PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 93, 23 August 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22. LECISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, August 22. Tho Legislative Council met at 2.30. An extensio not' 21 days was given to tho Defence Committee in which to report. THE COPYRIGHT BILL. ,The Copyright Lill was read a third tSme. LOCAL BODIES' LOANS. The Hon. H. D. Bell moved the second reading of the Local Bodies' Loans Bill. Tho Hon. J, E. Jenkinson said that the principal feature of the Bill was the State' guarantee of local Lodies' loans. This was enacted in 1908 and repealed in 1909. Some explanation was due to the Council why they, were now being re-enacted if previously thoy had been unsatisfactory. Tht sinking funds were endangered under the Bill. Mr Bell, replying, said that tho Stat e could not provide all the money required for local and general purposes. The Bill was designed to relievo the pressure of local bodies upon the Treasury. Mr Jenkinson was in error in supposing that the law had been altered in connection with the sinking funds, which were perfectly safe. Tho second' reading was carried. STATE ADVANCES BILL.

Mi* Bell moved the second reading of the State Advances Bill. Mr Jenkinson protested against the removal of the Minister from the Board for fear of the political influence bogey. The Hon. John Duthie approved of the removal of the Minister, all of whom were greatly over-worked. He deprecated the extension of borrowing powers which were approaching a dangerous area. The Hon. W. Earnshaw advocated the retention of a Minister on the Board. If Ministers wore overworked more should be appointed. The' second reading, was carried. METHODIST UNION BILL. Mr Bell moved the second reading of the Methodist Union Bill. He said that a doubt existed as to whether tho Bill was a private Bill. Removed that it be referred to the Local Bills' Committee. The second reading was carried and the|Council adjourned until Thursdaj uex|; .

HOUSE OF REPHEBENTATIVEB. ThejfiWe met at 2.30.' .; " f Mr ;H.rAfmore, dealing with the i'.udgejt,: saW : : i!hat ! he j was_.pleaded' it -ee provision jiaol'tjeen, to. foster the fruit' iuf}:isfti-y/ tthifcht; liieaht;'fe great H«y|iJtol2tf&tKtar That dis'tfirr' .had a, njagnjficent: 'i'litur'e? bV- fore it hi the, fruit industry. Already many or ders had been received from Soutl America and fchowhere. The worker; of the country were getting restiyu. They felt ihat they were not getting government for the people by the people. I :fl%eyhad;a Government Of'land monqpolists and t ,veated interests who had not the welfare of; the people al heart. i.

Mr A. H. Hindmarsh hoped that the Government would" cause full and com pkte statistics to he secured of all trades and industries. ITo considered that New Zealand ranged behind aV the countries in that respect. Sufficient encouragement had not been given to the Arbitration Act. The Government'; policy regarding land secured would he to sell land, borrow money on tlw security and lend it out. The Prime Minister had said before the Farmers' Conference that' a man could make f> living - on five acres. If that was so. what an immense future the countrj had'before it? He implored the Prinw Minister to think out some soherm whereby a great rural problem would be settled. It did not matter whethei he sank or swam. He should give a lead in the matter.

Mr Massey, in replying, said thai land for settlers was not as scarce as was- imagined. If Mr HindinarsL would go on the land' he would give him a section to-morrow. He had never) seen a set of men so embarrassed as the Opposition during the debate just concluded. Mr Allen had no! gone in for window-dressing, but had put out a plain statement of the affairs of the country. It was a credit tc him that they had just experienced a more prosperous season than tho preceding one. The 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 last there had been an increase of £596,456 in exports over the figures of July, 1912. Those figures showed confidence in the administration. The Government had put forwaid their policy in Wellington in duly llilJ, and they had adhered to it entirely. They die! not change their policy every week or so. Hu dealt with eac'i of the planks of the platform,, and contended that each had been carried out. Members of the Opposition we.'e luiug the teachers for party purposes, ard the teachers knew exactly where they were. Tho Government vas going.to seb that the matter of teachers' g: laries was put right. An instalment of what was going to be done would come before the House this sossiin. The Government would increase tho taxation of those who could afford to pay. A Board of Agriculture would be established, which -would, be purely an advisory Board, no payments being attached t i the position. ! I had been asserted thai the withdrawals exceeded tho deposits in the Po.,t Office during the Government's regime, but figures proved t!u> contrary. Tlie unauthorised expenditure was larger last year because oi the r.ipid growth of the railways, defence, and tilegraphs to which no Oppositionist could

