THE ADDRESS IN REPLY.

Shannon News, 15 July 1924, Page 4

THE ADDRESS IN REPLY.

MEMBER FOR MANAWATU’S SPEECH. J. Linklater, M.P. for Manawatu, had they distinction :of seconding motion on the Address-in-Reply in the House last week, and did so m a comprehensive and aole speech.

-Reduction of'Taxation. ' “Ariiongst- the measures to b c introduced, which will be most acceptable J to\tKe House and the country, ’ stud » Dinklater, “is the proposal to J reduce ‘the heavy taxation the Dominion has been called on to bear . I during- the war period and since the j signing of the peace treaty. While .1. must "be admitted that our burden is not greater than that borne; by many British. States, it entails heayy charges on the community, which hamper the trade and progress of the country generally. For -several years the people of the Dominion have bOrne with, uncomplaining courage the tremendous burden of local and mational taxation. The taxes of this country /must now be : reduced as far as. prudence will permit; and expendit'Ure dtept within rea f sonable dimensions. I read' recently in a book edited by Shaw Desmond, the opinion of Philip Snowden on “Production and its Relation _to.. Wages.” He says: ‘Production is the basis or the' whole economic and financial system.- If is the : only ■source froip which wages can bf -pam.. Increased output may benefit capitalists— it! probably will—but without in creased production tlie workers wi 1 go on riding the merry-go-round and get off where they started.’/; ■ “It is njy opinion that high taxation stifles production, and the sooner we recognise that important fact the better it will be for vthose engaged in the work of production in New Zealand; High taxation reaches everywhere, and burdens everybody. Ij bears most heavily upon the poor; it diminishes industry and commerce, because it ..makes agriculture, which iS the.mainstay,of the Dominion, 'unprofitable. The country is crying out foi-l-eduction in taxation; and I hope this House will agree to the proposals o( the ..Government in thm direction. The report of the . Taxation commission. whicß .recently concluded its sittings, will be looked: forward tb with great interest. I hope taxation will be placed on the shoulders of those* most able to bear it. -Dominion Finance.. “I note with pleasure, and I am sure all sections of the House will agree ■ with me, thaf-the finances of the country are in a satisfactory condition. Our credit is good, ranking with the Mother Country itself, and ■ while the national debt may be considered very heavy, it must be remembered that £8.2,000,000 of the amount is due to war expenditure, and repatriation. Against the remainder of our; debt the country has ; reproductive assets which cover the greater portion of our liability, while loan expenditure in other directions incurred in the development of the country has considerably enhanced the value of our lands and has indirectly stimulated thaf production on which the wealth of the country depends. It is due to this satisfactory state of the finances of the country that it is possible to reduce taxation this session.

The reduction of the land and income tax and farmers’ income tax, combined with reductions on tea, amusement tax, and other reductions, accounted for no less than of a million last year, which would otherwise have been, taken out of the people’s pockets in the Dominion.

The Government is to be congratulated, on the ibuoyaricy of its finances and I think we can take* off our hats to the Minister of Finance for the ability ho has ; displayed in .tihjs direction.

“While I do not. pretend to be an expert in financial matters, or speak with any degree of authority on the subject, I would suggest that tihe Government explore every possible avenue in tb e way of establishing a system, of joint credit, under which notes could be issued in this country against moneys held in London by the Government and the Banks —thus increasing the available currency. f Farmers’ Prospects.

“The success that has followed the passing of the Meat" Control Act has been very marked,, and the producer has reaped the benefit of reduced charges and better marketing conditions. While beef continues . to be very low in price, lamb and mutton have maintained good prices. The great rise in wool values has helped greatly in promoting the general prosperity.. New Zealand wool farmers hav e passed through the most difficult time in the history of this country, hind the prospects ahead . were never brighter. It is the general opinion that no industry in the world promises so well as the sheep industry today. Sir Arthur Goldfinch, London Chairman of the British-Australian Realisation Board, in a recent speech, gave as his opinion there was no the’.world in which capital could be invested with greater certainty than in sheepfarming.

