HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1916, Page 4

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr. B. MtCallum (Wairaii) asked the Minister of Defence if be could see bis vay to subsidise the work of relieving the fews and Armenians interned in Egypt. The Minister replied that this was a matter tor the Cabinet to deal with. DEFEXCE MATTERS. The House then went into Committee of Supply to consider the Defence Estimates, £494,023. Replying to criticism of the base records department, the Minister eulogised its work, particularly that of Major Francis, whose services he valued great- '}'. Replying to Dr. Xewman, the Minister said be would lay on the table the details of expenditure of the war loan, but, so far a* he could say at present, we had expended £5,015,!)0!> over and above this. There were certain adjustments connected with the British liovcrnment, amounting to about £5,000,000. Most of this loan money amounting to £10,000,000 had becii obtained from London.

Mr. .1. Payne (Grey Lynn) protested against certain prominent members of the civil service parading about the city in colonels' uniforms purchased by the money of the taxpayer.

The Minister denied that these uniforms were supplied by the Department. They were, purchased by the officers themselves.

1)r. Thacker (Chriateliureh East) stated that the last contingent of Canterbury recruits was 49 over its strength, and these men, who had given up their employment, were asked to hang about for a month till they could be taken into camp. The remedy for this state of things was local camps, yet the Minister's stafl officers had truculently opposed local camps. The Minister, in reply to Dr. Xewman. said there was no deposit of £IOO to pay to join the aviation school. The fact that a man was in the aviation school In no way enabled him to escape service. Regarding territorial officers, he had no power to compel them to join the Exneditionary Force.

Mr. W. A. Veitcli ("Wanganui) denounced tho extravagance practised in fitting up transports, contending that the work could be done better on the cooperative principle than by giving tWork to a particular set of contractors. Dr. Newman said lie would support the amendment without going Mie length of ragging the Minister, as was evidently being done. He urged the Minister to refer the matter for consideration by Cabinet.

The Minister, in reply, said the matter had been carefully considered by Cabinet, but he was prepared to bring it up again for review. Mr. Sykes said it was important that married men with children should be discouraged from going the front. Patriotic societies should come to the rescue where •mi insufficient allowance was given, EVEXJNO SITTING. On resuming at 7.30, Mr. Allen, replying to assertions made during the debate, said the amount paid to the Union Company was 3% per cent, on refitting transports, and on other ships not owned by the company 7Ms per cent. The labor on the Limerick had been done in London, and a gross waste of money would have been occasioned had the vessel been brought back to New Zealand to have the work dons. Rtfwring to

jthe contention that the were cxeess.v,, be explained that mauv oj I the officers scheduled for salarie* 'were *t the front, and were not a charge on the-Department He could not see how the Inmates coiilil be reduced. Mr H. Poland (01iinemnri) moved an amendment that the vote of £185,103 for the Adjutant-General's branch be reauccd by £l, a., an indication that the separtion allowance to wives and children of men at the front should be increased. He urged Wlat th( , amom given was altogether inadequate. Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said he should support the proposal, as the amount of the allowance was wholly inadequate and unfair.

•Mr. Allen, in reply, ~n i d that a higher separation allowance would bring about a state of things the Department did not want to create, as it would encourage married men with children to enlist What they wanted was to get the single men first.

Mr. Wilford replied that if the Minister did his duty he would see ,hat the single men went first, but the real point was, what was to be done for the wives and children of the men who were already at the front?

j Tiie Minister, in further replv. said | lie had already promised to refer the [matter of a larger allowance to Cabinet The allowance paid in New Zealand ,«as the highest in th» world. He was not ! afraid of the cost, but he was. bound to tell the House that It was costing the country at the present time £40.000. per annum for children alone. He reminded the House that a widowed mother, whose son at the front was her sole support had been placed on the same footing as a wife, and was allowed a shilling per dsiy. *

Mr. Isitt said lie would support trie amendment. He could not see why the Minister should want to fight the House about it, for if he eoukj, see that it wan the fixed determination of the House to increase the allowance he should yield to pressure, and throw ihe responsibility on the House.

Mr. <P. C. Webb (Grey) maintained that .while it was true our allowance was tlie highest in the world, in proportion to our population, we were the wealthiest oeople in the world, awl could afford to pay it.

Mr. Poole deprecated the suggestion that patriotic ocioties should supplement the allowanceSj It was absurd to suggest that our soldiers should be dependent on charity.

Mr. Herries said he hoped the proposer of the amendment would withdraw it, a.s those fighting for the .principle had achieved their object. Thev had got a definite promise from the Minister that he would refer the whole question to Cabinet. The amendment was lost hy 27 toll. Mr. Wilford alleged that a great waste of rations was taking place at Trentham. "•"lie Mir.i-ter snM he did not fhini the wa'-te was greater thai, at any ri niiar camps and every effort was made to check waste, the bulk of the rations b°ing supplied under tender. At 11.50 p.m., the vote was passed, ind the committee proceeded to discuss Class XTV.—Department of Agriculture, Industies and Commerce, £2'24,r>23. At 1 o'clock discussion was still proceeding on the vote. (Left Sitting.)