object. He quoted instances of large estates being cut up during the past twelve months. In answer to the criticism that larro land-owners were not disposing of their and dealing with the assertions that the Government had increased the public debt by £5,700,000, he said' mat. the Mackenzie Government borrowed £4,500,000 of that amount. A statement had been made regarding New Zealand stock. He quoted from the London newspapers showing.that New Zealand 4 per cent, quoted stock was at 100 per cent., Queensland at 99, Ciouth Australia 99, Victoria 100, West Australia 99, and New South Wales 101. Ou: i credit stood higher now than it ever did before, and it was above the average of the Australian States. He defended the appointment of Mr Jsorthcroft to the Commissionership of the Cook Islands. Mr Xorthcroft hid not applied for the position. Mr (Mr Massey) believed that Mr Northcroft was the mo<<t r,aitable man for the position of Resident Commissioner.

The House went into committee on the estimates and adjourned at 5.15 till 7.30. THE ESTIMATES. The House, in committee, resumed at 7.30. On the first item of the Estimates, Legislative Council, £1512, Mr G. W. Russell asked the Prime Minister why he had spent £IOO,OOO in the administration of the Lands Department less than had been granted to him by the House. The Ward Government had settled 430,000 acre;, in 1911, but this Government, whose motto was "settlemeut, and more settlement, and still more settlement," had only settled 153,000 acres in their first year of office. Mr Massey said that, as Minister of Lands, he had refused to renew tha leases of a large number of grazing runs, pending legislation this session. That accounted for the diffei.ence in area. The reason that the vote was not all expended was because an abnormal sum in rents came into the Department. Consequently. it was not necessary to draw ou the vote to the full extent. Sir J. Ward asked he Minister of Finance what rates were paid for raising the last loan, and whether those rates were lower than for any loan which he J. G. Ward)' had raised. The Hon. J. Allen said that the underwriters received 1 per, cent., the brokers k P« r cent;, the Bank of Eng- < land i per cent., and 'commission i per cent. These charges were " the same as the Ward Government had

'Sir Joseph Ward; then. <quoted Han-. I ,yird to show that Mr Allon had J rhar-rod Government 1 tfitlr paying | charges-- on 'the five' 'million ' loan. .The admission 1 made by Mr Al•iii I ■ 11 , ji i (.;.. I *1 f I len wAf, I ji.v J .denqe i tliat men wero ed by the responsibility of office. With Ids. wider knowledge of financial negotiations, he had now admitted that ho had been unabfe to get a' reduction ' iu the charges paid by New Zealand, Canada, and ;iil the Australian States, ' and that., the rates i paid .-by r hjm (Siij t o J;';Cr. Ward) were not excessive. Thiervv :.v\;a» a matter of considerable importance to him, as be had been subjected to.; considerable pn , the 3 j>j point. ( Mr G. Forbes entreated the Minister to b-Hgdown the L'lid Bill .»arfy ' enough to allow sufficient consideration, as it would remove the quee,tion from the political arena fur some years to cone. Mr Massey, replying, said that the Land Bill would be brought down in time to allow Parliament to thoroughly consider every phase of the land question. Messrs J. H. Bradney and W. A. Yeitcli complained of the jerry character of many buildings put, up for , workers' houses. The first item was passed and the House rose at 12.45.