Parliament

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 38, 4 July 1914, Page 5

Parliament

FRIDAY, JULY 3.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AFTERNOON SESSION. By Tel-graph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m.

I An adjournment was made to present J the Address-in-Reply to his Excellency 'the Governor, and on resuming the Council adjourned until July 15.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

AFTERNOON SESSION

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr. McDonald continued the no-con-fidence debate. The Governor's Speech, he said, was colorless, not disclosing the intentions of the Government. Mr. Massey had said there were millions of acres of land awaiting settlement, hut ,had he found those millions of acres? Mr. Masseiy had gone about the country telling what he proposed to do with land settlement, but only 4,500,000 acres of land was available' for settlement, and of this only 100,000 acres were suitable for small holders. It was no use continuing to gull the people with the statement that millions of acres were available. The poor men could not open the land that was left without assistance. Not a penny had been spent upon the purchase of land in the Urcwera country since the Liberals wont out. If there, were a block of 47,000 acres available, steps should be taken to throw it open. The Liberals were not fighting on small party issues, but for the benefit of the people. Hon. W. Fraser held that the administration of the Lands Department was quite satisfactory. Ho condemned the building of the North Auckland railway •before purchasing the land from the natives. When he took office, he had refused to make promises on account of the commitments and the uncertainty of when he could raise a loan. lie dealt with railway matters in Otago, and said that he had no intention of doing away entirely with co-operative labor. A Bill was being prepared dealing with the building of private lines. Mr. Glover opposed the Civil Service Bill. He held that every member of the Service should have the right of appeal to the member of his district or to a Minister. The Bill would not stop political patronage, and had operated against the poor people. The Go- i vernment desired to take land from the . natives rather than from the bloated squatters of Hawke's Bay. The natives should not be, divested of all their land. He urged the imposition of the land-tax. The Public Service Commissioners', report was laid on the table. EVENING SESSION. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was carried on by, Mr. Bradney, who considered it time' to drop party pleasantries and attend to the business of the country. He had not intended to refer to the late strike, but wanted to point out that strife had been encouraged by political intrigue, with intent to discredit the Government. His own efforts at conciliation had been frustrated by persons to whose advantags it was to .prolong the struggle. Referring to the lost of living, the Liberals had largely assisted in the increase of prices by enabling a huge Labor combine to come into existence. High wages and short hours were chiefly responsible. He advocated a vigorous public works policy. The Government would he justified in borrowing large sums to .open up the country by means of roads and railways. The speaker said there had been a great outcry about the result of the graduated land tax. He considered that the tax should be put I upon areas instead of values. j, Mr. Witty followed. He said that if the leader of the Government had used tact he could have settled the strike much earlier than he did. <

Mr. Massey: I settled it, and I'll settle it again if it cornea along. [ Mr. Witty attacked the Government for repealing the second ballot without having something to replace it with. The present Government could only repeal. It had not the energy or ability to frame anything better. Mr. Massey had told the electors that he had raised the interest to Savings Bank depositors by a quarter per cent. This was true, but he had raised it to people of .'lis own class by one, two and three per cent, through not doing his duty with regard to the Advances to Settlers. The Government had made a great point of raising the limits for loans to settlers and local bodies, hut when people applied they were unable to get the full amount. Mr. Witty said he was dead against the Government's local navy scheme, which wmld mean an expenditure of £1 per head of population in New Zealand.

After the supper adjournment, ' Mr. Buiek took up the. debate in support of the Government. He did not favor a contribution to the British Navy, because the people in England had more money to spare than those in 'New Zealand. It had been, said that the "Government .should legislate for the people. He asked. Who are the people? Some thought they should legislate onlv for the rich. Others desired that the agitators who encouraged the swharf laborers to strike should be specially favored. But he considered the honest, conscientious workers, who were the backbone of the country, were the ones that should be legislated for. Mr. Buiek was glad the Government was <*oing on with the reform of the Legislative Council, but the elective principle would be only experimental, and it might 'be necessary to alter it again before long. ~ . , , Mr Robertson criticised -Mr Buiek foi his remark* regarding the men workin" on the wharves. He dealt at/some kngth with the Premier ami his actions in connection with the stukc. He condemned the Government, for not previously giviiv the House an opporlunitv of diseasing the report of the Cost'of ■Liviix; Commission. It was true, that the country was prosperous, but the prosperity was not enjoyed by all «eetioiis of the oomniminty. He convbattod.thc sh.tements that increases of wage.* hud .been soleW response for the increase in cost of living. The actions of this Government had Veil directed towards smashing the. unions and making unionism futile to improve the lot of the workers.