PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 117, 15 June 1909, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. ■Wellington, .liino 14. The Legislative Council met at 10.30 a.m. I'hi; Hon. Kigg gave notice to move "'l'hat thi s Council disapproves id the Government's Dreadnought, oiler as unjustifiable, ininioral, and ridiculous, lievause a loan must i. e obtained in order to make th,. gift, and bccai.,.. ureal Britain can j,ay for all til,, battleships required; hecaus,. t | h , proposal j s tlll . (mt . eonie „f a newspaper scan, organised for unworthy motives.'' The Council then adjourned. HOUSE OF KEPRESENTATh JiS. STANDILV; ORDERS. The House met irt. 10.30 a.m. On the Premier's motion Hi,, standing orders were suspended s 0 far as to allow local bills to !> ( . introduced during the present session. Notwithstanding the fact that documents connected therewith were not in the hands of t.i clerk the following bills were read a first time:

W'hangarei Harbor Act (1907) Amendment Act.

Hokianga Comities Boundaries Adjustment.

Timaru Borough Loans Consolidation. HARBOR ARMINISTKATION.

A. discussion ensued upon a question raised by Mr. Wilford as to whether the Minister of Marine would give the House an opportunity to discuss the Harbor Board administration.

Mr. Mnssey said there was much dissatisfaction with the representation on the boards.

Mr. Hardy stated that Canterbury was satisfied. '

Mr. Witty thought i»e system of election was unsatisfactory. Messrs. McLaren, Luke, and Buxton also favored a change. Mr. Craigie urged that the people of the country should he placed on the same tooting as the people of the boroughs. Hon. Millar said a bill would probably be introduced next session to deal with the subject. 'THE DREADNOUGHT OFFER.

The Premier moved "That this House confirms the otter of the Government to the Imperial Navy.' He said he had already given all iniormation on the subject.

TL e Premier referred to resolutions ol the public bodies in favor of the Government's action, and said that not one had disapproved. It wau a good thing fo the .Dominion to show a united front in offering assistance to the JSmpire. I'ne Government's action had beer* said* to be unconstitutional, but the offer hal to be made at once to have the moral effect it had. The Government accepted responsibility, and he hoped the members would not allow minor matters to affect their attitude. I

Mr. Alassey said he was pleased thIremier had altered the text of ms motion. He could now support it. Parliament should have been convened and at would probably have done a better thing than offer a Dreadnought. In stating tnat the Government bad staked its existence on the offer, the Premier was making the offer .. party one The people's right to control the finance should be preserved. xI K hoped the Premier would give some idea as to his line of action at the conference. For the :£200,u00 spent in defence in the Dominion there was practically no result. A proper system of national trainin" .could be had for £-hjU,OUO. U« expect" ed the House would be practically unanimous in affirming the motion, but hj« would like an expression of opinion on national training which would stren-tuei the Premier's hands at the conference. He wanted to see defence made a matter of education. Every physically lit youm? man should he trained to defend his country.

Mr. Merries referred to the unconstitutional and strategic aspects of the offer, and held there was no justification for the Government doing an unconstitutional act. He advocated a local navy, which, with the Australian, could police the Pacific and meet any euemv except Japan. On the House resuming at 2.30. Mr. Hemes continued ins speech. Ho held mat the relationship between the Mother Country and me colonies would have to be revised. The colonies snoula be allies of Britain, not dependencies. Mr. Fruser approved the Government's offer in the circumstances without convening Parliament.

Mr. Reid supported the motion. Mr. Phillips, while approving the oiler, said the Government had wueuto "ive tile country a lead in domestic defence. Mr. Thomson (Wallace), believed the time would come when Britain and Germany would try conclusions for naval supremacy.

Mr. Sidcy spoke in favor of a United Imperial navy as opposed to Mr. Hemes' suggestion of a local navy.

-Mr. Guthrie, while supporting the offer, protested against the unconstitutional manner in which the offer had been made.

Mr. Wright said no reason had yet been given for the offer of a Dreadnought in an unconstitutional way. There was no emergency at the time the offer was made.

Mr. Jennings supported the motion. The Hon. Sir. Ngata said the Opposition had given a giuuging support to the Government's offer of a Dreadnought. The argument that t'ii e offer was made unconstitutionally was mere quibble.

Mr. Allen said the tone of the debate had been high, and had shown that] the members were all in sympathy with the Empire. The moral effect ot tiie ] offer would have been tenfold greater 1 had Parliament been called together to discuss the situation. The time nail come for New Zealand to consider her destiny. He was not content to remain a ''Little New Zealander." We were forgetting mir responsibilities with regard to the islands in the Pacific and the Commonwealth. He agreed with Mr. Herries that we could provide a navy to protect our own, interests in the Pacific. We should join hands with Australia in creating a fleet for our own defence. Regarding local defence, for £400,000 a year we could provide an efficient defence, both naval ana military, to replace the present inefficient system.

"The House rose at 5.30 and resumed at 7.30.

The debate was resumed by Mr. Lang, who considered that giving the Dreadnought without first consulting Parliament iiad created a bad precedent. Mr. fisher said the continuation was an unconstitutional procedure, and only showed that the House was a mere tool of tiie party leader. Mr, Herdinan said the Dreadnought would bf an additional burden for tl.iej people, though he did not object to jt,. ff necessary, he thought Britain should call on Germany to Isn't, or ijcf.'arc war and crush her rival. 1 Mr. Wilford <-ite<l Mr W. Jlavcotirl's exposition on constitutional law in Ui ; ' ■occasion of a breach of constitutional usage during the »'"th Air-an war. The latter replied, "It may have hen unconstitutional, but it was necessary. " Messrs. Hine and Duncan held that the MIW ffas justified. ' f HIS PREMIER'S RhPIA. 'The Pn-liiier saw/ < ;Ililt 11 "' t ' ilal ""' "' unconstitutional mWutf betrayed a lack | of knowlcib'e on the part of i/!«*' "'"k-1 in" it. He sjioke scornfully of the U<M,c- | wfnkina efforts at naval defence advo- ] ,-atcd bv the Opposition. He was prepared to bring down prop"*, s as soon as he kiv* >vl.at was wanted, and also would intiodw it )»." 'l™'" 1 ?, 1 . 111 ,ml 1; tarv training. He recognised his gren.. respo.wiWJiiyi»^a.'at»")^!'yt';;; conference, vb«* »W*l '*.W M «» epoch in the Umpire * >'>!' aid future of the \)«MWm was, «»t dependent on internal defence, hilt nn the fate of the British Navy. THfE MOTION CAItIiIEIJ. The motion was carried on the voices, QUESTIONS.

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