THE FIRST DIVISION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3881, 8 December 1928, Page 3

THE FIRST DIVISION.

LABOUR. VOTES WITH REFORM. In the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon, after the Rent Restriction Continuance Act had heen dealt with, a Minister proposed to lay on the table reports of their [Departments, to each of which the Leader of the Opposition (Sir Joseph Ward) at once took exception. After a short debate the first division of the session, was taken, the motion to lay a report on the table being carried by 43 to 33.

Sir Joseph Wjard demanded a division on the motion, that the paper be tabled and the suddenness of this surprise made the atmosphere electrical. Mr. Sullivan, one of the Whip 3 of the Labour Party, crossed the floor of the House to confer with Sir Joseph Wiard and Mr. Forbes, but it was apparent that the United Party insisted on a division being taken. The motion ifor the tabling of the report was carried by 43 votes to 33, most of the Labour members voting with the Government. The division list is as follows: — AYES 43.' Ansell Langstone 'Armstrong Linklater Barnard Lysnar Bitchener M'Combs Burnett M'Keen Campbell Macmillan Carr Mason Chapman Massey )doate4 Munro, Dickie Nash Field O’Brien Eraser Parry Hall Pomare Hamilton Samuel Harris Savage Henare Stewart H. Holland Sullivan H. E. Holland Waite Howard Williams Hunter Wright Jones Young Kyle NOES 33. Atmore MaoPherson Black Makitanara Bodkin Martin Broadfoot Munns Clinkard Murdoch Cobbe Ngata De la Perrelle Poison Donald Ransom Fletcher Rushworth Forbes Smith Hawke . Stallworthy Healy Taverner Hogan Veitch Jenkins Wilford Lye Wilkinson M'Donald MHougall COATES GOVERNMENT DEFEATED. NO-CONFIDENCE CARRIED BY 50 VOTES TO 28. "Following the speeches made by the Leader‘of the Opposition and Mr. Holland, the Prime Minister, at 10.30 a.ra. yesterday, began Iris speech on the Address-in-Reply motion before the House and Sir Joseph Ward’s amendment thereon. He opened by making extensive quotations from newspaper reports of Sir Joseph Ward’s speech at Auckland to show that Re was not intentionally misrepresenting him when he (Mr. Coates) criticised his policy as one in which 70 millions were to, be raised in one year. After the correction had been made public, he (Mr. Coates) had not repeated his former criticism. He expressed, keen disappointment that Sir Joseph Wiard’s speech yesterday was not fuller in its details as to bow he proposed to raise the money and what he proposed to do with it. He had indicated that he proposed to do some railway construction out of surpluses, but he had to get the surpluses first. Ten millions would not complete the unfinished. railways, and they could not be finished in four years. The day for haphazard expenditure in New Zealand had gone. Hon. members : It finishes today. Continuing, Mr. Coates said that few people had little idea of the economic effect of the completion of these lines. He had made himself familiar with the facts of the ease, and he said that if they endeavoured to do construction work by big contracts they would not get it done as cheaply as if they let labour contracts in New Zealand, where they had heen well able to do that class of work. Sir Joseph Ward had not shown that the railways he proposed to complete would make an economic return to the country. He anticipated that the money wasted had to be paid for, and they had carefully to examine each case and eonsddjer whether they were wise in completing all the lines suggested by Sir Joseph Ward. MANGAHAO EXPECTED TO PAY. The Prime Minister went on to say that they had engineers in New Zealand as good as any in the world, and although the Mangahao hydro-electric works were constructed at the most expensive period he was confident that the scheme would yet be profitable to the country. The reason they had let certain works to large contractors was to give the system a trial. There was a wide public demand that this trial he made, but he was now of opinion that our public works could he more cheaply constructed by labour contracts, with good engineers to guide them. His point, however, was that it was necessary to go most carefully into the cost of t}io railways proposed to -be finished by Sir Joseph Ward, and the economic result* to the

country. It would be found that much more money than was now anticipated would he required, and the results in many cases were problematical. STATE MONOPOLY OF MONEY INADVISABLE. With regard to the 60 millions to he lent to settlers, Mr. Coates said this would mean that the State would become the only lender, and that was not a good thing. There was more money available for investment in New Zealand than for many years, and the rates of interest were falling. He maintained that high rates of interest were not the farmers’ trouble in this country. There were other charges, such, as local rates and the cost of transport, which were more serious. His Government had done much to relieve these burdens. WOULD SUPPORT DEVELOPMENTS OF NEW LANDS. Sixty millions would not give Sir Joseph Ward what he wanted but Mr. Coates strongly recommended him to set aside portion of this money for the development of new country. If this were done, a certain measure of support would come fi'om him. It was on the primary producer that they must depend for stability, and money must be expended in such a way as to encourage this living asset. Mi*. Coates claimed that they had done good work, hut if that good work had not been recognised by the electors that was unfortunate. They had found the country with an adverse trade balance, and were handing it over in a thoroughly sound position. MR, COATES’S FRIENDLY SPIRIT.

