PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 76, 20 September 1911, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

I TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1011. J HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister, stated that he had been in communication with the Racing Commission with a view to their sitting again to reconsider the question of country club permits. The Commission is agreeable to sit again, and the necessary work connected there- | with was now being done. Their report would be brought down as soon as avail- \ able. ' On the motion of the Prime Minister , it was decided that Government business , take precedence on Wednesdays. He j pointed out a great deal of important | work to be done between now and the first and second weeks of November, when all wanted to be away to their ' constituents. \ BUDGET DEBATE. Mr. Myers resumed the debate on the ' Budget, which he declared exhibited a , very happy state of affairs. Humanitar- \ ian affairs would appeal to the country generally. He spoke at length on the ' satisfactory condition of the finances, upon which he heartily congratulated k the Minister of Finance. While taxation J had increased from £3 18s 9d in 1909 to £5 §s 7d in 1911, the increase had [ been placed upon those best able to bear it, being on the Land Tax, the In- " come Tax and the Death Duties. Were ' he not convinced that the Government policy was a proper and honest one, he would immediately walk over to the j! other side of the House. He urged . greater expedition in the settlement of native lands.

Sir W. Steward considered the Budget an excellent one, which would commend itself to the country. It was a record of prosperity, such'as had never been submitted in any other part of the Empire. He disagreed with the proposal to reduce the long-distance railway fares by a farthing a mile at a cost of £OO,OOO. Better to have reduced the short-distance fares, as benefiting more people. If the Department wanted to spend £60,000, it could better be done on the erection of loading sheds in country districts, and cheap market tickets for farmers, and reduction of the freight on fruit. He expressed regret that no reference was made in the Budget to the land question. He advocated a tax sufliciently disruptive to make it impossible to hold land in large quantities.

Mr. Luke regretted the absence of reference to education in the Budget. He hoped the Government would do all in its power in connection with higher education. He regretted also that the Government had not done more in the acquisition of surplus lands. He looked upon the farmers' co-operative bankproposal as good, and if placed in good shape he would support the measure. He advocated the development of the iron ore of the Dominion.

The House adjourned at 7 p.m. 'Upon the House resuming this evening Mr. Bollard continued the Budget debate. He complained of the unsatisfactory condition of land matters in the Dominion, said he knew of no country in the world where the leasehold system had been successful. It was the duty of the Government to settle the people on the land and educate them how to work it. He asked what the Government had done for farmers in this direction. Scientific knowledge was essential to the satisfactory working of the land. In Europe and elsewhere there were plenty of agricultural colleges, and if this country was to compete with these places it must be up to date in its methods. He advocated the extension of the workers' homes system for the benefit of small wages men.

The Rev. Isitt said the Government was in a happy condition so far as the Opposition were concerned. The Government had been accused again and again of rash expenditure, and yet every Opposition member wanted money 'spent on colleges, experimental farms, etc. Hon- could the Government meet these demands and yet escape the reproaches of the Opposition? Referring to military training, he said the Government had made two very grave mistakes, in , omitting a conscience clause and in carrying on the training age' to 20. There must be, he declared, a conscience clause, even tit the risk of the clause being abused. Any other work than training the objectors were willing to do—road-making, gorse-cutting, anything. There were 0000 people combined to oppose the system. The age limit should be 21. He deprecated, and described as shameful, the charges of bribery, corruption and maladministration against the Government. There was nothing in the charges THE PREMIER TN REPLY. Sir Joseph Ward, in reply, said everyone who had spoken on the Budget had supported all the measures forecasted there. For the past twenty years the Opposition had endeavored * to' cast reflections on the financial position of New Zealand. They had repeatedly decried loans, and their utterances had found way mto the Investors' Guide. London, which stated that there was a possibility of some of the loans not being renewed or converted. He asked, was tins done to help the country? The men at the back of this were large landed proprietors, who would remove the tax trom large estates and put it on someone d-e. [Te referred to the inconsistency of the Opposition crying out i"«t too much money was being spent, and then all demanding railways and colleges. _ [|e charged Mr. Allen with

toss misrepresentation in the matter 'i J reasnry bills, remarking that if the mount had been paid off as Mr. Allen iad said they could not have paid their ray at all. ' Members of the Opposition benchc? iad been juggling with figures and jus-. ,'l'"g with the law. The Public l'tev •lilies Act insisted on the course he hat :a'ken. The objeet of the Opposition ir Sfomg round the country saying tin mance of the country is in a weak posi :ion and taxation being increased, wai to try to get on the Treasury Benehe *ml, m their desperate attempts to <h this, they were seriously damaging tli country and the people. Referring t Mr. Allen's statement of the discrepan i-ies of four millions in the Budget figure of the public debt, Sir J. G. Ward sail the table quoted by Mr. Allen dealt wit] borrowed money only and not revenue. Kir .1. 0. Ward asked for an cxtensioi of tune to complete his reply, but, a; he intimated in response to a questioi »>' Mr. Massey. he intended to proccer with the first item of the Estimates Objection was taken to his request. II averred there was not a mistake in' tin Budget. As to the statement regardim telephones and telegraphs, he pointer* out that the Telegraph Department liar produced a sum over and above its expenses for a number of years. Sir ,To s;°im further traversed the financial «-i Jo show (he to turns w'ove justified j„ connection wltl the Slmlc Issue' of notes, jfe preparer i» ISM a measure for the purpose. I, .• it was then eoHsiikred inexpedient iI'lirsiie the matter. ;Vc«- J,e prop,,--,., lo have a gold security behind the'is.su, ol notes, which the, banks were to buy Sir .loseph Ward asked for extensioi of time to complete his reply, but thii was' objected to.

THE ESTIMATES. | The House then went into committee on the Estimates. Messrs. Lang, Poole and Glover advocated the placing on the Estimates of a sum to compensate iMrs. Claude, whose late husband stopped a runaway train near Auckland. The Hon. J. A. Millar reiterated his explanation of the position, and held that the late Mr. Claude had been fully compensated for what he had done. On the first item Mr. Masscy moved the reduction of the vote, "Legislative Council," by £5, as an indication that the Council should be elective. Sir Joseph Ward said he did not say the reform was not desirable, and advocated the adoption of the South African system. Mr. Massey contended that as the Opposition represented the minority, the minority should be represented in the Council. There had not been one Opposition member sent to the Council for twenty years.