ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1924, Page 1

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY.

(Hansard lie-port)

Ihe Hull .Mr Michel. —Mr Speaker, ill rising to support the resolution now before the Council I wish to fully associate myscll with the remarks of the previous speakers in regard to the appointment of Sir Eredeiie Lang to n •cat in this Chamber. \Ye can feel certain that hi* great experience ns a public man, especially in another place, and his personal merit and ability will enable him to render valuable services in this branch of tlie Legislature. And these remarks will certainly fittingly apply to our two new colleagues, the lieu Mr .Malcolm and the lion .Mr Ifeed. Now, coming to the Address in llepl.v, I fuel sure that we imist all feel disappointed that the resolutions which wore agreed to at the great Conference in England last year when the Prime Minister, representing this country, with others, carried resolutions in regard to reciprocity tliroiiglioul the Empire in British trade have not been fulfilled. And we can certainly feel this; that there are so unpeople in England to-day that do not realize that England’s general policy does affect her oversea States. II England’s general policy, or loreign policy, plunges her into war. we also are at war: and so il her fiscal policy gives advantage to Kussia and other foreign countries hat would he detiimeiiial to her oversea States, then we eeiiainlv would he directly aileeted. I do not go so far as to say for one moment that our Imperialism or our Livaltv rest-, upon pounds shillings and pence, or upon tarills, I believe that the great Imperialist ie spirit, that fine feeling or loyalty tlml does pervade this country, rests upon a more stabilized basis limn that. It is horn in 11s. \Ye have inherited il from our lathers and mothers, ami our grandfathers and grandmothers, and >n there is no fear, all hough we may he much disappointed at the position at present in regard to ibis policy of reciprocity, il is not going to dampen ill the least our Imperialistic or loyal spirit. What I have said in regard to that will apply with e(|iial lone to the abandonment ol the Singapore base. 11 does seem lo me that that, from our point of view and from the point ol view of the other overseas Slates, is a most

serious matter —more serious lo us than il is lo England hersell. It is very noticeable, as has been pointed oilt by the I’lime Minister of the Com monwealtlt. llml England is protecting herself to (lie very utmost from attack Irum tile air. and probably the Singapore ha-e has not as direel a hearing upon her posit ion as it Inis upon the oversea fount l ies. I led certain that both the (piestioii ol the tarili and the question of the Singapore base must he reviewed ill the nut-distant future, and let us hope \ve shall then led there is no ground for being disappointed. It is certainly satisfactory to find, from the Speech delivered by 11 is Excellency, that we have a surplus this vear of a very substantial amount

namely l.’l dS I .HIIll. IV-nple have told os that we were galloping to a deficit, and il is very strange that those critics who have always been lorctdling a deficit seem unite dissatisfied tlml we have a surplus; so il is hard lo say what they want. Did they want n deficit, or are there not grounds for feeling gratified that we have a substantial surplus;' They then tell us that this surplus has been dragged mu i*} t Ik* pockrt s the people. Wlial are the fails; A great part ol the taxation nf this country comes -and eighth so—from the wealthier classes. I'ndvr three headings alone—land and joiome lax. stamp dolies, and death duties there was eolleeted. last year es .Vd .1177. It has been pointed out that the amount received ill Customs dutie- has gone up. and it is said that that has conic out ol the pockets of t hc people. Sir. there is uueotinirx in the world, in my opinion, wlu-re the great mass ( ,l die people, the working cla-ses and those who have not the means of paying heavy taxation, are let off a' lightly through the Custom'' as they are in this country. Let it' allal vs 1 ■ da- figures. I have not the figure, for till, year, lull I know them pivltv well from last year, and there would not lie any material diileremv. Old of every IMIU collected in Custom" duties in this country (.’Pi is collectew ill liquor or beer duties—that is. Hie beer-lax and the duty on spirits. Out of every CIO!) L’Jci is paid oil iohaeco and cigarette-, and LI ! i' paid tnr-ears and musical instruments.