“The Dairy Control Bill received the sanction of those interested and has become law. It is too early yet to expect results from itis establishment, but I knoiv I am right in saying it will prove of great, benefit to the dairy farmers of this country. The dairy industry has made tremendous strides during the last twelve years. The number of dairy cows has grown from 633000 to 1,-248,000 during that period. The production has been good this year, and though last year was a record ono as far as production was concerned,, this year will be equal to it. The dairy farmers of‘New Zealand deserve every praise for their indus-: try. It is due to them in a large measure that New Zealand is so financially sound to-day. Members will notie with interest that it is the Gov-

ernment’s intention to introduce a Fruit Control Bill, which will place those in the fruit business on the samo footing-as those in tihe meat and dairy

industry. There is undoubtedly a great future before the fruit industry, but, as it is dependent on proper export conditions, amt on the proper ■ handling and grading of . .the produce itself, the fruit grower may expect to , derive yer.v material benefit by the co-operative marketing and handling of our fruit.. jLn.iis versus Cities. “Although our country is very pros- ■ perous, the great need in this Domin- ' .to-day la -o dr\irc yome means of |. stemming- the tide of the drift oßthc people fi om thy cm untry-to the cities. I Twenty years ago 5,4.04 per cent of our ') people lived in the country, which [ was merely a. deduction of 5.4 -.pet j cent/in the previous 20 years. In 19-1 tii o position '..is reversed, the town -population constituting 55.95 per cent, and the rural population 44.05 per cent of flu- aggregate. Congestion in the cities naturally follows this state of affairs, and with more people striving for employment in the crowded centres, there must- be a certain amount of distress occasioned by the restricted scope for.* employment, for - it cannot be too often and too -strongly, emphasised that New Zealand is essentially a country whoso mainstay is dependent, on agricultural, pastoral, and mining industries, rather than on Industrial pursuits. The question that , I seems to be necessary for us to decide | is; ‘How are'we going to alter this state of affairs?’ I believe that the . introduction of hydro-electric power, better, roading, telephonic facilities, and easier finance will go a long way to id so. I understand that a ©ill doab.ng with the provision of more mo.'.ey for the prosecution of hydro-. - electric power schemes will be submil, ed this session. It. appears to mo. thaf, the electrification of the- rural 1 and urban districts of New Zealand by some thirty power boards will be looked on by future generations as the most forward htep takoh. by the Doi ' minion in many years.

“A glance at past history, reveals tli e fact-that all a farmer received in years gone by' in the way of loan moneys was 'a fair to medium .road to his.hom e while his town cousin rated himself to get gas supply, electric power, water supply, and all the latest, comforts of civilisation. This statie of things has ,naturally caused* a drift to the towns, which is to be deplored. The city 'housewife has all the conveniences in her home, so far as electricity and gas, are concerned, and those in the country will-soon, enjoy the same privilege. Providing electricity to the country districts is one way of improving the outlook in country life, and I earnestly ask members, to 1 remember that in voting money to help on the electrical works of the Dominion they are making country life more acceptable to the people, and in this manner are helping to keep the people on the land in New Zealand.

“ Adequate roadlng Cor the- people is very necessary for-,the advancement of settlement in New* Zealand, especially in the back-blocks. “In these days of rapid road transit, it is absolutely necessary that methods of road-making be placed on a more satisfactory basis, and by the institution of Highway Boards, which will take over the main arterial- roads of the country and build them with permanent material, the Government is moving in the right direction. Part of the - money required for road construction works will be provided from the tyre tax, but it appears to me that no motorist would begrudge a motor registration fee, provided, he received an up-tio-date ,road in return. The counties through which the main highways pass have for years laboured under great disabilities, because for many, years, especially those' counties adjacent to large towns, have had. to carry tli e through traffic without receiving any monetary assistance from those who use the road. Government has helped to a certain extent in the past, but the' great burden has been carried by the ratepayer of tho district through which the main roads traversed. In setting up a Highways Board no provision has been made by the Government, up to the present, to find the huge sums necessary to be found by the countries through which th e highway is being constructed, and no provision has been made for taking a poll under the Highways Act of last session. It seems to me only reasonable that the Government should borrow the amount required by the Highways Board on the London market, and lend the requirements of the local bodies from that 7mm. Plowever, I understand certain amendments necessary to the Act of last year-will be introduced and I trust provision' for finance will not be overlooked.

