PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 50, 4 July 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

THURSDAY, JULY 3

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

The Council met at 2.30. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed.

Mr Sinclair thanked the Government for the assistance given to the Imperial Trade Commission. He proceeded to deal with the question of unemployment. He thought they had arrived at a stage when they should take into consideration a measure of insurance against possible industrial depression. As a means of dealing with casual labor ho favored State settlements, organised labor agencies, free passes on the railways to assist unemployed to find work out of the centres, ana the co-operation of local bodies by timing public works so as to meet the requirements of the labor market. Advisory boards were also necessary to assist the authorities and workers by giving systematic guidance. The scheme should be both voluntary and compulsory. The State also ought to provide a portion of the fund. Where trade unions were already paying unemployed benefits they should bo let alone, but in no circumstances should the scheme be based on charity. The only true basis was one ot industry. All the help given should bo regarded as help only. Mr Loughnan censored the workers for imagining the Arbitration Act would do everything for them. It was only designed to make the wheels of industry run more smoothly, and was not a panacea for' all industrial evils. He hoped that the Government would amend it to check the right to strike, which had been abused h) labor leaders. He favored an Imperial co-operative fleet as against a colonial navy. He thought that the splendid credit of the country had been more responsible for the successful floating of the recent loan than the influence of a Minister. The only remedy for labor troubles was a better understanding between employer and employed. Mr Mills moved tiie adjournment of the debate until 2.30 to-morrow.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met- at 2.30.

Replying to a question from Mr Isitt, Mr Allen said that it was proposed to set up a committee to go into the whole, question of religious .and other objections to comply with the Defence Act.

Mr Eraser .reamed . the debate. on the Address-in-Reply. To Mr MaVIponald ho quoted figures showing the expenditure on North Island, lines,up lid March 31, which he claimed was quite adequate. On no single occasion had he said that there was not enough money to carry on works authorised. What he had said was that he refused to commit himself to new expenditure until he knew what funds were available. ' He 1 .was ' pursuing "a prudent : course, and proposed to cbh-' timte to do so. He thought that there ought to he a more rigid inspection of public work's, and favored the small contract system as against the co-operative system. He was prepared to assist workers by providing tools on a small payment, which would he deducted from their wages.

Mr Russell contended that the Government had yet to acquire the confidence of the country. On election figures it was in a minority of 114,000. The Speech was the poorest ever put before the country. The policy did not differ from that of the Liberals except as regards the Public Service Act, the freehold and Upper House reform. Everything else the Government condemned when in Opposition had been continued. He enumerated instances where the Government had not fulfilled its election pledges, and declared that political favor in public service life was as pr,one as ever. The Liberals had been accused of putting political rejects into the Council, but four out of the five recent appointment© were those of gentlemen rejected at the polls. The Government had failed to recognise or acknowledge Sir Joseph Ward's services in the gnt of a warship. Economy had not been observed, but the Government spent £50,000 less this year on roads and bridges than was spent last year. The money had gone on automatic telephones. Mr Allen, in reply to Mr Russell, said that the time had come when the Opposition would have to say whether they were in favor of short-dated debentures or long-drted loans. Shortda tod debentures were in the hands of speculators who would not convert them, and they would have to be raised again, repeating all the costs and expanses incidental to the raining. Such a process was ruinous to the finance of the country. The underwriter was entitled to mnke a profit out of the raising uf the recent ioan, because there was no way of evading him. The money hnd to be got, and he was glad that the underwriters made a profit, and was also glad that they unloaded on to the legitimate investor a fair share of the loan within two months. Compared with other countries, tho loans with New Zealand figured in favor of New Zealand. The Government was a liberal Government, and was in power because it had the country behind it. He defended the Legislative Council appointments, and said that local government would be adequately doalt with in due course. The aggregation of land had been going on during the administration of the late Government, but not one acre aggregated under the present Government's legislation. On the contrary, it had put an effective limitation to aggregation. Referring to the Dreadnuoght, he admitted that he had criticised the said gift, but only because of the manner

in which it was given. He emphatically denied the misleading statements made regarding the expeditionary force. Such a force must De voluntary. Full particulars of the offer would be placed before flic House in the Defence Report. The House could rest assured that it had been committed to nothing. He was not m a position to disclose all the facts of the three million loan to the House, but he would do so to the Public Accounts Committee. But he' would say most successful raised Tor tlie Dominion in recent years. He warmly defended the Government against the charges of maladministration in the Grev election.

Mr Budcio commented on a nonborrowing Government borrowing £3,600,000 in Lhree months. He considered that Mr Allen's attitude on the expeditionary foica question was much more high-handed than Sir J. G. Ward's suggestion to ihe .imperial Government that New Zealand might contribute a Dreadnought towards the Empire's defences. He gave any suggestion that political influence pervaded the Ward Government's administration of the public service an absolute denial. Touching qu defence matters, he said that our volunteer system languished because it was behind the times. That was why the Ward Government had brought forward the present system. He strongly opposed any expeditionary force as being quite impracticable.

Mr G. M. Thomson said that the Speech was in marked contrast to the speeches put into the Governor's hands in previous years. There was an absence of "high falutin" language. It was business-like, and made no impossible promises. He regretted to see, however, that no reference was made in the Speech to the great question of education, and he was sorry that the Minister did not intend to do anything in that direction this year. The expeditionary force spoken of by the Minister was to be purely voluntary, and we had to be in a position to properly e<juip them if over we should be called upon to send them out. He advocated the placing )f all Government scientific departments under one head, who would be known as Minister in charge of Scientific .Affairs. Science had a most important place in our industries, especially in agriculture, and the time had come when the Agricultural Department wanted remodelling. At present i,t was an Augean stable, which wanted clearing out. Mr G. forties, .moved the adjournment at 11.25, and the House rose. ,Jrli» '■" i