The lI.MI .Mr Karnslm w. —Workers lit, l use motor oars, tlo they .** The lion .Mr Michel.— I hope soma of them "ill he alilo to afford even motor car-. I do not see why some of the working rla-s should not have thorn, lint I am only pointing ottl that .-a far its the Customs duties ol this country arc concerned, they do not come out of the pockets ol the worker-. We have jjiven the workers a free hreakfast-table. and nearly every article tt-od in the liou-chold is I fee of dot V. I may. have honourable memhers point out that the duties on hoots ami clothing are heavy. It j s true that the duty on hoots t' heavy. Hut why > It hits keen put on at the instigation of the labour unions t:i keep up tlm wanes in those lartieuhtr iudustti. s. It has keen 1 tit oil ;*t tln ir i'i-i i'J.ntion. 1 jipi n - >t >:*\ iijj-C whether it i-’ riejht or wrong. heeittise that would open up the whole question of the fiscal policy of the outttry. as to whether fire-trade is 1. alter than prop lion, ami so on: hut the fact reinain.s that the only heavy duties paid on articles in hotiselmhl tt-e are < u hoots ttnd clothing. l ma.-.e hold to say that out of every £l(in collected there i- not mere than -V. ]cr <ent. or li per lent, paid cn foodstulf-. The average man and woman have not the time to look into this question, a.ltd there are I een'e who go ,!it the ioitntry making folk believe that the Government is impo-ing tremendous in valinti on them thi.ui.-di the Cu-toms. Th.'ii is a ,lut. lv contrary to teat. If honourable meuihe • '-.ill only take the trouble f. look- up those figures they will find that so far as the Cu-t:m>s duties are e. merited tltete is i- no country in the world that lets off the gtetit mas' of the penile ns lightly :t' "o do. ai* *l eighth so. Sh. I think it i' gratifying indeed to hud that the Government is determined to net the advice of two thoroughly qualify l <;:c-iali-ts in reyard to our railway system. 1 held .e that the present General Manager of Hallways. Mi McVilly. and tlm-c associated " ith him have done timid work under very difficult circitmstamos. I.tit there is no gainsaying the fact that ihitngcs ate required on our railway system, ami 1 think the Government i' "iso m sot tiny up this small Commission of two specially (nullified men to lock into the whole system of control and working of our railways. In the past our railway employees have been a particularly loyal I -aptly to the State. We h aV e had very little trouble from our railway employees. Hitt theio arc

II lienees are now being brought- to hear not only upon the railway employees. hut upon other Government Departments, and that is a most serious matter ill lomietiou with our system of government in this country. \Ye have a solid vote, if it is consoli-dat.-'l. of fifty-two thousand -public servants, mid it seems that a number of the Government Departments are being attacked now— not attacked, but an- being influenced by outside organisations. I have absolutely no sympathy with" the contention that the railway employees, or the polite, or the post and tch-giaph men, or the employees of any other great Department of State have a right to join the Alliance of Labour, or to ho influenced l,v that orgalti:-ation. It i- absolutely n] |e.-,cd to the very best interests of the pen; le. and when the railway employees strike, as they did recently, tln-y strike not against the capitalist or against the ca| italistie system, blit against the people, against the Stale, and they would he doing the same thing no matter what system of government we had. or what fatty was in power. So I say that this is a matter of serious moment, and the Government are to he lommemled upon the action they took in regard to the recent strike. If the Government had been weak and had given way they would have forfeited the confidence of the people of the country. There must b- no misunderstanding in regard to the Stale Departments. They must tetnain loyal to the Government that is, tlie State. I believe that tin- I’trhlie Service generally is it good one, and I believe there ate many men. and probably women, in the Public Service to-day. who would have done infinitely better if their lot had been east in any other avenue of activity: but speaking generally, the Public Service of this country i-. well treated, remarkably well treated. What did it mean.' What are they asking for ? 'I hey were asking for concessions which meant no less than £(i-10,-