Agricultural Education,

"l ain fully convinced that more attention should be paid to the teaching 'of agriculture and general ‘ farming know lodge in our schools and colleges. Our present educational system is copied largely from that of the Old Land, but I maintain that the conditions in New Zealand are totally different to those existing there where the great majority of the people are engagd in industrial pursuits. I am afraid that to-day wo are turning out from our High Schools and colleges too many of the 'white, cuff and collar' class, too many men of the professional class, and too few of the -class who, wjhen they leave school, have not the desired knowledge necessary t° make them successful farmers. I am pleased to know that the Minister of Education is alive to this fact, and t/he -prominence given in our schools to agriculture and general farming knowledge is becoming more prominent eyei-v year. Weraroa as a site for an ■agricultural college. In the meantim e I wpnt to.stress the necessity for providing an agricultural college in this Island to which coukl be attached a dairy laboratory., When consider tlie great importance of the farmingindustry, also the necessity of keeping up the quality of our butter and cheese exports, it must be patent, to ■members that.a great necessity arises for a, dairy laboratory. While I do not. wish to appear parochial, I wan# -to-Impress-upon-members the fact that

we have at Weraroa a very fine development farm, which would be quite an ideal site for such a college. There the student. could -learn the theory of farming, and would get their practical tuition in the development farm, which is conducted on the right lines lor this purpose. We could turn out men from this college well fitted to make a'complete success of any branch of. fanning.” f Unexampled /Progress.

; it is a matter for congratulation fo. ail- concerned that the laist year has been one of unexampled prosperity and progress, ‘ and we have everx. reason to- be Satisfied with the expansion of trade that has made the lasc year one of the most profitable of any yet experienced. The total trade of the Dominion has reached 96 mil*lions and the exports -account for £51,652,606.

The trade of this country has doubled since 191.4 and this is largely due to the increased production from the land. It is estimated that 96 per cent, of the exports of last year came either- directly or indirectly from the land. It is surely not unreasonable to plead for better conditions on that land for the people engaged in the farming industry. , Tourist-Traffic.

“An important matter which I feel sure deserves the consideration of the Government is the tourist traffic to this Dominion. During the last few years I have taken the opportunity of visiting most of the scenic resorts in New Zealand and have been amazed and delighted at the beauties they I contain.. I believe that our scenic resorts should be better advertised both in New-Zealand and other parts of the wor-ld. There seems to be no reason to me why we cannot get the ‘globe-trotters’ and tourist to visit this wonderful land of ours which is so richly endowed by Nature in grandeur and beauty of its scenery. It is estimated that on an average the tourist spends £BOO in the. country, and this business is surely worth looking after. In Switzerland the revenue obtained from tourists is estimated at sixty millions. In Prance 100 millions, in Honolulu, 25 millions, while American tourists are estimated to have spent 140 millions in Europe last year. A small proportion of those millions would be useful to New Zealand and I think we could draw the tourist by advertising sufficiently to a greater extent than is. done at present. Soldier Settlers. With regard to the re-valuation of soldier settlement throughout New Zealand, lam pleased to note that this work is proceeding satisfactorily. The valuers have big task before them, but. I would urge the Government to* hurry along this most important work. Soldier settlers throughout Now Zealand are very, anxious to know exactly how they, stand, and are deeply interested in the result of the Dominion Board’s findings. because they know that, their whole future success or failure depends oil them.” In conclusion, Mr Linklater said: “We are all here to do our best for the country we l represent, and though we rriay represent different shades of political opinions I hope our combined deliberations may be of lasting good. k to the Dominion. ‘lf we could only think more of country than - party, j and take a leaf out of the book of the ancient Homans I think it would be to the benefit of all concerned, for at that time, according to Macaulay: “Then, none were for a party, Then all Were, for the State, Then the great man helped the poor And the poor man loved the great. Th.e Romans were like brothers In the brave days, of old.”