PARLIAMENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 596, 23 August 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

| PRIME MINI yTK, Wellington, Friday. The House nut at 2..">0 p.m. Mr At more, dealing with the Budget. said ho wag pleased to see provision made to foster the fruit industry which meant a great deal to Nelson. Thai district had a magnificent future before it in the fruit industry. Already many orders had been received from South America and elsewhere. The workers of the country were getting restive. They felt that they were not getting Government for the people by the people. They had a Government of land monopolists and vested interests, who had not the welfare of the people at heart. Mr Hindmarsh hoped the Government would caus j full and complete statistics to be Becured of all trades and industries. He considered New Zealand lagged behind all countries in that respect. Sufficient encouragement had not been given to the Arbitration Acts. The Government's policy regarding land seemed to be sell the land borrow money on the security and lend it out. The Premier had eaid before the Farmers' Conference that a man could make a living on five acres. If that was po what an immense future the country had before it. He implored the Premier to think out some scheme whereby the great rural problem would be settled. It did not i matter whether he sank or swam, he should give a lead in the matter. j Mr Massey, in reply, said land for settlers was not as ecarce as was imagined. If Mr Hindmarsh would go on the land he would give him a section to-morrow. He had never Been a set of men so embarassed as the Opposition during the debate just concluded. Mr Allen had not gone in for window dressing, but had put cut a plain statements of the affairs of the country. It was a credit to him. They had just experienced a more prosperous season than the preceeding one. Settlers had risen to the occasion with the result that the country was in a more prosperous condition than in 1912. For the month of July laßt there had been an increase of £596,456 in exports over the 'figures of July, 1912. Those figures showed confidence in the administration, 6 The Government had put forward their policy in Wellington in July, 1911, and they had adhered to it entirely. They did not change their policy every week or so. He dealt with each of the plankß of the platform and contended that each had been carried out. Members of the Opposition were using the teachers for Parliamentary purposes and the teachers knew exactly where they were. The Government was going to see the matter of teachers' salaries put right. An instalment of what aB going to be done would be before th 6 House this session. The Government would increase the taxation of those who could afford to pay. A Board of Agriculture would be established which would be purely a.lvisory board, no payment being attached to the position. It had been asserted the withdrawals exceeded the deposits in the post office during the Government regime, but figures proved the contrary. The unauthorised expenditure was larger last year because of the rapid growth of railway, defence, and telegraph to which no Oppositionist could object, Mr Massey quoted instances of large estates cut up during the past twelve monthß in answer to criticism that large landowners were not disposing of their estates. Dealing with assertions that the Government had increased the public debt by £5,700,000, he said the Mackenzie Government had borrowed £4,500,000 of that amount. A statement had been made regarding New Zealand stock. He quoted from London newspapers showing New Zealand 4 per cents, wpre quoted at 100; Queensland 99, South Australia 99, Victoria 99, West Australia 99, New South Wales 101. Our credit stood higher now than it ever was before and was above tho average of Australian State?. He defended the appointment of Mr Northcroft to the commissionerßhip of the Cook Islands. Mr Northcroft had not applied for the position. He (Mr Massey) believed Mr Northcroft was a most suitable man for tho position of Resident Commissioner. The House went into Committee on' the Estimates and adjourned at 5.15 till 7.30 D.m. In the House in the evening the Estimates were considered in Comj niiUee. The first iw>m was passed and i the House ros-e at 12.-1