homes to which the people could go before they started with the demolition of slums. He went on to deal with the Government 's housing policy and stated that as the production technique of houses produced in the Dominion improved so would the quality of the houses which were being built. It would take 50 to GO years completely to rebuild New Zealand/ but he expressed pleasure at the increased intcrest shown by local authorities in building houses and stated that in the course of a year they would see a rapid alteration in the housing problem. Mr. Tirikatene said that under the present Government the Maori was experiencing a new feeling of hope. It was only through the Labour Government that a Maori housing scheme had been started. It was not because the Maori "blew" all his money that ho came to be in a condition of want today. It was because the administration of past Governments had deprived the Maori of nearly ev\rything he owned. The Mapri appreciated the fact that he enjoyed full rights of citizenskip in his own country and he ddd not agree with the criticisms which had been levelled at the broadcasting service but he would be pleased to see more provision being mado in this direction for the use o'f Maori talent. Mr. E. L. Cullen said the Government 's housing scheme for Maoris would prove of great benefit to the Maoris both in the cities and in the country. He suggested, however, that a commencement should be made in providing houses for aged Maoris w!ho required them and that if the Minister of Housing took over the control of Maori housing it would relieve native affairs of a heavy burden. Mr. Cullen also drew attention to the multiplicity of control in native affairs. •The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 5.30. ,

Chemiats' Chain Stores. When the House resumed at 7.30 the Minister of Eailwaya (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) continued the debate on the Financial Statement. He stated that tho Government had no intention of taking control of any chain stores in the Dominion nor did it intend to engago in'the reselling business in conuection with chemists' supplies. With regaTd to the opening of an overseas firm controlling a chain of stores for selling chemists' supplies in the Dominion he intimated that he considered an effeclive coxiipromise would be reached which would be satisfactory to the retail chemists as well as to the oversea interests which he had mentioned. He contended that the licensing system under the Industrial Efficiency Act had been used wisely and effectively in conuection with both the rennett and fishing industries and the Government's scheme aovernins wheat^ flqaf «nd L»

| bread of best in the I completo Mr« Sullivan; Yes, to the taxpayers too. I am personally happy about ifc and everyone in the industries mentioned too is also happy about it. Mr, Sullivan said that the cost of iiving in 1937 after the Labour Government had been in office for two years • waa lower than it wai for the period of |12 years preceding 1931 and the pnrv chasing power of the worker to-day was nine per cent. higher than in 1935. Adequate Protection for Industries. Eeferring to New Zealand Industries, jthe Minister said the Government initended to give them adequate protection. Not all industries in New Zealand were detrimentally affected by tho severe competition from overseas. The majority were in a healthy position. He also stated that the increased eost of materials being experienced here was being experienced to a similar degree by countries overseas and that the present cost of running the railways compared more than favourably with the costs during the normal years before the depression. Mr. W. A. Wright said the leading plank of the Government platform was to socialise .the meana of production, distribution and exchange and tho rumours which arose as the result of statements by irresponsible members of the Labour Party were doing a great deal of harm to their own party and also to the country. The Government, he said, had claimed to enjoy the support of the large majority of the people of the Dominion but he would point out that it had been returned to office on a minority vote of only 46 per cent. of the people. State-owned Press. ! Mr. Wright referred to the statement by Dr. McMillan advocating a Stateowned Press stating that if effecfc were given to the honourable member's suggestion it would give a monopoly which would be the reverse of beneficial in its effects. If they interfered with the Press in the way suggested it would lay the foundation for tyranny. A free Press, he contended, was the bulwark of liberty. Mr. Eichards: Stanley Baldwin did not say that. Mr. Wright: "But you must remember that Stanley Baldwin was not always right." He continued that these attacks on the Press emanated from the Prime Minister himself. When he spoke he should remember that he wa3 the head of the Government and some of his statements on the Press were very alarming indeed. He referred to a recent statement by Mr. Savage which appeared in a Labour journal attacking the Press, stating that the statement had contained a hidden threat and hinting that it was the Prime Minister 's opinion that some of the privileges of the Press should be taken away from it. A Labour interjection: So they should bel Mr. Wright continued that these statements by the Prime Minister had so stimulated the Director of Commercial Broadcasting that he had made a statement over the air attacking the Press and the Minister of Education had had to rebuke both him and the editor of the Labour journal referred to. Mr. Wright said he admired the Minister for delivering that rebuke. He declared further that the Prime Minister 's criticism of the trading banks had created uneasiness. Mr. Savage was reported to have said that the powers of the banks must be wiped out. That was a mischievous statement, said Mr. Wright. It was true that the Prime Minister had modified the statement but he challenged him to show where the banks were not rendering cfficient service. A Government member: Everybody knows it. Eeferring to the Government's intended use of the public credit Mr. Wright said he was satisfied it would mean an irredeemable issue of paper money'" which could not be limited in a democracy. The Budget made provision for a huge expenditure the effect of which would be to introduce fictitious; prosperity and an increase in land values. | Mr. A. G. Hultquiat said the policy o£ the Government was deflation and the stabilisation at an economic point and the return to the people of .the goods and service that .the previous Qpvernment had taken from them. Never in his electorate had ho heard .an unkind word or insulting remark passed about the Government's policy, and he thought if the Government

could not' stand the Upposition 's criticism it would not be very effective. In fact, he could assure the Opposition that its criticism was falling on deaf cars, both in the case of the Govern7 k r ment itself and of the country as a whole. He appealcd to the Government for increased financial suppoit for counties to make good llood dainage and similar works, and contended that unpaid native rats? shoul be paid out of .tho Consolidated Fuud. If . free grants could not be given in the diree-, tion he had indicated, he suggested that the money should be supplied from the unemployment iunds. He believed th'ere was a splendid future for the East Coast if they faced up to the native problem there and gave increased grants to counties from the Public Works funds for necessary roads and bridgeo. He also advocated more extensive electrical reticulatiun 4 of the East Coast districts. The debate was interrupted by jthe, adjournment at 10.30,