"CP in iiu teased wages, and under other headings they wauled (oncessioiis and changes which would have involved another L 222.011 0: in other words, the railway workers alone were asking for an increase in expenditure if eSq-J .S-Jd. Not only that, but il we had comeded that LSTJ.OUO. il was only tight, that we should then have conceded tin- same demands Lo the post and telegraph employees and lo tinworkers in every other department of Slate. And so we would have found an increased expenditine in regard to the Public Service of not less than £2,01 a).!!!);) a year. Who was going to pay that' I will tell you. Thousands of casual workers who ate not earning anything like wlial the rail-

way workers are earning in this (-..'tiutry. thousands of small shop-keep-ers and traders, thousands ol small fa,:mers. thoi.-auds of tradesmen, and thousands of iclurmd soldiers. All these would have to find this £‘J.()IIO.Ui:i) tor the increased wage.-. which neither this tier any other country c,mb! possibly stand, and when you jn-i down to tin- |:: -iti-ui and look closely into it. what do you find’r You find some figures which were published in the Christchurch Press, official I'giiri., obtained Irom the District IL-ilua.v .Manager, showing that railwav employee slinnte x. for instance

were icreiving something like £2l in £U2 a month. The Hon Mr Goddis.- I rise to a joint of order. The hoiuura’de eoli-th-man is discussing matters which al the present time* arc- the .sohtoi t ot inquiry by a (’ommiltee set n > by Parliament. I submit, therefore, that wean- mu coin| etc-lit to discuss them here.

The lion, the Speaker By vhorn is tic.' inquiry being made?

The lion Mr Gc-ildi-. - By a pailia-mc-ntaiy ( ommitiee. Tin- lion, tlie Speaker Did you sav a parliamentary (‘omniiitee ? ’lll.- lion Mr {.-.Midis. Ye. Sir. •fit,- Don Mr Michel. Do you rule agiiist me. Sir ! The- lino the Speaker.- os. The lion Mr Michel. I will. then, put ii in another way. 1 lie expenditure -1 this count r.\ cannot go on being increased in any of the Departments of State at the- rati- it has been in leasing. I hen- must tie a halt, no mailer whether by this Government or anv other (loveriinu-ut in tin- lnlille: t In-re must In- some end to these evergrowing ilcmnu-ls i.l the Department' ol Stale. That is all 1 have to -av in ii-v.aril lo that, and 1 am sorry it I transgn d. hut I under-

stood tin- matter had been rai-ed in another place and that it bail been decided that it was admissible. IPs Excellency in hi' Spec- li. ii-.ers to the birth and development of a Now Zealand div ision of the Navy. I hat- is icl t-iinlv most giat living, hut let us he sure of this : that, although in the pa-l we have had our naval prop- tinlor shillings while tin- English taxpayer has i i pay | oiit-ds. v o cannot, itule-s we are going to heroin - a small nation el -y. oj'liai.ts. except Hat p:o-

tceiioo to continue without paving our leir share :u the expenditure in runner! mu with the British Navy. I feel sure that llu- g-eat nn-piriiy ol the men and wun.i-o ol this county realize that, and tlml mere attention uiu.-t "tie paid to the naval defences ol cur country. Where would we have I ecu l,ut for the British Navy during the

recent war? Could we have sent away some one hundred million pounds’ worth of our produce across the seas l-.iit for the Navy I' Honouraide members will toll me, “Yes, they wanted our food at Home” ; but the fact re-mains that the g tea test disaster which would have befallen this (ottntry would have befallen it. if we had not been able to get- that pvodtiee across the setts. We talk of a financial .slump. We do not know what it would have meant if our produce had not got. away. It would have meant unemployment, cur produce would have been rotting here, ami wo would have had a state of affairs that we can hardly realise. It was only the Navy that saved us, and let us he sure that in future we have that protection, and do not let us, as- Britishers. shirk our responsibility in contributing a fair amount towards the upkeep of tlmi. Navy, width in tlie past Ims done so much, and has enabled us to bold these Islands for the past seventy or eighty years from being taken or attacked by any other Bower. I will conclude Mr Speaker, by saying how deeply I regret the impending departure of liis .Excellency Lord delliioe from this country, fn the past we have had good Governors many line men—but I will make, bold to nay this: that never in the past have we had a Governor who has more deeply endeared himself to the men, women, and children of New Zealand than the great mail who is about to leave us lias done. We are not only losing a great Governor with a great wife, but we are losing ns a lesident of this land one of the greatest citizens i'o the British Empire. and one who, in the opinion of many aide to judge, is the Lord Nelson of modern times. Mr Speaker. Imi ppm t the resolution now before the (,'uiin-