PARLIAMENT

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 49, 22 February 1912, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

FEBRUARY 21, 1912. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. £Per Press Association.* v . Wellington, February 21. Tlio Council met at 2.30 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. East Coast Railway. Replying to a question, Hon. R. McKenzie stated that the Waihi-Tau- . ranga-East Coast railway would probably be commenced within a fortnight, or certainly within a month. The House met at 7.30 p.m. U“Hitting Below the Balt.” Hon. Millar continued-the debate on the -no-confidence motion. He said the country would have been brought into a lovely state if the party in power, in 1891 had been allowed to continue administering affair's. He recollected fights they had then to get any decent legislation passed. He asked what the Opposition mean when they said they had clean hands. When the Leader of the Opposition went to Oamaru he gave utterance to statements which could not be substantiated. The Government had been charged with being corrupt, but the charges were nebulous. There was nothing specific about them. The Hine charges had not been proved, despite the fact that those formulating them had had access to all the files., Mr Masses': We had not! Mr.Millar: Yon did. Mr Massey: They Were. not all there. Mr Millar: “Ho you imply that departmental officers had removed documents -from the files submitted?” That sort of thing, he continued, was hitting below the belt. Why had not a definite charge been made against the Government ? If the present policy tlie Opposition was pursued, no decent man would remain in public life. Continuing, he cited figures of voting of the variouls members of the Opposition in regard to the Advances to Settlers, Old Age Pensions and other Liberal measures, pointing out the occasion on which they had voted against measures or refrained from voting: The position showed that the men .then in power had better discrimination as : to what was for the benefit of the country than the lion. ■- gentleman; on the’ Other - 'side.- He wanted the House to judge the men by their potions.,.and not by. their ~~ 'words! Borrowing Policy. ')( tljhej Muriel) then?proceeded to explain'and defend the cause of the increased borrowing mnd expenditure, which the Opposition, he said, put in their bill of indictment as “reckless expenditure.” Figures were quoted to show-that a large percentage of the borrowed\ money was reproductive, and he complained of the unfair attitude of the Opposition in its methods of criticising loans without llwtyfeifle ip-tp j.aqcountuhow ithe money was utilised. He%skbd If 'tliaf/was unduly borrowing and Squandering. Referring to the charge of over-taxa-tion, he asked what could the Government do without the sanction, of Parliament? Referring to- the Dreadnought, he said, not one penny had been expended ; until it was .sanctioned by Parliament. The original offer .was sent Home with a statement that nothing would be done until it. was sanctioned by Parliament. , ,He proceeded to defend the civil service from the charges alleged against , it,, and .declared .that taxation had been taken off the workers. Ho concluded, that the Liberal Party had an unequalled record since it took office in 1891. He maintained that the , party had tOthe credited (with the good work tending to the prosperity of the country, despite the opposition of the other side. If his resignation would be of service to the party ho was prepared to retire. He had no desire to retain office unless it were to the advantage of the party. A . Mr Herdman’s Criticism. Mr Herdman 'said it did not matter what the present Government had .done in the past. The present was the time to judge. The Government had not grappled with their tfustoe--1 ship as they should have done, and was not worthy of the confidence of the House. With regard to “backdowns,” he would refer members to the Governor’s Speech, which was punctuated with “backdowns.” People had declared that they did not want the present Government. The Local Government Bill had been included in the Governor’s Speech, but it had been dragged from the Government. He objected to the rapid Borrowing policy pursued by the present Government. Civil service reform was necessary, as was reform in the management of the railways. Again, native matters had not been attended to as they should have been, and the expenff'ture of public money needed ventilation, and this was not forthcoming. Political influence in the public service was the curse of the country, and stamped out the better class in the service. The Government was responsible for the Arbitration Act, and it was useless. In fact, it had widened the gulf between employer and employee. The excessive borrowing of the present administration was teaching the people of the country to be extravagant. They should be taught to live on their own resources and not cultivate extravagance consequent upon excessive borrowing. The Minister in charge of the railways was very able, but he could .not be expected to efficiently manage the department, having had no railway training. Under the Liberal Government the country had gradually lost sight of the fundamental piWiciples of democracy. There was an industrial unrest in New Zea-

land, and people were afraid to invest money in the country. Mr. Russell said Mr. Allen had beer, caught napping time and again, and if the Opposition came into power they would never appoint, him Minister of Finance. Had the Liberal party displayed one half the energy displayed by the Opposition it would have been returned with a substantial majority. He claimed that the party which occupied the Treasury benches would have to go on with the progressive policy of recent years, and he hoped the result of the division would be a continuance of the Liberal Party. The House adjourned at 11.20 p.m.