After making feeling reference to the illness of the King, Mr. Coates said he had no feelings of rancour about the election, and if he could be of any help he would always be ready to give his assistance for what it was worth. He made a special plea for fair treatment^ of the Native race, who were above all party considerations. / The House then proceeded to take the division on Sir Joseph Ward’s amendment of no-confl-dence. The division on the amendment was as follows: — FOR (50). Armstrong McDongall Atmore McKeen Barnard MacPherson Black Makitanara Bodkin Martin Broadfoot Mason Carr Munns Clinkard Munro Cobbe Murdock Chapman Ngata Perelle O’Brien Donald Parry Fletcher Poison Forbes Ransom Fraser Rushworth Hawke Savage Healy 1 Semple Hogan Smith Holland, H. E. Stallworthy Howard Sullivan Jenkins Taverner Langstone Veitch Lye Ward McCombs Wilford. McDonald Wlilkinson AGAINST (28). Ansell Kyle Bitchener Linklater Burnett Lysnar Campbell MacMillan Coates Massey Dickie Hash Field Pomare Hall Samuel Hamilton Stewart Harris Sykes Henare Waite Holland, H. Williams Hunter Weight Jlones Young After the division, the result of which was received in silence, the mover briefly replied, and it was agreed that the address as amended by Sir Joseph Ward be presented to His Excellency. Mr. Speaker intimated that His Excellency was prepared to receive the amended address at 12.50, and it was agreed that on this being done, the House would resume at 2.30 p.m. THE FINAL SCENES.

When the House resumed at 2.30 p.m. Mr. Speaker announced that, accompanied by the mover and seconder and other members of the House, he had presented the Ad-dress-in-Reply to His Excellency the Governor-General, who had been pleased to make the following reply:— “I thank you for the address you have presented-to me in reply to the speech I delivered on the occasion of the opening of the first session of the twentythird Parliament of the Dominion of New Zealand. I fully recognise that it is essential for my advisers to possess the confidence of the House of Representatives, and in view of your assurance that they do not now possess that confidence I will take measures for the formation of a new Administration.” On the motion of the Prime Minister the reply was recorded in the Journals of the House. MINISTRY TO RESIGN. Mr. Coates then announced that /in view of the decision the House had arrived at it would be his duty to tender the resignation of the Government to the Governor-General. “This course I propose to take as soon as it is convenient to His Excellency,” the Prime Minister added. TRIBUTES TO PRIME MINISTER. Before the House rose the Leader of the Opposition (Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) expressed his thanks to the Prime Minster for the kindly offer he had made during the course ■of a very good speech to assist the incoming Administration whenever

possible. The whole of the House recognised the difficulties of the position the Prime Minister was in. It was a position that came to everyone holding office for a long period in New Zealand and other countries. It was a source of great pleasure to hear the kindly sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister. Sir Joseph Ward intimated that some time after the House reassembled he would make a statement —a very important statement which he did not intend to go into at present—dealing with certain of his proposals. He was not in a position to say whether another session was necessary, but he wanted to avoid one in the-interests of the House and the country. LABOUR'S TRIBUTE.

“I want to say,” said the Leader of the Labour Party (Mr. H. E. Holland), “that while there has been a gulf wide and deep between the present Prime Minister and the party he represents on the one hand and the party which I have the honour to represent on the other, we acknowledge fully and freely the manner in which Mr. Coates has met us on .a multitude of occasions. (Hear, hear). We have had to fight hard, and we have had to fight with the gloves off. Every fighter loves a fighter, and when the fight is over the friendship is the same. I want to express my appreciation of the manner in which the Prime Minister accepted defeat and the decision of this House. “The Prime Minister will forgive me, I am sure,” Mr. Holland added, “if I say he never appeared to better advantage even in the hour of his most decisive victory than he appeared in the hour of defeat to-day. We all appreciate the splendid spirit he displayed, the dignity with which he presented the postion of his own party, and the sportsmanlike manner in which he accepted the decision of the country and of this House.” Speaking on behalf of the Native race, the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata (Eastern Maori) thanked the Prime Minister for his services to the Maoris. Those services would not be lightly thought of in the years to come. CHARM OF POLITICAL LIFE. “The remarks of the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Labour Party, and the member for Eastern Maori have . somewhat knocked the pins from under me,” said the Prime Minister in reply. “I thank them sincerely for their very generous remarks. While we will have to cross swords in the future, I hope that the feeling now existing will continue. It is one of the charms of political life .that the moment we get into the lobbies the views expressed in the Chamber are never allowed to interfere with our own personal friendships.” REFORMS ATTITUDE.

Mr. Coates added that when the House met on Tuesday he would like to make a short statement which would outline the attitude the Reform Party intended to adopt with respect to Sir Joseph Ward’s administration and the proposals he advanced. At 2.45 p.m. the House adjourned until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday next. REFORM CAUCUS. Alter the House rose for the luncheon adjournment a special caucus of the Reform Party was held for the purpose of thanking the Prime Minister for his services and with the object of expressing the party’s appreciation of the statesmanlike speech he had delivered in the House earlier in the morning. The general opinion was expressed that the address ,was the most masterly effort made by Mr. Coates since his leadership of the Reform forces in the House. RESIGNATION OF MINISTRY. The Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) tendered his resignation and that of his colleagues to His Excellency the Governor-Gen-eral last night. Sir Joseph Ward will probably.be sent for to-day to form a Ministry.