WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 15 September 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

INDUSTRIES REPORT.

DISCJUSSION IN PARLIAMENT.

(Special Col'l'espolldent.)

WELLINGTON, Sept; 12.

The discussion on the report. of theIndustrics Committee, which was taken l-ast night in fulfilment of the Prime Minister ’s‘ promise, gave. "Sir Joseph Ward an opportunity to remind the House that several «of the more important reeonmiendations of the Committee were along the lines of proposals he had made himself during the last decade. He would have been more than human ——or, at any rate, a. good deal less, than politician—llad he not emphasised this point. He recalled the fact that in 1910 he had submirttedproposalsi ‘toParliament which, if followed, would have allowed two schemes in the North Island and one in the South to be carried on simultaneously. That ‘scheme was cut down to one vote of £500,000 for the Lake Coleridge, and now at the end of a decade only a. beginning was being made with the execution _of the other schemes. As for the nationalisation of the coal mines, he did not wish to join up in any vast nationalistation scheme, but the abundant production of coal would have to be maintained, and to achieve this end the old order would have to be changed and the causes of unrest and inefiicieney removed.

THE PRIME MINISTER APPROVES,.

Mr Massey reviewing the report, and, incidentally,ea-replying to the Leader of the Opposition, said the most important of all the Ina:tterS dealt with by the Committee was the need for the development of hydro-elect-rie power. In 1910 liydro-electric schemes Vi-gel'e in the experiinexital stage, and the question was Whether there should be wholesale ventLure_s in hy.d’r.o-electric power “to the piissible‘ hzinipering of roads and ‘b‘r':a-g‘eé. - "rim;-eé“l:adj changed, andhthe "I§ak"e C3oleridgfe':‘eL{)perinlent .had proved {a""-gr'eé,t "success," "fully justifying the 'e_nter”prises“t_ha‘t non? were lin ": hsind... ’With'out fully" subscribing to thcnsug"gestioxl for-the nationalisation of the i=co'al nlin'es,'he said: “tf nationalisation were going to -solve the problem 'th‘eli‘”let the mines be “nationalised.” He was not quite sure, hoivevei-,’Atha.t it would’ solve the problenii. There would "be supel‘anliuafib°l_i _.lsh'§‘prov-i£_l‘:.e for i the miners and that might present difl"l- - which could "not be easily "overcome. He was sorry the shortness of the session would not permit the sappointment of a full Parrlilamentury Committee to deal with the matter‘, i_ ’ ' THE WHOLE HOG.

Mr C. A. Wilkinson, the Chairman of ‘the Committee, reviewed the report‘ with :3. close knowledge of its details, and with .an obvious faith in its rec’om~ men(l2vtio~ns. The Connnittee had gone a little farther} than the Board of Trade in regard to the na‘tion:llisation of the coal mines, had, in fact, “gone the’ whole hog,” but the trouble was :aclfte,' and "the" remedy must be drastie. “The coal mightgcost more,” he adniitt«ed, “but to the genera‘l public the concern was not so much one of cost, “.'ls‘~o-f"a' plentiful and regular supply.” 'Rvefk§'l'Hiig to the cost of livingyhe said ‘themistake of'the past had been in giving the Board of Trade too little

fmwér, and ‘the Committee ‘had come to the conclusion it was Wiser to give it too much power fllan to leave it with too little. The Cusfom tariff stood sadly in need of revision on sound com~ lm-on-sense lines, so ‘that the necessary revenue xnight ‘be obtained without unduly burdening the poorer people, and‘ without subjecting struggling and desirable industries to unfair competit.ion_ ‘The interests of the producer, *the worker, and the consumer must be reconciled. .