PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 61, 16 June 1916, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. MILITARY SERVICE BILL I’EB PBKSa \KSOOIATM»N. Wellington, June 15. The Council met at rh.'iU p.m. Hon. Sir F. H. 11. 801 l moved the second reading of tlio Military Service Bill. He said that the class of adventurous young men who were eager for ser.vice would soon be exhausted. There was another class who said they would ho available when called upon, and then there was another section wim did not want to light,even in their own defence. Parliament was now asked to set out the reserves from which men could be drawn to make up their promise of troops. Any failure to carry out that promise would involve the resignation of the Ministry. Every man of military age who was physically lit was a member of the reserve, but the reserve was divided into the two classes which he had described. A call could not be made on the second class until the first class had been accounted for. It was intended that a register of the reserve would he compiled without delay. Touching upon the contention that unprecedented powers had been given to the police, Sir F. H. D. Bell pointed out that this power was already in use in the Customs Act,, and to omit this power would enable persons to deiy the law or to make it ridiculous. Hon. \V. H. I). Baillie seconded the motion, and urged that the necessity of the Bill must be apparent.

Hon. J. T. Paid said that personally he had supported the voluntary system, and he beHpveflAhnfe.cdrfscripthjn , of wealth ■ shoui|csfl,ye pj'emlyd ‘conscription of nieuy-then proper prolusion,, could have been hnacte for jsidjcUeiy. find their deendents. He .considered.filntt the Labor opposition ■ jtpi .conscription was a sensible opposition. He defined conscription of wealth to moan a certain amount of taxation and a certain amount of forced loan. They had yet to discover how .much of the war profit,* the Government would confiscate. Labor had ample reason to hate conscription. He condemned the haphazard way in which the Government had acted, and condemned the Bill as tyrannical and unnecessary.

Hon. 11, Moore supported the Bill. After dinner adjournment, Hon. Sir W. Hull-Jones expressed regret that tim required men could not be secured by .Voluntary enlistment. .

Hon. G. Carson said that the Bill was a guarantee to the men at the front that for every man who fell there would be another to Lalm^tyls’place.

Hon. J. Barr said tliaif,> : personaliy he considered the Bill absolutely necessary, as it rather tended ’• to uphold the liberty of the subject that so favorably known in the British Empire. The debate was adjourned, and the Council rose at 10 o’clock. house of representatives. In. the afternoon, in reply to Mr W. H. Field , (Otaki),. the.. Minister of Defence said that any soldier could make a will, but it was not considered advisable to give..soldiers under 21 years ol ago the -right to give anyone a. power of attorney. •: In reply to Mr G. R. Sykes, the Minister said that he would take steps to prevent, in future, the publication of names and particulars of soldiers returning to New Zealand as military

prisoners?In reply to Mr J., V, Brown. (Napier), the Prime Minister said that he understood no decision had yet been

come to regarding giving a war honu to members of the police force.

Two days’ leave of absence was granted to Mr Veitch, on account cl illness.

‘ The Napier High School Amendment Bill was introduced by Mr J. VI Brown, and read a first time. LAND FOR SOLDIERS. | The adjourned debate on \be Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Amendment Bill was resumed by Mr T. \V. Rhodes (Thames), who supported the i Bill, but considered that the financial provision, made under ihe measure was .quite inadequate. I Mr G. Witty advocated the acquisition of native land for soldiers, paying a fair price for it; but in all cases the land should lie purchased from the Natives direct, cutting out the profits , of speculators. j On resuming at 7.J0 p.m,, Mr D. ; H. Guthrie said that the success of the , Act would depend upon its administraj tion . Ho thought Land Boards had a j great deal of work at the present ;ime, and it would be necessary to hand the administration over to some special department, and he hoped this him , would be acted upon, i Hon. W. D, S. McDonald considered the Bill a great advance on the measure passed last session. Land purchased for the purposes of the Act should he of the. best class, and the greatest caution should lie exercised in this respect. , Mr G. W. Forbes said that Parliament and the people had assured our boys that they would be eared lor on their return from the battle-fields.. In his opinion the Bill would not effect the settlement required, and a more radical measure must ho passed, i Dr. A. K. Newm.'in -supported’ HR--1 Bill.

j; '..Mi; J. McCombs! (•'(kupla’ihed 'that tin; scheme to buy laud by debentures %wmild enable Hie rich man lo escape income-tax. The proposal was a most pernicious one.' : ; i Sir Joseph Ward, tns - showing the sufficiency of the steps already taken by the National' Government to provide employment for returned soldiers, pointed out that of -1935 soldiers who came bade only 370 were on the register of the Soldiers’ employment Department. The iimineial proposals of the Bill kad been criticised, but lie contended that :it was not possible to settle all qur soldiers.in one year. The financial proposals were adequate lor all that could lie done in the first year. The Government was determined to get good land to settle soldiers on, but it must not be forgotten that, by so doing they may unduly .enhance values, through the Governipf/it being such large purchasers, in guy ease the Government was ready to do us pari, .from the financial and the humane sides, as far as it was possible to do ,s ft. I l 'rom 19U) to 191 Iwe spent £!,- imported fruit alone. In the face of,this we bad large areas in both Islands more suitable iwr iruit growing than anything in California. Me strongly advocated the selection ol these lands for soldiers’ setilomeiits. j .Messrs R. Scott and C. J. Talbot 1 supported the Bill. j Mr Massey said lie bad to remind the House that there would be heavy obligations to meet after the war. Several valuable suggestions bad been made during the debate, nbih could receive attention in committee. He alluded in grateful terms to the work accomplished by patriotic societies. He honestly believed that with energy U)()0 settlers could be placed on Hie land, under lids Bill, per year. I The second reading was carried on | the voices and the House rose at 1.25 I a.m. eivivcw .-•C