PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 73, 16 September 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph —Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives met at ■2.30 p.m. FINANCIAL DERATE. The debate on the Budget was resumed by Mr. Arnold, who pointed out that the main questions had not been touched except bv the first two speakers. He looked upon the Opposition as a body that was as. dead as Julius Caesar and thought the Government would do better to watch the under currents running through the Dominion than paying so much attention to the Opposition. Personally he would always be found with the progressive Party in the House, irrespective of its title. He considered the Budget the most progressive for many years past and would heartily suport ot. Referring to the Labor problem. he held that what the workers required was the right to work —not charity; and an unemployment insurance scheme did not fully cover this matter. Air. Allen argued that the Opposition, so far from being dead, would come 'back from the country a strengthened reform party. In reference to insurance against unemployment, hiu party would make an honest endeavor to do something tangible in the matter. He pointed to the necessity of something being done for Central Otago. Appropriations made had never been expended and now on the eve of a election the Government proposed to do something. Ho expressed regret at the waste of money in railway construction all over the Dominion, maintaining that lighter lines should be built in new country. Extraordinary haste with which the Budget was framed resulted in inaccuracies and misstatements, nnd the Premier had misrepresented to the public the amount of the national debt. The Premier had put the debt higher than it actually was, stating it to be 81 millions, instead of 77 millions. It was not his duty to show the debt lower than it was, but these figures served to show the inacuracics in the Budget. He took exception to the statement that Treasury bills had 'been paid off, inasmuch as they had' been renewed a few weeks before being cleared. Errors usually occurred to make figures appear in favor of the Treasurer, and such things did not tend to give confidence in the compiler of the figures. Mr. Russell, replying to Mr. Allen, said his speech might be characterised ns fault-finding and nagging upon minor details. He was convinced the country was sound and prosperous, which would not he the case with a change of Government. Opposition members were calling out, "What is the land policy?" "Why," said Mr. Russell, "it is all in the present law—that is the policy." To point his remark, he mentioned tliat for the year ending March, 1011, 1,412,742 acres had been taken up by 2287 selectors.

KVEN'IXG SITTIXG. On the House resuming this evening Mr. Herdman traversed the previous speaker's statement regarding the land settled, pointing out that 044,000 acres of the amount stated were pastoral runs which had been renewed. He declared the whole statement regarding Treasury Bills was slippery. Ruling 011 a point of order raised by Sir Joseph Ward, the speaker said the word "slippery" was only used in a political sense.

Mr. Herdman, continuing, declared the cost of railway construction had materially increased between 1900 and lift I, the difference being £4801) a mile. The Budget he described as a deliberate attempt on the part of the Government to rehabilitate themselves. It showed nothing as to how native lands were to be settled, nor was any reference made to that ''expensive superfluity," the Legislative Council, lie contended the general trend of legislation and the manner of taxation was having a disastrous effect on the working man. He would, lie said in reply to nil interjection, repeal the Arbitration Act to-morrow. Ilr. Lauren son maintained that the Budget contained more far-reaching and humanitarian proposals than ever put before the country in any previous Budget. He controverted Mr, Massey's contention that the Government was to gard to the increased cost of railway saying the Government, had taken duty off practically all the main imported foods. As to Mr. Okey's contention that the leasehold should be the step-ping-stone to freehold, lie reminded him that the Government had to legislate for posterity, not for this decade. In regard to the incerased cost of railway construction it had to be borne in mind that more precipitous country had to be opened up now than formerly, lie urged the Premier to concentrate his attention on the proper education of the young to fit them for the world of usefulness and self-reliance, and also upon a sound land policy, with increased graduated tax.

Air. Fisher characterised the Budget as «n electioneering one pure ftnd simple, and provided for even-thing except lunatics and collectors of moa I>ones. Dealing with taxation, lie asked if the hiph rents were not, due to the enormously inflated land values? It had been suk{icsted that the oil and iron industries should be nationalised to prevent them getting into the hands of monopolists, Y\ hy, he asked, was not the Union Steamship Company nationalised* The T>udj;vt was full of inaccuracies, and was rubbish. The (ioveinnient would lln'd when matters were straightened out that the, profits from State industries would not pay even the defence bill for i year. The House rose at 11.110 p.m.