Mr. Speaker . . .

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 743, 16 August 1929, Page 1

Mr. Speaker . . .

| Session Queries and Asides WELLINGTON, Thursday. Another day of the financial debate has dragged its weary length along, and there does not seem any prospect of the debate ending yet. Another week, however, may see it over. Proceedings in the House of Representatives this afternoon were very tranquil, and there was little to mar the peace of the debate. Mr. G. t. Munns (Roskill) had rather a *ough passage from interjectors during the early portion of his speech, but on Mr. Speaker warning the House he was allowed to go on his way. The Petone workshops were the subject of a motion for a return by Mr. A. M. Samuel (Thames), asking what portions of the old Petone workshops had been leased, the terms anu j conditions of such lease, If any. tbe name of the party or company to whom the lease was granted. and whether the lease, if any, had been submitted to public tender in the ordinary way. * * * Mr. Samuel also gave notice to ask the Minister of Transport, the Hon. W. A. Veitch, whether he would introduce legislation this session amending the Motor Spirits Taxation Amendment Act, 1928, so that the registrar will have discretionary powers to enable him to deal with applications for a refund of taxes in cases where these have been unavoidably delayed, and the statutory period in which such applications have to be made has expired. * * * Two days’ leave of absence was granted Mr. Tau Henare (Northern Maori) because of illness. * * « A Juicy Surplus “There is no use hiding the fact that everybody knows the Prime Minister enjoys large, juicy surpluses,” said Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) in his Budget speech tonight, as an introduction to a bright simile. “He reminds me of the Australian nigger boy with a great big watermelon.” he continued, while the House roared. “I can picture the spectacle of the Prime Minister chuckling over it when it arrives. Everyone knows he is going for a big juicy surplus, and good luck to him, too. I expected the Minister of Lands the other night to defend the Budget and not try to hide the fact of what the Government is after.” ... Keeping Him Quiet The member for Thames, Mr. A. M. Samuel, is well-known as a witty interjector, and some of his sallies often throw opponents badly out of gear when they are speaking. He could not score oft Mr. G. C. Munns (Roskill) this afternoon when the latter was speaking in the Financial Debate. Mr. Munns had been speaking of (he primage duty, and regretting that it was necessary. He spoke of the difference the primage duty would make to various articles, including Paris models. Mr. Samuel: Would you be in favour of confining the primage duty to luxuries? Mr. Munns: I would be in favour of confining the hon. member for Thames if it would only keep him quiet! Vain Protest At all times language in the House must be Parliamentary, and Mr. G. C. Munns (Roskill) bumped up against Mr. Speaker’s ruling on the subject today. "I think,” he said, "that when crucifying returned soldiers for the sake of a few rapacious landowners —” Mr. Speaker: Order! I must ask the hon. member to moderate his language. He cannot use “crucify.” “But, sir, I—” protested Mr. Munns. Mr. Speaker: Order! Order! “Very well, sir,” said Mr. Munns.. “I withdraw the word. Shall I sayruin?” • * * The Long View “People criticise the South Island Main Trunk on the basis of the earning power of that section to be linked up. The Minister of Justice, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, said it was the Auck-land-Invercargill railway, and that is the view people should take.”—Mr. G. C. Munns.

A Forgotten Word The need for economy in public expenditure was stressed by Mr. W. J. Poison (Stratford) in his Budget speech in the House of Representatives last evening. Mr. Poison did not mean retrenchment, but real economies, which could be easily effected. He said that one thing had struck him while listening attentively to the speeches in the debate, and that was that not one speaker mentioned the word economy. It had apparently been forgotten, and apparently the word was not in the lexicon of the modern politician. Possibly speakers might have thought that economy meant unemployment, but Mr. Poison did not think that for one moment. By economy he did not mean ment, which he abhorred, but considerable economies could be effected in regard to waste of stores, material, and man-power in public services all over the country. That fact struck every practical man going round the country.